In March 2016, I along with 80 Sport, Education and Health doctors wrote to Ministers, Chief Medical Officers and Children's Commissioners calling for the tackle to be banned from schools' rugby. This call was based upon:
- Contact rugby having a high and serious risk of injury
- Traumatic brain injuries are common in contact rugby, and the potential neurodegenerative outcomes are worrying
- The tackle being the primary mechanism for injury within contact rugby.
- Many schools deliver contact rugby as a compulsory part of their physical education curriculum for boys
- There is a lack of injury monitoring and auditing in the school sport context
- And, the government is not currently ensuring children are prevented from unnecessary harm in accord with the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.
Since then, I and others have been involved in extensive academic research, political advocacy and campaigning around this issue in order to make physical education safer for young people. Our message is simple: prevent injuries, remove contact.