Contact sports and cotton wool?

...and then somebody would want to discuss specifications and standards for the bubble wrap, how many layers should be applied to which areas, how big the bubbles should be......

The user and all related content has been Deleted User

I trained as a PE Teacher. Some sports are inherently dangerous, and carry a significant risk, especially if a contact sport. I don't agree with a ban on rugby, but I do think children, (and their parents), should be given the choice to take part, rather than it being compulsory. There are far more dangerous activities, but many of these are not taught in schools and are undertaken by choice (e.g equestrian sports). 

I played hockey, lacrosse, netball, cricket, athletics, rounders, gymnastics at school, and was considered "hard, able to take care of myself during a game" I both received and gave some hard knocks, and had a couple of serious injuries. But I would never have played rugby at school, the potential for life threatening/changing injuries is just too great. Taking it up as a hobby sport is different, that is choice. Just my personal view of course. 

Maybe we should do as they did in New Zealand where they had different versions/rules of the game according to child's weight and size.

The more advanced contact skills are introduced very slowly and appropriately.

In veteran's competitions they even have coloured shorts with the oldest 70+ group having purple shorts, if my memory serves me right. These players can only be lightly held and supported in the 'tackle'. 

TTDA, I fully accept and agree,  that extreem contact sports such as Rugby should never be compulsory in schools, but banned? - Never!

TF

The user and all related content has been Deleted User

TF

How voluntary would participation be at those schools can you see PE teachers happily being short of players or imagine the reaction of the bullies towards those who didnt want to play.

...but that can apply to all games and sports. My experience of bullies is that they didn't last too long in rugby, just totally against its core values! Must say that in all the sports I played the such as support, camourardary and respect was never found like that in rugby. 

Appreciate the thoughts of others, and differing views, but no decent PE teacher would attempt to intimidate or use a child to make a team up, and usually teams are over subscribed. Same with bullying. Even if a child didn't want to participate in a given sport, there would be some other achievement that would put them beyond the bullies hopefully. Sport shouldn't be the be all and end all. Bullies are usually poor at sport and don't get chosen very often as they tend not to be good in a team. Besides which, as most are cowards, the chances of revenging oneself on the sports field are infinite!  They are more likely to be in danger of "pushy" parents, over eager for their child to achieve. As a sports coach, I never had to deal with bullying, but did have to calm down a few over enthusiastic parents!

The user and all related content has been Deleted User

There is a version of rugby played by school children called 'Tag Rugby'. Instead of physically tackling which is inherently dangerous all players wear a belt to which 'tags' are velcroed on. A tackle is completed when the player with the ball has a tag pulled/ripped off by an opponent. The player then has to stop and pass the ball, retrieve his/her tag and carry on. Much safer and you can teach skills rather than worry of consequences of 'bad' tackling.