Is there a case for helmets in rugby.

Article from the Roar.

Is there a real case for helmets to be worn by rugby plays. He is a very informative article from the roar about such a question. I wear one but I am older and no better.

If you break an ankle, rupture an ACL, dislocate a shoulder and with good medical treatment and the right kind of rehabilitation, a rugby player will eventually be back on the field, little the worse for wear. But that isn’t necessarily so if a player suffers a concussion which, make no mistake, is a brain injury.

Once a player sustains a concussion, he has to cross his fingers that it doesn’t happen again, because if it does, he may be advised to call it a day.

And this kind of injury keeps happening to players at all levels.

Berrick Barnes had to sit in the stands for a while, and now Richie McCaw has had to withdraw from a game citing post-concussion precaution.

Apart from the danger to the players themselves, are we as spectators, to be denied the pleasure of seeing star players perform?

By the time various worldwide comps are completed and the World Cup rolls around, it’s a lottery as to who will be ruled out due to a concussive knock.

Maybe, it’s time the IRB allowed helmets in rugby. But when I make that suggestion, I’m not talking about the kind worn in American football.

I’m talking about the kind worn in ice hockey, which is a much smaller helmet – more of a cap that sits on top of the skull.

There’s been quite a lot of thought put into designing better hockey helmets, particularly in Canada at the University of Ottawa’s impact science lab.

Traditionally, a hockey helmet’s shell is made of vinyl nitrile, a substance that disperses force from the point of contact.

The liner is usually made of expanded polypropylene foam. But a newer design, called a Shock Bonnet, is more flexible, conforms to the wearer’s head, and is separated from the external shell by a set of 18 hollow thermoplastic shock absorbers.

On impact, these absorbers compress to suck up the energy of a hit.

The suggestion of such a helmet for rugby will inevitably introduce the ‘seat belt’ argument.

It was once thought that putting seat-belts in cars would make drivers feel invulnerable and therefore drive recklessly.

But when belts were introduced, it was found that driving patterns didn’t change.

Similarly, introducing hockey-style helmets to rugby wouldn’t result in reckless play because, like Sydney-driving, it’s already on the edge of reckless.

The rugby pick-and-drive is a head-first charge.

But it’s not met head-on, so they’d be no question of a helmet-protected head-to-head contest mainly because rugby players know that that’s a good way to break a neck vertebrae.

A well-designed rugby helmet would protect against the errant knee or elbow in a tackle or at the breakdown.

And those kinds of collisions are becoming more fraught as players get bigger and bulkier.

When you have people like Guthro Steenkamp or Neemia Tialata, both around 1.87m, 127kg, charging into rucks, you don’t want your unprotected head in the way.

However, it must be stated that even the newest and best helmets wouldn’t eliminate rugby concussions.

But neuro-researchers around the rugby-playing world agree that hockey-style shell helmets would certainly reduce their likelihood, and when they did occur, make them less severe.

Sports Injury Clinic
Sports Injury Clinic opened at Sydney. Longy Nguyen has been treating sports injuries for over 40 years. He has had charge of the some of the greatest sports persons in the world. Visit his website for more information about his treatments or read about his treatment of a dislocated shoulder of one of rugby leagues greats.

Pre Tour warm up for Golden Oldies in Fukuoka

Darwin Stubbies are doing a pre-tour trip around Japan before the 19^th Golden Oldies World Rugby Festival in Fukuoka in 2012

We are looking for Japanese Golden Oldies Rugby Clubs to play on how pre-tour trip around Japan.

We are hopping that you may have a list of Japanese Golden Oldies Rugby Clubs with address and contact details. danpanapa@bigpond.com.au.

Information we are after is very important to how we plan how pre-tour so if you can send the details A.S.A.P.

2012 Golden Oldies Rugby Festival in Japan

Japan to Hold Golden Oldies Tournament.

From the 28th of October to the 4th of November, 2012 the City of Fukuoka, Japan is set to host the Golden Oldies Rugby festival. This will be a first for Japan.

Fukuoka was voted 14 in the 2010 poll of the worlds most livable cities. Fukuoka is known for the beautiful green spaces in a city setting.

With the recent disaster in Japan I would image plans may be changed. I only hope that it will go on for the sake of the Japanese people. I would imagine it is/was to be a wonderful tournament. The Japanese do things really well especially with Fukuoka being considered Japans sporting capital.

Fukuoka was on the south western coast well away for the badily affected areas. But the damage to Japans infastructure may make it impossible to hold the tournament. I will post any updates as they come in.

Tour of Battlefields by Rugby Golden Oldies

Golden Oldies Rugby team to tour the battlefields WWI and WWII

The Eastwood Charcoals Golden Oldies Rugby Team are going on tour. They will visit the Battlefields of Gallipoli, Western Front,and Normandy before heading to the 2008 Golden Oldies World Rugby Festival in Scotland.This will be a once in a lifetime chance to visit places where Anzac legends were born. So, if you would like to join a group of true Golden Oldies and visit some great places please contact:- Ian Hay or Glen Fonti on 0418968199 or 0428987708 for more details

Golden Oldies Rugby. Ella and Campese are back!

The 'Gentlemen of Sydney' will play the 'Goulburn Fermented Reds' as a curtain raiser to the
'Waratahs' v 'Auckland Blues' Super 14 match at the Sydney Football Stadium on the 27th of March, 2010.

Rugby Legend Mark Ella will captain the 'Gentlemen of Sydney' which boasts a star studded line up including David Campese and rugby's CEO John O'Neill. Other team members equally as well known, but not in rugby circles, include Boxing legend Johnny Lewis, Joe Hockey M.P. and famous healer Duy Long Nguyen.

It won't be Longy's first time on pitch of the Sydney Football Stadium. In 1996 he helped steer Manly to a Grand Final win, working his magic on the injuries of the Manly players. Maybe another lap of honour for him this Saturday.

In September this year the 'Gentlemen of Sydney' will compete in the Golden Oldies World Rugby Festival in Sydney from 26 September to 3 October 2010.

We will keep you posted on their progress and results.