Does anyone have boys who play rugby?

[foxinsocks]

so ds has started playing rugby

but where do I find all the stuff he needs? He's U8s now so no contact but they've said he should have a gum guard (is boil and bite ok at his age and where do I get that?). And rugby boots are different to football (apparently) but how do you know which are which in the shops (I know I could ask but I want to make sure I am not sold a dummy - he has football boots already so I know what those are but didn't know there were different ones for rugby)?

I get to do the sport with them myself as dh not really around on the weekend and I 'get' football but have had nothing to do with rugby so am not sure

[Lilymaid]

Don't bother about buying rugby boots. DS2 played as a winger up to U17s and always used his football boots (but you might eventually need to purchase special rugby studs).

[foxinsocks]

yes, they were moaning about him wearing football boots - he doesn't have blades but studs and they told me to get him rugby studs. Ah ok, I must just check these football boots are ones with removable studs (they are new so lets hope they are!).

Thanks lily

[ABetaDad]

Our DSs play rugby.

For the first season of 'touch rugby' it is OK to wear out anyy old football boots DS may have but generally rugby boots have round metal studs. So called 'blade' studs on football boots are banned as they are dangerous in rugby. You do not need anything too expensive or sophisticated for the first season though.

I would strongly recommend you go for an Opro junior mouthguard. They are much the best and far better than any other cheaper ones you can buy. They do special ones for children. They

Go to a really good specialist sports shop and ask for advice.

Sadly by next year, U9 age group, DS will need body armour as every other kid will have it and it hurts if hit by somebody in body armour if you are not wearing it. I hate the idea of body armour as I played rugby as a kid and it was banned in those days.

[foxinsocks]

thanks abeta

do they really wear body armour? I can't believe it

only exposure I've had to rugby was dating a rugby player at university (err many decades ago ) when body armour didn't exist and I had to close my eyes to watch because he was a centre and always ended up looking hideous (covered in bruises, bashed around) by the end of each game!

am hoping it doesn't get too rough too quickly

(also ds is v v slight but quick and has good ball skills so is fine in tag rugby but god knows how he will cope if they start contact next year!)

[ABetaDad]

Sadly body armour entered from Rugby League when Rugby Union went professional. Quickly body armour spread from the adult game down to school boy level. Scrum caps are also rapidly becoming the norm. It is not like American footbal body armour and helmets but becoming more so every year.

Your rugby playing boyfriend sounds like he was the same era as me. I just missed the professionalisation of the game by a few years. I played regularly against people like Will Carling, Rob Andrew and Rory Underwood as a scoolboy who were retiring just as the professional game came in.

The whole body armour thing is a sad and backward step. Your DS will enjoy the contact game though and he wil find his position no matter what his body shape.

Scrum half perhaps?

[Drayford]

Proper fitted mouthguard (not boil and bite) is an absolute must. A lot of clubs and schools have a deal with OPRO at the beginning of each season. Body Armour is defintely not necessary until contact rugby starts - and then maybe not. His coach will advise - don't go by what the other players wear or what your son tells you they wear

Speaking as a rugby mum (DS currently injured) a scrum cap may be advisable once he starts playing contact rugby (my DS was badly concussed twice last year and now wears a scrum cap - even for training)

My DS (winger) wears football boots with rugby studs so that he can run faster. Blades are not allowed in school or club rugby at any age.

Does your club have a noticeboard or 2nd hand shop for junior members? Can be invaluable when they can grow through 2 sizes of boots in a season!

[foxinsocks]

yes, I suspect scrum half though his kicking is good (he's a goalkeeper in football) so they might stick him as the full back (he loves kicking and I noticed he can actually kick through the posts when we go to the park but I think it's luck rather than skill at the moment)

I don't know. It's odd for me and dh as neither of us are really that interested but we're in an area where rugby is quite popular and I've found it less competitive than football (by that I mean less aggressively competitive if that makes sense)

[foxinsocks]

it's dd I feel sorry for Celia. We already have football on a Saturday and this will be Sunday! She's been remarkably good natured about all of this so far but we have yet to have a day when we are standing in pouring rain and the freezing cold lol!

[GunpowderTreasonAndDragons]

DS1 swaps his studs between rugby and football ones.

Both DSs now have the body armour stuff but both are now doing contact.

They have boil-and-bite mouthguards because they are undergoing orthodontic work and their teeth are moving. These are good as they can be reshaped every so often. (although now I think about it, DS1 is probably far enough through his treatment that he can have a "proper" one.)

Tempted to get them head gear (especially DS1 - he's my PFB!)

I can also recommend those gel handwarmers where you click the metal tag to make them heat up. they thawed my hands out nicely today and DD often has one tucked in the kangaroo pouch of the hoody she wears under her fleece. Good for thawing out chilled boys at the end too!

(and if you take a flask with you, don't forget to pack the sodding coffee powder and teabags. [wail])

[Millarkie]

Ds and dd play rugby - ds is contact, dd is still tag. Dd wears football boots (have had no complaints about that but she is only 6 and in the bottom training set still), ds wears his football boots but with rugby studs in. We haven't got body armour yet but are thinking about it (to protect ds from other kids who are wearing it ). Also looking at getting thermal undershirt and undershorts.
Most important is a flask for hot chocolate (one for each member of family standing in rain), a bag of snacks and water, full rainproof clothing for spectators, and friendly clubs with bacon rolls

[foxinsocks]

thanks for all these tips

I feel a weak smile at all the cold weather watching ones! At least football is over pretty quickly at this age. Rugby seems to focus on tournaments bbbrrr!

[alypaly]

OPRO are really expensive mouthguards.

My DS2 is 16 and we have bought a better quality one from a sports shop. Decathlons are a bit cheap and nasty,but as long as it fits.
They do loose them frequently and at £35 a go for OPRO it works out quite expensive. Decathlons are about £3 and we got one at £8 which has prooved to be fine

[posieparker]

Tag rugby...what does he need a mouth guard for?

[foxinsocks]

I don't think they only play tag rugby - think they are starting to do other things too

[Quattrofangs]

Opro mouthguards are expensive and you have to get a new one every year (or every time they are lost GRRR) but they are essential. Tag rugby doesn't seem to mean no contact at all contrary to what they say it is

Also the studs are different so you do need either rugby boots or rugby studs

My DS is only u10 but no sign of body armour yet and none of the other teams seem to have it.

NB You don't actually have to stay and watch the matches you know ... You can zip off and zoom around sainsbury's or something providing you leave a contact number

[foxinsocks]

gawd, for some reason he loves me staying for matches.

He's only been once (to rugby) so far and his friend's mum took him so I've yet to see what they do so will stay next week just to get an idea.

He always goes on his own for training but he likes me to support him in matches (esp as dh can't be here to see him!). I don't mind too much given that I'm at work all week.

[purpleduck]

"The whole body armour thing is a sad and backward step"
ARE YOU CRAZY!!!!!!!!!
If you had a VERY small 10 yo who loves to tackle, you would not feel that body armour and helmets are a sad/backward step.

It is a DANGEROUS game. I am now at the point where i am not sure if he should continue to play any more. He suffered a concussion at easter, and it took months for him to get back to normal.A few weeks ago his coach decided to go from warm up to tackling practice without a chance for them to put their helmets on - he bonked heads with another boy and ended up with a headache which lasted for 2 days. He has needed adjusting at the Osteopath - his body really takes a beating because he puts everything into it.

It is a great sport, but there is huge scope to hurt themselves.
The more protection the better.

[frakkinaround]

The problem is, purple, that the body armour actually causes more injuries than it prevents IME. My DH2B still plays (and he was an American footballer at uni) and he says that rubgy has become rougher and more like AF because people don't respect the fact that wearing body armour means you hurt people more when you bash into them. I never played wearing body armour and yes, you get hurt, but I've been bashed into - not hard - by someone wearing the bloody stuff and it really, really, really hurts. It's rock solid and with some serious force behind it causes huge damage. Having said that, now that it's allowed, if one person has it then everyone needs it.

Scrum caps are a good idea though, because you really can't be too careful with concussion, and I would advise having one as well as a properly fitted mouthguard, even in non-contact a mis-directed kick can lose you a tooth and certainly make a lip bleed quite profusely!

[alypaly]

I was so glad when my now 16.5 year old DS decided not to play for his school despite being 6ft 4. A friend of mine broke his neck whilst playing rugby and ended up in one of those frame things screwed into his skull for 12 motnhs. Really rough game...dont want DS2 to break his nose or teeth or collar bones...or get cauliflower ears like some have already got.

[purpleduck]

My sons body armour is quite squishy - more like hard foam rather than plastic.

Food for thought Frakkin

[ABetaDad]

purepurple - my wife says similar things about body armour but I totally agree with frakkinaround. It causes injury and for that reason is a backward step. I only got concussed once in the whole time I played without any protection at senior level.

In American football the huge body pads and steel helmets only came into the game relatively recently. In the early days of the game the players only wore light padding or nothing at all like in old fashioned Rugby Union. Once body armour came in to the American football game the game changed and players got far more injury. The reason being that it was possible to body slam and point of head tackles where the steel helmet is used as a battering ram straight into the abdomen.

Look at the adult rugby game now and the huge wall of bodies going into tackles standing upright at full speed is only possible with body armour.

Quattrofangs - OPRO shields can be gently reshaped for a few years wth rewarming but yes they do get lost. The junior ones are about £20.

[foxinsocks]

I would worry about the head injuries I think. How old was your boy when he got concussed purpleduck?

My ex boyfriend from many moons ago in one season, broke his sternum (terribly painful..everytime you breath you feel it), did his knee ligaments and had more stitches than I could count. It is a horribly rough sport if you think about it!

[snorkie]

The scrum hats help prevent cauliflower ear as well as concussion.

After I watched a few games of rugby & ds had had concusion, the mother hen in me just had to buy ds all the protective gear available. 11 or 12 year olds can be really scary sometimes!

After about age 11, they used to have their boots inspected to ensure they had the right studs, but it's easy enough to switch football studs to rugby ones.