A double one on Rugby

[JamieCannister]

AIBU to say that Mumsnet is putting girls at risk by allowing the promotion on rugby on this site?

AIBU to say that given the risks of head injuries children under 18 (or maybe people with not-yet-fully-developed brains under 25) should not be allowed to consent to play contact rugby?

You most certainly can play rugby if you are visually impaired - it's called VI Rugby. You can also play rugby if you have hearing impairments, use a wheelchair - honestly you name it, there have been plenty of adaptions to the game in order to make it as inclusive as it can be. There's even autism-friendly rugby programmes and a club near me - Llanelli Warriors - where half of the players are registered disabled has been going since 1995.

Rugby offers mental health and physical health benefits, teaches respect, leadership, teamwork and discipline, and builds friendships and a sense of community. I'm 46 and I played as a kid and all the way through university - I have never once had a head injury, I've broken a few bones, but I have done that in other ways - most recently by catching my thumb in the car door. It has never been safer to play rugby than it is now, both in terms of the code and in terms of the equipment available.

It is serious, yes.

The term is often used in the context of trans "this space is inclusive of trans women" even though it excludes women who want or need a single sex space.

It's like a small village lacks community spirit... so they refurbish and re-open the old church and because they're inclusive they welcome everyone.... but it's not that inclusive of atheists or muslims or hindus.

Is rugby inclusive of people who hate being part of a team or who hate mud or hate running or hate physical contact with people they don't know well? No.

Rugby, like pretty much all inclusive things, is not really inclusive, it's a meaningless platitude.

I was talking about rugby and the risks of rugby, not disability forms of rugby that I know nothing about.

I can imagine rugby for blind people is more inclusive of blind people than actual rugby.

But by this train of thought- nothing is inclusive?!

I don’t like sitting and watching telly so sitting and watching telly is not inclusive.

That is a silly question. Most sports involve the participants exhibiting specific physical skills that enable them to excel in the sport in question.

Obviously 100m is going to suit strong, explosive bodies; 10,000m is going to suit wiry bodies with stamina; obviously shot putt is going to suit bigger and stronger bodies.

There is nothing inherently good about a sport that suits a variety of bodies (not least if it involves small fast girls running headlong into much much bigger girls)/

boys not girls

People don’t want hear this op. I don’t understand why private schools in particular push this sport so hard. My nephews are forced to play despite one actively not enjoying it.

I think the word "inclusive" is nonsense in this context.

People shout the word inclusive because they see something about it which makes it somewhat open to all (a women's toilet allowing in a trans'woman') being a perfect example.

But these same people tend to ignore the fact that a mixed sex toilet is not inclusive of SA survivors or orthodox jewish women, just like rigby isn't inclusive of people who hate team sports or contact sports or getting muddy or the risk of a life-shortening brain injury.

I understand why they push team sports fairly hard. But what I don't understand it why the team sport has to be rugby, or why they cannot much more quickly accept that some kids simply hate running and hate team sports, and if you want to encourage them to live an active life you need to get them to try cycling or swimming or table tennis or any number of other things that they could end up loving and pursuing for decades.

Are you my ex husband?

He’s got a huge bee in his bonnet re rugby and head injuries

so you are talking absolute nonsense, and weirdly focused on bringing back to "trans" issues that have absolutely nothing to do with anything.

Thanks for confirming 😂

some kids hate SPORTS, some kids hate reading, some kids hate maths, some kids hate anything that is not chocolate.

I suggest we ban absolutely everything compulsory and let children pick what they want. Oh what a wonderful world that will be 😂

(get them to try cycling or swimming or table tennis around here, the schools actually do just that, but let's not facts stop your wonderful rant)

Why are you so obsessed with likening everything to being trans? First you said I was the mother of a trans daughter simply because she’s plays rugby on a mixed team and now you’re banging on about toilets.

choose the issue you’re bothered about and stick with it.

Have you ever thought your children avoid any form of risk as they have picked up on your paranoia and wierd obsessions?

I do get slightly nervous about DD playing rugby.
I do get nervous about my other DD doing rock climbing.
But I can rationalise this with all the safety equipment and protocols.

My biggest fear is stupid drivers on phones and speeding near their school on their journey there and back.

I am on the fence about reporting this thread and the OP to MNHQ.

Having an opinion about rugby, who cares, the OP being offended about a sport is irrelevant.

A thread which is just an excuse to pretend all rugby players are "trans" just for playing rugby? That's offensive on so many levels.

Rugby adapted for impairment is still rugby, it's not 'a disability form of rugby' or somehow less of a sport. You're starting to sound ableist now - is that what you intended? You were also wrong when you say that 'blind people don't play rugby' because they absolutely can and do, and I thought it was important to correct that because at best it's unhelpful to go around spouting factually inaccurate information and at worse it contributes to stereotypical assumptions made about people with registered disabilities.

Rugby for young kids will be touch rugby anyway, not the full contact version.

If you want to ban kids from doing any sport that carries some risk of head injuries, you’ll also be banning them from football, gymnastics, cricket, hockey, martial arts, cycling, equestrian sports, skiing and ice skating to name but a few. You’ll also be banning them from adventure playgrounds.

I can’t stand rugby but you need to get a grip.

MND is primarily genetic. So no, not caused by playing rugby.

Yep, I mean to add that too my post as well. That blonde moptop!

I remember during the 07 world cup his wife had a tournament diary in one of the papers. She came across as a lovely down to earth lady and the opposite of the clothes horse footballers wags that were in vogue at the time. So sad for her and their sons too.

Personally I would ban children's rugby because kids cannot consent to the potential long term harm.

There is no similar reason to ban maths.

Separate to that there is the issue of how to encourage kids to be active, and that is where giving kids a wide choice as opposed to forcing them to do a sport they hate steps in.

You’ll also be banning them from adventure playgrounds.

That's a good point, how are these still allowed? Councils and schools should ban them immediately.😂

But as it's harder to sneak in the trans issues in there, I am guessing it's of less interest for the OP

"The MND Association acknowledges there is a "correlation" between contact sports and MND."

Is there evidence of long term risk from the repeated head impacts and injuries that are inevitable at adventure playgrounds? No.

If there was I might consider advocating banning them.

rugby isn't inclusive of people who hate team sports or contact sports or getting muddy or the risk of a life-shortening brain injury

Then they don’t have to play rugby?

It’s a leisure activity that people can choose to play or not. If you don’t want your daughter to do it, ignore the ad and don’t send her to rugby lessons, much like you can ignore adverts for beer if you’re teetotal. It’s really not complicated.

Nothing is inclusive of people who simply don’t like that thing. ‘Not liking team sports’ or ‘being risk averse’ aren’t protected characteristics.

They deleted her post so they are aware of the thread.