Secondary school without Rugby

[westwood2016]

Happy new year! We are looking for a high level academic and sporty secondary school WITHOUT Rugby. Our two DS are currently in a prep school where rugby is dominating their lives, which was ok until they probably both got mild concussion following a knock on the head. We have been worried about them since they started contact rugby 3 years ago, now we have seen the consequences first hand, which could potentially be desastrous. We are ready to put a stop to Rugby, although they both live and breathe for the sport, which makes it very difficult. We live in Buckinghamshire but would be ready to move within the county or closer to London, should we find a school which offers other sports as well as having a high academic level. Many thanks in advance.

A large amount of stereotyping and preconceived ideas being demonstrated on this thread. You are more likely to be hit by a car than suffer a serious injury playing rugby.

LordWalter I'd like to direct you towards the Matt Hampson Trust. Feel free to Google.

I also saw 4 ambulances called to the same school within a single week. Not one of the boys had been hit by a car

Matt Hampsons charity is brilliant and supports those with injuries well.

Not all those they support have got their injuries through rugby, although they may be rugby players, at various levels. Ed Jackson and Henry Fraser fall into that category, for example.

They also support young people from other sports too.

By the way. Get well soon Hambo.

I also saw 4 ambulances called to the same school within a single week. Not one of the boys had been hit by a car

My family has been involved in school rugby for many years.

There have been 2 ambulances.

And how many times have members of your family been hit by a car?

I know that sounds snarky but I'm cross that parents' genuine concerns have been summarily dismissed.

By the way. A close family member trialled for England. He went to hospital a lot.

And how many times have members of your family been hit by a car?

Nephew was killed by a drunk driver if that answers your question.

By the way. A close family member trialled for England. He went to hospital a lot.

Not sure what your point is.

My DF trained 3 people that have gone on to repeat home nations and 2 out of 3 in a world cup.

Not sure what the point scoring is about.

My DSD plays club hockey and has been to hospital a fair bit.

No one is arguing that rugby can't be dangerous. So can other sports.

*represent

I'm very sorry to hear about your nephew and I apologize to you piglet but I'm not point scoring. I'm cross that lordwalter is dismissing parental concerns over school rugby.

for you piglet

Thank you VanillaSugar

Join me in a toast for Hambo. He is the best of the best.

More children are hit by cars than seriously injured playing rugby.

Injuries happen in all sports and rugby does carry more risks but this thread seems to contain a lot of scaremongering and stereotyping of independent school beer swilling monsters.

5000 under 16s are killed or seriously injured by cars in the U.K. every year please don’t lecture me on rugby safety.

There is no comparison between children being hit by cars and those injured playing rugby. Rugby is a minority sport played primarily by boys. Most children have to cross a road at some time or another.

haven't RTFT just skimmed it but those of you with dcs playing rugby, what do you think of the new all weather 3G surfaces being used rather than grass? They're quite a bit harder imo...

Hi OP.
Just wanted to suggest at some point you need to include your DS's in this decision-they are old enough to engage in the process and may resent you-even if you're doing it for what you feel are the right reasons.
I had 2 very passionate rugby boys-one voluntarily quit rugby to row full time.
I would def suggest looking for a school that rows...

Regarding 3G pitches they can cause the odd burn here and there with a high speed impact. The key is maintenance. They need to be regularly filled or topped up with the rubber particles made from recycled tyres which give the pitch some cushioning and bounce effect on impact.

If the pitches are not maintained and topped up with rubber this is when they can become hard, slippy and dangerous. A 3G rugby pitch has different characteristics to a 3G football pitch and has different regs. Games are never postponed and washing machines last longer.

God, we must be shit parents to Ds1, not only have we allowed him to play both codes of rugby, including nearly 2 years non stop, but he also got knocked down crossing the road outside our house. luckily only cuts and bruises. But that's the only time, we both feared for his safety.
nocampinghere Ds1 only really trains on 3/4G pitches. Always wears skins on his legs and arms whilst training. 3G we are sick of rubber balls everywhere, 4G he hates, sand based means as a tackler like him loses elbow and knee skin a lot. He played amateur rugby league on 3G pitches and luckily League allows skins to be worn during matches, because after a couple of matches all players where wearing them or their mums tights, until they could buy/get hold of skins, Not sure how Union would work as can't wear skins in matches. Ds1 loves winter rugby, because he is the tackler and the ground is usually wet and muddy, so soft. When he played League, so summer, skins where worn every match, due to hard grounds.
welly possibly private school kids in Hull/E Yorkshire are different to Harrow/Eton etc rugby players, I wouldn't have a clue, but I have learnt on here most parents, who send their boys there vehemently disagree with that idea, so won.t go there.
Except to say in the 9 years Ds1 has played League and union, he has played with, in his 3 different clubs, over 130 different boys and girls. 6 have been privately educated, 4%, over 45 have come from council estates (no private schools) so 35%. the rest are just working and lower middle class kids at fairly rough state schools, so about 95%.
So maybe you should just avoid rugby in independent schools and play rugby in either code supported clubs. Our comprehensive school coach admits only reason they won so many titles is that school year had 23 players who all played together at 2 outside clubs originally, so nothing to do with the school, It just got the glory

There is a concern about the rubber used on 3G pitches. Iirc it's to do with the fact they use recycled tyres and they are potentially carcinogenic.

There is no proof whatsoever that rubber crumbs from 3G pitches cause cancer.

Not yet Lord but a big study into it is being carried out at the moment and some people have taken a precautionary approach by ripping up existing 3G pitches.

numbereightyone

So it's rumour and supposition then. and more scaremongering

I described it earlier as a 'concern'. It's up to the individual to decide if this is something which worries them or not.

So clubs that have ripped up £500000 3G pitches have replaced them with grass ?

Or non cancer causing 3G 4G 5G plastic pitches ?

There is some information here. I have read that plastic pitches are being ripped up in Holland, and as I have said earlier, a study is being conducted by an American University (can't remember which one).

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artificial_turf–cancer_hypothesis

Thanks for the info clearly more research needs to be done.

Rugby should be played in mud IMO