Whangarei Boys' High School vs Bream Bay College. Photo / John Stone, Northern Advocate
Opinion
More doctors and health experts are calling for a ban on tackling in school rugby games.
They warn of a high risk of serious injury among players under the age of 18, and say schools should move to touch rugby and non-contact rugby. In one example, UK health officials have
written an open letter to government ministers, chief medical officers and children's commissioners describing rugby as a "high-impact collision sport."
READ MORE: Rugby's dementia timebomb
The signatories, who include sport scholars, academics, doctors, and public health professionals, say "the majority of all injuries occur during contact or collision, such as the tackle and the scrum."
Meanwhile, a Herald investigation has found a cluster of dementia cases from the Ranfurly Shield-winning team of 1964.
