Safety gear: what Dr Mayhew prescribes

By WYNNE GRAY

As the country gears up today for another season of club rugby, many parents of the very young will be wondering what they can do to protect their children.

Their anxiety increases when the rough'n' tumble of the backyard moves to a JB-something competition down at the local club.

As tears arrive in the opening minutes of the first game, the sideline talk grows stronger about safety in the sport.

You see some kids with more padding than Russell Crowe had in Gladiator, while others belt around as if their limbs are licensed weapons.

All Black doctor John Mayhew has researched a variety of protective gear and had test cases on tap, with three of his brood part of the winter rugby landscape.

For Mayhew, there is no doubt.

A mouthguard is the most valuable and necessary piece of safety equipment on the rugby field.

He emphasises the "no-mouthguard, no-play" rule which has been applied in recent seasons.

"I think it is unprofessional for anyone to ignore it," he said.

Mouthguards had a number of benefits.

They stopped players breaking their teeth, with the pliable guards cushioning the impact of blows to the mouth.

They reduced the risk of fractures and the risk of concussion by absorbing the force of any collision or blows to the side of the face.

"Properly fitted, custom-made mouthguards are the best protection in the game, but that is not always possible," Mayhew said.

"However, wearing some type of mouthguard is very necessary."

The New Zealand Rugby Union is keen for everyone in the game to wear mouthguards.

If any contracted player suffers some dental injury in training or in a game when he is not wearing a mouthguard, his NZRFU employer will pay only a percentage of the dental repair costs.

"Players should not ignore the benefits of wearing a mouthguard," Mayhew said.

"But we are glad to say we are seeing a lot more people wearing them."

There were all kinds of other legal protection - headgear, shoulder pads and shinpads - which could be worn.

Headgear has been a hot topic for the past 18 months.

The International Rugby Board is keen to remove black headgear from the sport because it feels the colour conceals blood, which can increase the risk of infections such as hepatitis.

After extensive counter-arguments from the NZRFU, the IRB this week agreed that black headgear was acceptable.

"It was a triumph for common sense," Mayhew said.

"This whole thing about coloured headgear has been a nonsense."

However, Mayhew said, headgear did not stop concussion.

There was no scientific proof that it was any protection against that sort of injury.

What it did do was protect players from cuts, bruising and maybe sore ears.

A variety of headgear is available, but the most curious has to be that worn last week by Chiefs loose forward Koula Tukino.

The shaven-headed Tukino had one strand of tape round his ears which moved the first time he got into contact.

Shoulderpads and shinpads have the same preventive properties as headgear, and Mayhew accepts that they are sometimes a psychological help for younger players.

Also useful for parents at the start of the season are the rugby coaching videos which show correct techniques for tackling, scrummaging and other facets of the game which might have been forgotten over the summer.