Let’s Get Behind School Rugby

It’s not an easy time for school Rugby. Nor, indeed, the coaches who are running it – or the heads of the schools which play it. Safety concerns, and bad news stories, abound.  There is vanishingly little positive press, to the ongoing frustration of those who believe in the capacity of the game to enhance lives.

But maybe reports of its death are premature.  Despite predictions to the contrary, many children continue to love the game, as much as they ever did. The regular routine of training and playing provides a high point of the Autumn Term. Weekend contests are eagerly anticipated, and the camaraderie and teamship still enrich young lives. ‘Playing with my mates’ retains an international currency, and the structural inter-dependency of Rugby makes this more significant than in other games.

The good news is that the players who engage with the game continue to be wholly committed. There may not be as many in this category than previous generations, but for those who are, the attraction is as strong as ever. They (and their parents) are able to see past the risk assessments and serial adverse publicity. Parents who were themselves positively impacted by the game continue to value the memories and friendships that last a lifetime.   

The game is not good at articulating its attractions and benefits. Statements in response to recent newspaper features have been bland and unconvincing, focusing upon risk reduction and the choice of formats.  Of course reducing the possibility of injury is important, but there is much more to it than this. The risk will never be zero – it never was. For more than 100 years, players have accepted this, but felt that the benefits greatly outweighed the risks. Nowhere has there ever been, apparently, any serious attempt to capture and describe how the game can impact upon physical, social and emotional health. At a time when awareness of mental wellbeing has never been higher, it is beyond amazing that there has been no publicity from Rugby’s custodians to explain the potential contribution of the game to enriching lives. Its unique capacity to bring people together to forge enduring connections remains a secret confined to those on the inside. Teachers and coaches intuitively understand this, but need support in articulating it to an audience which is more inherently cautious than previously.

Coaches of pre-maturation Football and Hockey tire of advising players to ‘spread out’. In Rugby, physical proximity is part of the game: science tells us that ‘close clustering’ amplifies the social cohesion generated by moving in synchrony with others. And that inter-dependent collaboration produces the ‘co-operation high’ that activates the brain centres connected with reward and human connection. Collective joy enriches life and enhances happiness.

The schools’ game should not be confused with the professional version. The RFU, to its credit, has robust data measuring risk levels throughout the game: this clearly demonstrates that school age players are at significantly less risk. At Under 13 and below, it is unlikely that any game has greater danger profile than any other – and that the playground is the most injury-prone environment for these children.

The season just finished has, once again, provided amazing experiences for many players, parents and coaches. A sense of belonging, identity and self esteem have flourished on a weekly basis. It has been a vehicle for developing skill, connection and commitment. In the best environments, it has been a force for good within schools, reinforcing values and disciplines.  The era of alpha males strutting through the corridors, wearing special blazers and behaving as if rules don’t apply to them is long gone.  Where culture is strong, these players are now positive role models and empathetic, inclusive leaders.

There never was a golden age in which all boys loved Rugby. Historically, schools have hidden some pretty shabby provision behind the iron curtain of compulsion. There is understandable, inter-generation hatred of the game from those who suffered on windswept fields at the hands of unsympathetic bullies. But the game isn’t like that any more. There is an irony that, at a time when Rugby has never been better coached, safer or more player centred, it attracts greatest negative publicity.

Alternative, non-contact formats make the game accessible to those who do not relish its confrontational character.   However, the fact is that the full game appeals to only a proportion of children. That number probably oscillates between 25 and 50% depending upon age and environment. It is smaller for girls.  That is no different from any other subject in schools. In most Rugby-playing schools, the game continues to thrive, supported by imaginative coaching and creative competition, for those children who enjoy and value it. The days of the conscripted players are over, and everyone benefits from this. 

The game is finding a new niche. Many other school games thrive in niches of various sizes. Some are shrinking, others expanding. That has always been the case. 

Rugby is rediscovering its niche in the school games programme, and continues to have a lot to offer many boys and girls. Just not everyone. Neither sport, nor Rugby, are for all. Accepting this reality, and focusing on a high quality experience for those who love the game, is not a defeat. It’s a re-adjustment.  

Those teachers and coaches who believe in Rugby have to promote its benefits to the next generation. Ideally, they would be given the tools to do so by the Governing Body. However, until that happens, finding a way to inspire the love for the game, and share its unique appeal, will remain the task of the role models who stand in front of the players on the grass. Sadly, no existing training prepares them for this, with coaching qualifications preferring to focus on technical outcomes.

Let’s get behind Rugby, and enable the next generation to continue to enjoy and benefit from it. Those who believe in the game have to become its active ambassadors. They have to accept that the contact version it is not a game for everyone – but that for those that it suits, it continues to bring unparalleled joy and connection. These experiences are prominent in the prescription for positive mental health

Neil Rollings is the former Chairman of the Professional Association of Directors of Sport in Independent Schools, and Managing Director of ICE Education.

This article was first published in the current edition of ‘Schools Sports Magazine