Former international rugby players including ex-Wales wing Lenny Woodard want to cut the fixture list by a third to protect future generations from dementia, by mirroring the NFL’s approach to brain safety
- Ex-Wales Lenny Woodard wants rugby’s playing list to be cut by a third
- He is one of 295 former players suing World Rugby and the RFU over brain injuries
- A schedule like the NFL’s seventeen regular season games could protect future generations
The former international rugby players who are suing World Rugby and the RFU over brain injuries are calling for the playing list to be cut by a third to protect future generations from developing dementia.
Ex-Wales winger Lenny Woodard told Mail Sport that the current schedule needs to be dramatically shortened to mirror that of the NFL, where the regular season consists of just 17 games plus a maximum of four in the play-offs, and coaches are only allowed to schedule 16 contact sessions per year.
Woodard is one of 295 former players taking legal action against World Rugby, the RFU and Wales Rugby Union after suffering dementia symptoms in a group that includes his former international teammates Gavin Henson and Ryan Jones, as well as England’s World Cup winner Steve Thompson, Phil Vickery and Mark Regan.
The players are seeking damages on the grounds that the authorities were negligent and failed to fulfill their duty of care by failing to take measures to protect their health and safety, a claim that the three governing bodies strongly reject.
“Let’s shamelessly copy what works so well for the NFL: 17 games in a regular season, plus the playoffs, and no more than 16 practices,” Woodard said. ‘That’s 37 days of full contact in a year.
Ex-rugby players want the sport’s schedule shortened to protect future generations
Ex-Wales wing Lenny Woodard told Mail Sport that the current schedule should be shortened
An NFL-style structure is recommended, with players having 17 regular season games
‘We must focus on quality and not quantity. Moving to an NFL-style structure, limiting the number of games in a regular season and mandating a limit on contact at practice, is a logical solution. It also makes commercial sense: the NFL has never been safer, more popular or more profitable.”
The players’ demands would have a huge impact on rugby, with top international players currently playing more than 30 matches per season.
The Rugby Players’ Association is lobbying for a limit of 30 matches per season after commissioning research which found that ’31 match appearances’ led to players experiencing a ‘significantly higher injury burden’ the following year.
The players’ lawyer, Richard Boardman of Rylands Garth, accused World Rugby and the RFU of denial.
Lawyer Richard Boardman accused World Rugby and the RFU of denying the issue
“Generations of retired players are suffering the consequences of a sport that is denied,” Boardman told Mail Sport. “We need to make urgent changes to protect today’s players and safeguard the future of the game.
‘Players are exhausted by the sheer amount of games. “Racking someone’s brain for eleven months — whether concussion or sub-concussion — carries a lot of risk.”