The issue of helmets and headgear in rugby has come under the spotlight a lot recently due to the growing number of reports of former players developing serious conditions linked to repeated concussions.
Rugby players do not wear helmets as the laws of the game do not allow them to do so. A minority of players do wear headgear which is made of a soft foam material at a maximum thickness of 10mm and designed to prevent cuts and abrasions to the head but not designed to prevent concussions.
Why don’t rugby players wear helmets?
You wouldn’t catch me wearing headgear in a million years, some would say it was too later anyway, there’s not much left to save but even so here are some of the more genuine reasons why players don’t wear helmets.
- Hard surfaces hurt – helmets typically feature a hard surface which it is believed would lead to much more serious injuries to other players given the way in which rugby player’s heads are often competing in close proximity to others, e.g. in the scrum, ruck and maul.
- Culture – Rugby players are meant to be tough and wearing a helmet just does not fit into this image. Rugby union has been played bone on bone for over 150 years, why change it now?
- The practicalities – Did you know that in a scrum the second row forwards have to shove their heads between the buttocks of other men? Wearing a helmet would prevent a scrum from forming correctly.
- Communication – A surprisingly big part of rugby is communicating with your teammates around you in order to coordinate defensive strategy, or attacking moves. It is a constant stream of speaking and listening. Helmets would inevitably reduce the effectiveness of communication and negatively affect the wearer.
Why do rugby players wear headgear?
There are some very good reasons why rugby players wear headgear even though they have been proven not to reduce rates of concussion. Here are some of the top reasons:
- Prevention of scratches and cuts. If a player has little or no hair then their lovely dome is often prone to getting cuts from studs at the bottom of rucks or in scrums. So, to prevent this it is easier to wear World Rugby approved headgear than keep getting stitches and plasters on the head.
- Psychological edge. Some players just feel safer and more comfortable going into contact with headgear on. This is particularly the case for younger players who may be competing against players considerably bigger than they are.
- Pushy parents. Despite the lack of proof that headgear actually helps or prevents concussion, inevitably, parents will worry and it is not uncommon for them to force their child to wear headgear.
- Prevention of cauliflower ear. Cauliflower ear is a rather horrible condition which makes your ears swell and look rather terrible. Essentially, it is caused by players ears being rubbed so hard when a forwards head is inserted between the backsides of two players and asked to push. The friction on the ears causes irreversible swelling over time. Wearing headgear can remove this friction almost completely.
- Sponsorship. A handful of professional players may be asked to wear certain headgear as part of an endorsement deal, so essentially wearing it for money. Easy money if you can get it!
James Haskell, the 70+ capped England international was a big fan of the scrum cap and wore this one here:
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Does rugby headgear prevent concussion?
By World Rugby’s own admission, the head gear currently allowed is not designed to do anything to reduce the levels of concussion in the game and recent studies suggest that headgear provides no protection against concussion.
Numerous studies seem to confirm that the currently allowed headgear does nothing to reduce concussions. Check out this quote taken from the conclusion section of a study funded by the RFU which followed 417 significant incidents:
Professional rugby union players who wore headgear did not have lower odds of sustaining a concussion, nor did wearing headgear result in a difference in the number of days’ absence following a concussion compared with not wearing headgear. This study does not provide evidence that currently available padded headgear should be recommended for preventing concussions.
-World Rugby Research
And just in case you were still in any doubt:
“The only injuries that headgear compliant with this (World Rugby’s) specification are intended to protect against are cuts and abrasions.”
– World Rugby
The most prominent improvement in the management of head knocks has actually been a strong and concerted effort by referees to make sure that tackled height is reduced which has resulted in numerous sending’s off over the last couple of years which previously would not even have attracted a yellow card.
Of course. this has infuriated players, coaches and spectators at times but I think everyone does acknowledge that this has needed to be done in order to protect players.
This is a list of all of the head gear that is officially allowed to be worn according to World Rugby and further technical specifications of these can be found here.
All of these shoulder pads, however, follow the rules and my personal preference is for the Optimum brand as the fit just seems right for me, that said, Canterbury and Gilbert would be next choice as they are specialists in rugby equipment.
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Why does one rugby player wear a helmet/headgear?
To casual watchers of the game of rugby it can be confusing to see just one guy in a team racing around with what looks like a helmet on but in fact is actually only headgear.
Players wear headgear which may look like a helmet according to their own preferences. It is completely down to the individual, however, people with little or no hair often prefer to wear headgear as it prevents them getting cuts on their bare head.
Examples of two players who famously wore headgear all the way through their careers for no apparent reason are:
Stephen Larkham, with 102 caps for Australia was never found without his scrum cap on, in fact, so much so that he was at the centre of a news story that suggested he and a group of other senior wallabies were communicating between themselves and their coaches via radio devices inserted into their headgear.
James Haskell, capped 77 times by England wore headgear religiously, never offering a solid reason why, which is unusual considering his love of talking. However, apparently his wife likes the headgear so perhaps that’s a clue, full story. Joe Marler also famously made good use of Haskell’s headgear, check out the clip below:
In closing, helmets play no role in the modern game of rugby but headgear made specifically for the game may become a more prominent feature as World Rugby battles to improve and protect the image of the sport of being one that is safe for people of all ages to play. I hope they succeed!
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Photo Credits:
Featured image: Common headgear in rugby Thomas Rydberg, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
