TV film criticised

Press, 11 June 1980, Page 6

TV film criticised

Disappointment that there; was not more balance in the film on rugby spinal injuries shown on television last; Sunday evening was expressed at a meeting of the Canterbury union’s executive last evening. Mr P. Robinson raised the matter on behalf of the subunions. He said that no-one wanted to minimise the! problem, but the film gave no indication of the effort that was being made by the game’s administrators to solve it. , “In this respect I would say the film was slanted,” said Mr Robinson. “It gave no idea, for example, of the work that has been done by our coaching committee here; in Canterbury over the last] two years in coaching to] avoid these injuries.” Mr L. J. Russell said he thought it a pity that the film depicted only the wrong techniques, the sort which led to serious injuries. “Rugby is a thinking person’s gdme and there are, of course, the , correct techniques, which we endeavour to instil into our coaches. And I believe our coaching

committee is doing a fine I job in . this respect. It is to a large extent, a matter of attitude,” said Mr Russell. ; Mr M.* R. Barnett said that in his opinion the film was an opportunity for television to be constructive: “Unfortunately it bordered on the destructive.” Other members also regretted that correct techniques were not matched alongside incorrect ones, although Mr V. C. Thomas said that he believed that the film gave primarily a medical viewpoint and this was something rugby should note and work on. . The committee gave some thought to inviting representatives of television to watch a coaching clinic, but decided to delay an}’ such action until it had had time to absorb a full-scale report on serious rugby injuries, which is expected shortly from the N.Z.R.F.U. The report is a worldwide, two-year study, detailing individual cases, which the N.Z.R.F.U. council received at its meeting last week.