Scrum laws to be reviewed

Press, 16 September 1987, Page 68

Scrum laws to be reviewed

NZPA Sydney Australian Rugby Football Union officials will meet on Friday to consider changes to scrum laws to lessen the chances of spinal injuries.

The union’s executive director, Mr John Dedrick, said the calling of the meeting was part of the union’s ongoing review of the laws. But it also follows continuing concern over scrum injuries, highlighted last week by the death of a 19-year-old

Sydney man, Neil Fitzer, who had his neck broken during a rugby match a fortnight ago. Mr Dedrick said the union’s eventual aim was to see the special laws that now applied to under- 19 rugby in Australia extended to senior rugby. However, there was resistance within the International Rugby Board to the move, he said. Among the members of the union’s safety committee is the head of the Royal North Shore Hospital’s spinal injuries unit

in Sydney, Dr John Yeo, who said the medical community would be forced to withdraw its support for rugby if changes were not made. “I am desperate to try to keep this great game going and make it safer,” he said. “But I am not prepared to go on treating these tragic injuries from a sport which should be fun and safe.” Dr Yeo’s sentiments were echoed by a Sydney colleague, Dr Hugh Dickson, from the Prince Henry Hospital’s spinal in-

juries unit, who wrote to the "Sydney Morning Herald” this week to express his concern at the state of the game. “I would advise anyone wishing to play rugby union that, in its current form, the game is extremely unsafe and the risks of becoming permanently crippled are unacceptably high, when compared with other football codes.” In 1985, the Australian union brought in amendments to prevent the scrum from collapsing in under-19 games. '