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31
Wasps Rugby Discussion / Bill Sweeney Speaks = Anyone Listening?
« on: January 15, 2024, 02:21:07 PM »
RFU chief executive Bill Sweeney asks Championship clubs to help 'find resolution'
Last updated on
6 hours ago6 hours ago.From the section English Rugby
Bill Sweeney, chief executive of the Rugby Football Union
BBC Radio Cornwall spoke to Bill Sweeney at Saturday's Championship game between Cambridge and Cornish Pirates
Championship clubs must "come together" with the Rugby Football Union to "find a resolution" over its future, says RFU chief executive Bill Sweeney.
Clubs have said the RFU "threatened them with effective relegation" over objections to a new second tier.
In November all 11 clubs rejected the RFU's planned 'Premiership 2' model.
"I'm not sure it's a total blanket of opposition. Across most of the initiatives we're actually really close," Sweeney said.
He told BBC Radio Cornwall: "With misinformation and maybe slight misunderstanding out there, what we have got to do is come together over the next few weeks and see where the differences are and find a resolution which is in the interests of all of us."
Coventry chief executive Nick Johnston last week responded to the proposals by claiming the RFU is "playing God with people's wellbeing".
Sweeney refuted the suggestion the RFU wants a franchise system, adding: "We have never called it that - that's like the NFL or McDonald's... the clubs would have to pay us for the privilege of operating in the game.
"It's more, what standards do you want to have in the second tier that we can turn into a really investible model?"
Second-tier sides have been in talks with the RFU over the future of the club game since the demise of Wasps, Worcester, London Irish and Jersey Reds.
Sweeney claimed all parties want a better "geographical spread" of teams, with more clubs in the north of England, but also questioned "why wouldn't you want" to have the likes of Wasps, Worcester and London Irish back in the fold - something which Championship clubs oppose, saying they should play their way back through the pyramid.
"They are great rugby brand names, it's a terrible situation with them going bust post Covid," Sweeney told BBC Radio Cornwall.
"If they were to come back with strong business models, good financial investment in a good geographical location - why wouldn't you want to have them in the second tier?
"If that enables you to get more sponsorship excitement, possibly get a broadcast deal, it brings value.
"It's not a mechanism to try and get those three clubs back in, but if it means a more sustainable and better second tier then why not?"
'There would be increased funding'
Sweeney also said "Kent is a good catchment area", amid Wasps' plans to try to re-establish themselves there, adding: "We want a solution that works for everybody."
He also targeted a narrowing of the competitive gulf between the Premiership and Championship, confirming that promotion and relegation would not be ringfenced: "We'd like to see more Exeters happen. We haven't seen many clubs come through the Championship into the Premiership and stay there.
"We'd like to see clubs at the top of the Championship compete with those at bottom of the Premiership. You want that rotation."
He said he understands how Championship fans and club owners might still feel the RFU "doesn't care about them" after funding was slashed in the wake of Covid, but added: "We want and need a really strong and sustainable second tier to have a more competitive England national team. What we're doing is to improve upon the existing system."
The gap will not be narrowed simply by an injection of RFU cash, however.
"We've told them the level of funding for the next two seasons. There would be increased funding," he said.
"We want to see a strong second tier, [but] there is a limit to how much we can put in - we're trying to find a way to get external investment, potentially get a broadcast deal and hopefully get a more self-sustaining second tier."
Last updated on
6 hours ago6 hours ago.From the section English Rugby
Bill Sweeney, chief executive of the Rugby Football Union
BBC Radio Cornwall spoke to Bill Sweeney at Saturday's Championship game between Cambridge and Cornish Pirates
Championship clubs must "come together" with the Rugby Football Union to "find a resolution" over its future, says RFU chief executive Bill Sweeney.
Clubs have said the RFU "threatened them with effective relegation" over objections to a new second tier.
In November all 11 clubs rejected the RFU's planned 'Premiership 2' model.
"I'm not sure it's a total blanket of opposition. Across most of the initiatives we're actually really close," Sweeney said.
He told BBC Radio Cornwall: "With misinformation and maybe slight misunderstanding out there, what we have got to do is come together over the next few weeks and see where the differences are and find a resolution which is in the interests of all of us."
Coventry chief executive Nick Johnston last week responded to the proposals by claiming the RFU is "playing God with people's wellbeing".
Sweeney refuted the suggestion the RFU wants a franchise system, adding: "We have never called it that - that's like the NFL or McDonald's... the clubs would have to pay us for the privilege of operating in the game.
"It's more, what standards do you want to have in the second tier that we can turn into a really investible model?"
Second-tier sides have been in talks with the RFU over the future of the club game since the demise of Wasps, Worcester, London Irish and Jersey Reds.
Sweeney claimed all parties want a better "geographical spread" of teams, with more clubs in the north of England, but also questioned "why wouldn't you want" to have the likes of Wasps, Worcester and London Irish back in the fold - something which Championship clubs oppose, saying they should play their way back through the pyramid.
"They are great rugby brand names, it's a terrible situation with them going bust post Covid," Sweeney told BBC Radio Cornwall.
"If they were to come back with strong business models, good financial investment in a good geographical location - why wouldn't you want to have them in the second tier?
"If that enables you to get more sponsorship excitement, possibly get a broadcast deal, it brings value.
"It's not a mechanism to try and get those three clubs back in, but if it means a more sustainable and better second tier then why not?"
'There would be increased funding'
Sweeney also said "Kent is a good catchment area", amid Wasps' plans to try to re-establish themselves there, adding: "We want a solution that works for everybody."
He also targeted a narrowing of the competitive gulf between the Premiership and Championship, confirming that promotion and relegation would not be ringfenced: "We'd like to see more Exeters happen. We haven't seen many clubs come through the Championship into the Premiership and stay there.
"We'd like to see clubs at the top of the Championship compete with those at bottom of the Premiership. You want that rotation."
He said he understands how Championship fans and club owners might still feel the RFU "doesn't care about them" after funding was slashed in the wake of Covid, but added: "We want and need a really strong and sustainable second tier to have a more competitive England national team. What we're doing is to improve upon the existing system."
The gap will not be narrowed simply by an injection of RFU cash, however.
"We've told them the level of funding for the next two seasons. There would be increased funding," he said.
"We want to see a strong second tier, [but] there is a limit to how much we can put in - we're trying to find a way to get external investment, potentially get a broadcast deal and hopefully get a more self-sustaining second tier."
33
Wasps Rugby Discussion / England players drop RPA and turn to new agency to negotiate contracts and deals
« on: January 04, 2024, 09:12:48 AM »England players drop RPA and turn to new agency to negotiate contracts and deals
It is understood that players had grown tired of representation they had received from their trade union
Charles Richardson, Rugby Reporter and Gavin Mairs, Chief Rugby Union Correspondent 3 January 2024 ? 10:36pm
The England men?s team have axed the Rugby Players? Association as negotiators of contracts and commercial deals with the Rugby Football Union, ending a 20-year relationship between the two.
Telegraph Sport understands that a new agency headed up by Gaia Bursell, who led the partnership between the England men?s team and the RPA for five years until March 2023, will take charge of the international players? commercial interests from the end of this season. Both Bursell and the RPA presented to the players late last year, with the team choosing to terminate their long-standing partnership and bring Bursell on board.
It is understood that the England players had grown tired of the representation they had received from the RPA which is, in essence, their trade union. The players will maintain their RPA memberships, however, and will continue to be represented by the organisation while on club duty and for matters outside of the international game.
?The RPA are disappointed to announce that Team England LLP have chosen to end the RPA?s status as exclusive commercial representatives at the end of the current EPS agreement in June 2024,? the organisation said in a statement.
?The RPA have proudly represented the England Men?s squad since 2004, consistently positioning them as the best rewarded in global rugby union.
?We will continue to support, promote, and protect all elite players in the English game via RPA representation, including those selected to play for the England Men?s side. A current EPS men?s representative has placed on record that the squad give the RPA their full backing in supporting players across the English game.?
The RPA has negotiated on behalf of ?Team England LLP? since 2004, organising Elite Player Squad contracts which encompassed image-rights payments, bonuses and ?23,000-a-match fees. It is understood that the partnership was worth around ?240,000 a year to the RPA.
As well as taking over the RPA?s remit, Bursell?s agency will also be involved in formalising the RFU?s new ?hybrid? contracts, which Henry Arundell turned down in December in order to remain at Racing 92.
34
Wasps Rugby Discussion / Falcons - Year of Unrest
« on: December 18, 2023, 04:32:57 PM »Coaches let go via phone and players in tears: Newcastle Falcons' year of turmoil
Special report: Year of unrest over the treatment of staff has culminated in Alex Codling's team cut adrift at the foot of the Premiership
Charles Richardson, Rugby Reporter 18 December 2023 ? 3:21pm
At the start of 2023, Newcastle, under head coach Dave Walder, were building momentum. The Falcons had just won four of their last six Premiership matches with stability and cohesion growing. Around the corner, however, tumult was awaiting.
By the end of the season, Newcastle lost two of their three starting front-rowers ? George McGuigan and Trevor Davison ? as well as Walder. By the start of the ongoing campaign, the squad had experienced significant turnover. Under new head coach Alex Codling, the Falcons currently sit bottom of the league without a win to their name.
The winds of change had arrived at the Falcons. The gusts were necessary, Newcastle said, in order to survive. This was a season, of course, in which three Premiership clubs ? Worcester, Wasps and London Irish ? all went to the wall. Financial sustainability and the cutting of cloth in accordance to budget had become not just aims for the club, but vital.
Such swingeing measures would inevitably cause upset. Professional rugby is a cut-throat business where vast sums of money and contracts are involved, after all.
Eventually, however, the avenue of financial necessity intersects with treating those at the club with the respect they deserve, rather than as pieces of meat.
Telegraph Sport has spoken to several sources ? some of whom do not wish to be identified ? who accused the club of significant failings in this regard. One such is Carl Fearns, the abrasive back-rower who left Newcastle at the end of the previous campaign and who, after a stint in Carcassonne, announced his retirement from the sport last week.
Fearns, 34, felt the need to speak out owing to the explosive post-match interview Codling gave after the trouncing at Leicester earlier this month. The Falcons? head coach, in his inaugural season in the North East, questioned the direction of the club in a very public manner after a run of tough results with a relatively underpowered squad.
Fearns spent two seasons at Kingston Park, recruited by former director of rugby Dean Richards. Fearns explains that he was given a verbal contract offer from the club?s head of recruitment, former hooker Matt Thompson, over a coffee at the Twin Farms pub, close to the Falcons? stadium. He says he was then kept in suspense over the course of two months with no clarity over his future ? and no contract offer. Fearns says that he did not mind having to leave. He understood the budgetary changes that were taking place at the club but the indecision and mind-changing left him worrying about his livelihood and providing for his family. This account has been corroborated by another anonymous player at the club, and Telegraph Sport has seen the communication between Fearns and Thompson.
?Around Jan 6, I had a face-to-face meeting with Matt Thompson, over a coffee, and he told me he wanted to keep me at the club,? Fearns tells Telegraph Sport. ?He said I was an experienced player and that next season it would be a younger squad, and that he wanted my experience around. He said he wanted to keep me and that he?d send a contract through next week. That?s how it ended.
?A week or two went by and I asked him if he had a contract for me. He said: ?No, sorry, nothing at the moment.? It continued, the next week after that I asked again. ?Not at the moment, not yet, sorry,? he said again.
?At the end of January, I messaged asking if the position had changed. I had a family, I needed to plan, I could be finishing my career, I needed to find a job, I had a mortgage. He didn?t reply until I messaged again in March.
?I?m not a stupid bloke. I?m an old pro. I knew what the craic was. After a third week of him saying ?not yet?, I knew exactly what was going on.
?I think the man is a coward. You have to treat people the right way. I was pretty decent about it in the messages. I understood if the club was in a financial position whereby the situation surrounding me might have changed. It might have been a bad thing for me to hear but I just needed to know whether it was yes or no.
?In March, I told him what I thought and he replied saying thanks for the message and that the club was looking for a new coach. That?s all I got, really. I never got a straight answer.
?I sensed something was wrong. If I was a young player, it could have been a case of me leaving at the 12th hour with no job, a family.?
Telegraph Sport has since met with both Thompson and Semore Kurdi, Newcastle?s owner, where the duo admitted failings in the communication around Fearns? lack of contractual renewal, explaining that the club was in a transitional period, with sustainability and a long-term project ? based around a core of youthful talent ? the goal, but that the treatment received by their former back-rower should not have occurred.
?We were sad to hear last week that Carl will be retiring from playing professional rugby, but he can look back on a great career,? Newcastle told Telegraph Sport in a statement.
?With the benefit of hindsight, we acknowledge that the communication around his contractual situation could have been handled more clearly, but we thank Carl for his service and wish him all the best for his life after rugby.?
Line-out coach Scott MacLeod?s departure from the club, Fearns explains, is another example of poor treatment. With the arrival of Codling, whose specialism is the line-out, MacLeod was informed by Thompson over the phone at the end of last season that his services would not be required at the club for the following campaign. An hour later, unaware that the former line-out coach?s contract had not been renewed, Codling called MacLeod to ask what he would bring to the coaching team next season. Newcastle did not wish to respond to Fearns? account of MacLeod?s departure, although it is understood the club has apologised privately.
?I do have sympathy for Alex because, like I said, I know what?s going on around the club,? Fearns adds. ?But if he had done his due diligence before he arrived, he might have understood what was going on at the club. But, Thommo, as he did to me, maybe he promised him things that he was never going to get? Maybe that happened? All he had to do was do some due diligence ? it was clear the way the club was going, getting rid of all the experienced forwards in the group.
?If they want to cut their cloth accordingly, that?s well within their rights, but you have to treat the players as human beings ? and treat them well.
?We had one of the best line-outs for years under Scott MacLeod and he?s a great coach. Getting rid of him made no sense.?
The departures of McGuigan and Davison were high profile; not just because the duo were either England squad members or in the conversation regarding international call-ups, but because they came in the middle of the season, with immediate effect, within three months of each other ? and both players left to Premiership rivals. One source who did not wish to be identified told Telegraph Sport that Davison was left in tears at the side of the training pitch.
?The way that George left the club...We came in on a Monday and George just stood up in a team meeting and said: ?Lads, I?m going to Gloucester.? Some of the coaches weren?t even aware,? Fearns says. ?When things like that happen, the whole squad ? which, with less funds, relied on being a close unit ? started questioning why we were doing it, if people were being treated like that?
?Trevor was going to Northampton, then he wasn?t. I think he was told the deal was off, then he came in one day and Thommo told him he was going to Saints tomorrow. It seemed as if the moves had been imposed upon both George and Trevor.
?By the end, I felt for Dave and all the staff who were standing up in front of us and giving us messages about being the ?true north? and being tight as a group, but on a weekly basis something else would happen which would cut their legs from under them. I would have left if I were Dave.?
Newcastle did not wish to comment on the departures of either McGuigan or Davison when approached. Both players also declined to speak to Telegraph Sport. It is understood, however, that factors outside the club?s control and exterior contract negotiations were part of the reason for the immediacy of both players? exits.
35
Wasps Rugby Discussion / Rugby Europe Matches - Worth a Watch
« on: December 12, 2023, 01:53:30 PM »
Men's REC Finals to be held in Paris!
Rugby Europe is delighted to announce that this year?s Rugby Europe Championship 2024 Finals will be held at the home of Stade Fran?ais, Stade Jean Bouin in Paris.
In what promises to be a real European festival of international rugby, all eight national teams will travel to the French capital to determine their final ranking in the competition and, of course, decide the champion of this year?s competition.
All four matches will be held on Sunday 17 March 2024, culminating in the Championship Final at 9pm with the ranking and bronze finals taking place from noon.
It will allow those players that participated in Rugby World Cup 2023 to return to France and tap into the many new fans they acquired during the global event through September and October.
The pool matches that have been confirmed are:
3/2/24 - Netherlands v Spain, Amsterdam, National Rugby Center, 1:15pm CET
3/2/24 - Belgium v Portugal, venue TBC, 8pm CET
4/2/24 - Germany v Georgia, Dessau, Paul Greifzu Stadium, 3pm CET
4/2/24 - Poland v Romania, Gdynia, Narodowy Stadion 8:15pm CET
10/2/24 - Georgia v Netherlands, Tbilisi, Avchala Stadium, 11am CET
10/2/24 - Portugal v Poland, Lisbon, CAR Jamor, 8pm CET
11/2/24 - Spain v Germany, Madrid, The Estadio Nacional Complutense 12:45pm CET
17/2/24 - Georgia v Spain, Tbilisi, Avchala Stadium, 1pm CET
17/2/24 - Romania v Portugal, Bucharest, Arcul de Triumf, 3:30pm CET
17/2/24 - Belgium v Poland, venue TBC, 6pm CET
18/02/24 - Netherlands v Germany, Amsterdam, National Rugby Center, 1:30pm CET
The semifinals will then take place on the weekend of 2nd/3rd of March before the teams make their way to Paris.
The competition is in the middle of a two-year cycle and the current pools remain identical to 2023, but with the home and away fixtures reversed.
The event in Paris is in collaboration with La F?d?ration fran?aise de rugby (FFR), La Ligue Nationale de Rugby (LNR), La Ligue ?le-de-France de Rugby (LIFR) and La D?l?gation interminist?rielle aux grands ?v?nements sportifs (DIGES).
Tickets will go on sale on Tuesday 19 December and will be available from 10?. Book your tickets on www.stade.fr
Rugby Europe is delighted to announce that this year?s Rugby Europe Championship 2024 Finals will be held at the home of Stade Fran?ais, Stade Jean Bouin in Paris.
In what promises to be a real European festival of international rugby, all eight national teams will travel to the French capital to determine their final ranking in the competition and, of course, decide the champion of this year?s competition.
All four matches will be held on Sunday 17 March 2024, culminating in the Championship Final at 9pm with the ranking and bronze finals taking place from noon.
It will allow those players that participated in Rugby World Cup 2023 to return to France and tap into the many new fans they acquired during the global event through September and October.
The pool matches that have been confirmed are:
3/2/24 - Netherlands v Spain, Amsterdam, National Rugby Center, 1:15pm CET
3/2/24 - Belgium v Portugal, venue TBC, 8pm CET
4/2/24 - Germany v Georgia, Dessau, Paul Greifzu Stadium, 3pm CET
4/2/24 - Poland v Romania, Gdynia, Narodowy Stadion 8:15pm CET
10/2/24 - Georgia v Netherlands, Tbilisi, Avchala Stadium, 11am CET
10/2/24 - Portugal v Poland, Lisbon, CAR Jamor, 8pm CET
11/2/24 - Spain v Germany, Madrid, The Estadio Nacional Complutense 12:45pm CET
17/2/24 - Georgia v Spain, Tbilisi, Avchala Stadium, 1pm CET
17/2/24 - Romania v Portugal, Bucharest, Arcul de Triumf, 3:30pm CET
17/2/24 - Belgium v Poland, venue TBC, 6pm CET
18/02/24 - Netherlands v Germany, Amsterdam, National Rugby Center, 1:30pm CET
The semifinals will then take place on the weekend of 2nd/3rd of March before the teams make their way to Paris.
The competition is in the middle of a two-year cycle and the current pools remain identical to 2023, but with the home and away fixtures reversed.
The event in Paris is in collaboration with La F?d?ration fran?aise de rugby (FFR), La Ligue Nationale de Rugby (LNR), La Ligue ?le-de-France de Rugby (LIFR) and La D?l?gation interminist?rielle aux grands ?v?nements sportifs (DIGES).
Tickets will go on sale on Tuesday 19 December and will be available from 10?. Book your tickets on www.stade.fr
36
Wasps Rugby Discussion / Premiership clubs to face squad limits under new regulations to cut costs
« on: December 12, 2023, 10:11:53 AM »Premiership clubs to face squad limits under new regulations to cut costs
Exclusive: Professional Game Partnership proposal would reduce senior squads to 35 players plus 12 more from the academy
Daniel Schofield, Deputy Rugby Union Correspondent 11 December 2023 ? 7:20pm
Maximum squad sizes will be imposed upon Premiership clubs as part of the new Professional Game Partnership with the Rugby Football Union, Telegraph Sport can reveal.
While discussions are continuing, the leading proposal will limit clubs to a maximum senior squad of 35 players with a further 12 players in a ?transition? group from their academy.
Capping the number of senior and academy players a club can carry was understood to be a key recommendation of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport advisers, Ralph Rimmer and Chris Pilling, who were appointed last summer by the government to create a more sustainable league after the loss of three Premiership clubs to administration last season.
The reduction from 13 to 10 teams means that there is no longer an overlap with the regular international windows so there is less need for teams to carry bloated squads to compensate for club v country clashes. The purpose of imposing an upper limit is designed to not only control costs but to encourage teams to put more faith in their academy players rather than relying on journeymen to fill holes. Young English players? lack of game time has been cited as a key concern by Bill Sweeney, the RFU chief executive, heading into the PGP negotiations with the Premiership which are unlikely to conclude this year.
While some clubs who have traditionally carried small squads such as Sale Sharks and Northampton Saints would be unaffected by such a change, teams such as Bath, who have a total of 73 senior and academy players, and Harlequins, who have 47 senior players, would need to make significant cuts in the coming seasons.
?You need to hit that sweet spot,? a source close to the negotiations said. ?You don?t want your squad to be too small where players are playing too much but you don?t want your squad to be too big where players never play. There are squads of 70 and there will be 10-15 players in that who play less than five games a season. That just does not help anyone.?
The transition group would have its own salary cap while clubs would carry a further ?rookie? class for Under-20 and Under-19 up to a maximum of 15 players.
The controversial development of Premiership 2 in the place of the Championship and streamlining numbers within academies together with the introduction of a draft system are also means to ensure younger players receive more game time. There is a recognition that certain clubs benefit disproportionately from the current academy catchment system which leads to them hoarding talented young players with only the narrowest path to regular first-team rugby which is the single most critical ingredient to their development.
?Clubs need to identify the prospects who are really likely to break through,? the source added. ?Also if you restrict those numbers then it allows other clubs to pick up some of those other talents who would otherwise be stockpiled. We would not want a load of young fly-halves to be queued up behind Marcus Smith at Harlequins because he will be there for the foreseeable future and they simply will not be playing.?
37
Wasps Rugby Discussion / Interesting Article on Kent Site.
« on: December 07, 2023, 05:54:09 PM »38
Wasps Rugby Discussion / Strange but Nice
« on: December 06, 2023, 05:35:05 PM »
Walking between Terminal 2 and 3 at Heathrow just now and ahead of me was someone with one of those Wasps rucksacks. Big Wasps at the top.
Four years ago this weekend we were travelling to Edinburgh to play them. Now I am getting a flight to Lyon to go and watch Clermont murder Edinburgh. Strange but nice!
Four years ago this weekend we were travelling to Edinburgh to play them. Now I am getting a flight to Lyon to go and watch Clermont murder Edinburgh. Strange but nice!
39
Wasps Rugby Discussion / Is this not a little ridiculous with limited funds
« on: December 02, 2023, 09:18:35 AM »
Owen Farrell set to be offered new RFU central contract despite declaring himself unavailable for E? https://mol.im/a/12814451 via https://dailym.ai/android
40
Wasps Rugby Discussion / Concusion Lawsuit
« on: December 01, 2023, 05:17:36 PM »
Phil Vickery, Mark Regan and Gavin Henson added to the lawsuit.
Was surprised to see new names to me of Sean Lamont and Colin Charvis.
Was surprised to see new names to me of Sean Lamont and Colin Charvis.
41
Wasps Rugby Discussion / New headguard brings hope of gamechanging safety breakthrough
« on: December 01, 2023, 01:32:27 PM »
New headguard brings hope of gamechanging safety breakthrough
Design from Leicestershire-based company just waiting for green light of approval from governing body World Rugby
Robert Kitson
Robert Kitson
Fri 1 Dec 2023 08.00 GMT
Last modified on Fri 1 Dec 2023 10.06 GMT
Rugby players of all ages have received the same stern warning for decades. Traditional headguards may protect against cuts and abrasions but they don?t prevent concussions. A scrum cap that can substantially help to mitigate the risk of brain injuries in contact situations on the field, both in training and matches, would be a gamechanger for a sport very much in need of some positive developments.
Many manufacturers have tried ? and failed ? to convince the sport?s governing body they have found the answer. Finally, though, there are high hopes of a genuine breakthrough. A Leicestershire-based company called Hedkayse, who initially specialised in cycling helmets, have designed a rugby headguard that, according to data ratified by Imperial College, London, reduces the force of direct head impacts by up to 85%.
The Rugby World Cup winner Steve Thompson revealed he had early onset dementia in 2020.
The player welfare lobby group, Progressive Rugby, are also keenly awaiting the green light of official endorsement from World Rugby, which could be forthcoming within the next week or so. Crucially, the special impact foam involved, Enkayse, retains its vital qualities in extreme heat or cold and is specifically optimised to protect at body temperature. From schools ? where there is an obvious need to look after developing brains ? to the elite club game, there are potentially grateful clients everywhere.
It has taken years of research to reach this point, along with a mixture of tragedy, perseverance, luck and humour. The managing director of Hedkayse, George Fox, was inspired to investigate improved headgear after the death, almost 20 years ago, of a friend in a bike accident in France. The product design engineer subsequently caught the eye of the company?s co-founders after they saw YouTube videos of him hitting himself with baseball bats to demonstrate the body armour he was making. As Fox puts it: ?They said: ?This guy?s clearly a loonie, would he be up for trying to make a cycle helmet??
The personable Fox, who has designed thigh pads for many leading cricketers, was up for the challenge. ?It took ages and 4,000 iterations before we got there. We found a PU foam specialist in Somerset and did the formulating and moulding there. Then I?d take it all back, cut the foam up, do measurements, look at the densities and do impact tests. Gradually, we found a magical version that just worked. You realised why no one had done it before because it was really hard.?
The other happy accident was bumping into the former England rugby international Tim Stimpson. ?He wanted his kids to enjoy the sport but also has former playing colleagues who are struggling to remember their kids? names. So he asked if I would make a protective headguard for his kids. Then that turned into a wider conversation: why doesn?t this exist already and how can we engineer it to work better for kids and full grown angry blokes??
Another important step is due this month, as and when the Bristol Bears prop Max Lahiff wears it for the first time in a Premiership game. The 33-year-old is Bristol?s representative on the board of the Rugby Players Association (RPA) and has been testing the headguard in training for the past few months.
After some initial minor problems with keeping it fastened in scrums and mauls, he is a confirmed fan. ?It doesn?t feel much different to any other scrum cap. If it?s a colder day it does feel slightly more rigid compared to other headguards but once it warms up it?s very flexible and comfortable.?
The focus is also on injury prevention rather than making players more gung-ho. ?I feel this is a happy medium. You want something that doesn?t make you feel immortal but, at the same time, does its job.?
In Lahiff?s view, there is a further bonus. ?Ultimately, a lot of the appeal of rugby lies in its confrontational nature and the collisions. It?s a fine line between preserving the essence of that and not neutering it too much.?
Above all, though, the longer-term brain health benefits would be immense. ?When you?re a young man you?re full of piss and vinegar. These things don?t sit around in your consciousness. But I?ve had a few concussions and with high-profile players coming out with worrying signs of early onset dementia, it does start to loom more. It could be a massive, massive boon and some sort of shield to stem the tide.?
Not all his teammates have been rushing to embrace this cutting edge science. Lahiff was going to wear the prototype headguard against Saracens last week had ?someone not pinched it? in the buildup and has copped some lighthearted dressing-room stick from Ellis Genge ? ?You?re not wearing that, are you?? ? and others.
?They think I look like Magneto or Juggernaut from the X-Men,? Lahiff said. ?It is somewhat chunkier and more interesting-looking than the contemporary scrum-cap and lends a different aesthetic. You know what rugby players are like. Anything that?s a bit unusual gets scrutinised.?
There will certainly be significant interest when World Rugby?s verdict is confirmed, with globally authorised Hedkayse headguards set to be available immediately at a cost of between ?100 and ?120 if bought individually.
A potentially safer sport, with scientists, medics, administrators and players all nodding approvingly? Rugby is close to receiving its ultimate pre-Christmas bonus.
Design from Leicestershire-based company just waiting for green light of approval from governing body World Rugby
Robert Kitson
Robert Kitson
Fri 1 Dec 2023 08.00 GMT
Last modified on Fri 1 Dec 2023 10.06 GMT
Rugby players of all ages have received the same stern warning for decades. Traditional headguards may protect against cuts and abrasions but they don?t prevent concussions. A scrum cap that can substantially help to mitigate the risk of brain injuries in contact situations on the field, both in training and matches, would be a gamechanger for a sport very much in need of some positive developments.
Many manufacturers have tried ? and failed ? to convince the sport?s governing body they have found the answer. Finally, though, there are high hopes of a genuine breakthrough. A Leicestershire-based company called Hedkayse, who initially specialised in cycling helmets, have designed a rugby headguard that, according to data ratified by Imperial College, London, reduces the force of direct head impacts by up to 85%.
The Rugby World Cup winner Steve Thompson revealed he had early onset dementia in 2020.
The player welfare lobby group, Progressive Rugby, are also keenly awaiting the green light of official endorsement from World Rugby, which could be forthcoming within the next week or so. Crucially, the special impact foam involved, Enkayse, retains its vital qualities in extreme heat or cold and is specifically optimised to protect at body temperature. From schools ? where there is an obvious need to look after developing brains ? to the elite club game, there are potentially grateful clients everywhere.
It has taken years of research to reach this point, along with a mixture of tragedy, perseverance, luck and humour. The managing director of Hedkayse, George Fox, was inspired to investigate improved headgear after the death, almost 20 years ago, of a friend in a bike accident in France. The product design engineer subsequently caught the eye of the company?s co-founders after they saw YouTube videos of him hitting himself with baseball bats to demonstrate the body armour he was making. As Fox puts it: ?They said: ?This guy?s clearly a loonie, would he be up for trying to make a cycle helmet??
The personable Fox, who has designed thigh pads for many leading cricketers, was up for the challenge. ?It took ages and 4,000 iterations before we got there. We found a PU foam specialist in Somerset and did the formulating and moulding there. Then I?d take it all back, cut the foam up, do measurements, look at the densities and do impact tests. Gradually, we found a magical version that just worked. You realised why no one had done it before because it was really hard.?
The other happy accident was bumping into the former England rugby international Tim Stimpson. ?He wanted his kids to enjoy the sport but also has former playing colleagues who are struggling to remember their kids? names. So he asked if I would make a protective headguard for his kids. Then that turned into a wider conversation: why doesn?t this exist already and how can we engineer it to work better for kids and full grown angry blokes??
Another important step is due this month, as and when the Bristol Bears prop Max Lahiff wears it for the first time in a Premiership game. The 33-year-old is Bristol?s representative on the board of the Rugby Players Association (RPA) and has been testing the headguard in training for the past few months.
After some initial minor problems with keeping it fastened in scrums and mauls, he is a confirmed fan. ?It doesn?t feel much different to any other scrum cap. If it?s a colder day it does feel slightly more rigid compared to other headguards but once it warms up it?s very flexible and comfortable.?
The focus is also on injury prevention rather than making players more gung-ho. ?I feel this is a happy medium. You want something that doesn?t make you feel immortal but, at the same time, does its job.?
In Lahiff?s view, there is a further bonus. ?Ultimately, a lot of the appeal of rugby lies in its confrontational nature and the collisions. It?s a fine line between preserving the essence of that and not neutering it too much.?
Above all, though, the longer-term brain health benefits would be immense. ?When you?re a young man you?re full of piss and vinegar. These things don?t sit around in your consciousness. But I?ve had a few concussions and with high-profile players coming out with worrying signs of early onset dementia, it does start to loom more. It could be a massive, massive boon and some sort of shield to stem the tide.?
Not all his teammates have been rushing to embrace this cutting edge science. Lahiff was going to wear the prototype headguard against Saracens last week had ?someone not pinched it? in the buildup and has copped some lighthearted dressing-room stick from Ellis Genge ? ?You?re not wearing that, are you?? ? and others.
?They think I look like Magneto or Juggernaut from the X-Men,? Lahiff said. ?It is somewhat chunkier and more interesting-looking than the contemporary scrum-cap and lends a different aesthetic. You know what rugby players are like. Anything that?s a bit unusual gets scrutinised.?
There will certainly be significant interest when World Rugby?s verdict is confirmed, with globally authorised Hedkayse headguards set to be available immediately at a cost of between ?100 and ?120 if bought individually.
A potentially safer sport, with scientists, medics, administrators and players all nodding approvingly? Rugby is close to receiving its ultimate pre-Christmas bonus.
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Wasps Rugby Discussion / Next Season TV
« on: December 01, 2023, 12:17:55 PM »
Premier TV have reclaimed both URC and Top 14 coverage from Viaplay.
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Wasps Rugby Discussion / DECEMBER
« on: December 01, 2023, 06:58:58 AM »
The month of decision - at least as far as the RFU have said!
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