Chabal’s tragic memory loss shows how rugby’s “cowboys don’t cry” culture puts players’ lives at risk. It’s time for a new approach to player safety.
The saddest story in this newspaper today is that of former French rugby international Sebastien Chabal, who says that, because of the concussions he suffered in the game, he has no memories of his sports career, but also none of his daughter’s birth.
In an interview, Chabal said he has not seen a neurologist about the issue because, he said bleakly: “What would you do, my memory won’t return…”
A group of nearly 300 former rugby players launched legal action in 2023, claiming that the authorities governing the sport had not put in place “reasonable measures” to ensure their health and safety.
Also on our pages today, a local radiologist speaks about the potential for brain injuries from concussion in schools rugby.
He sketches out symptoms to look for and outlines how repeated concussions can have serious consequences.
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Today’s technology enables some potentially dangerous injuries to be identified early on.
Every coach involved in school rugby should be aware of the dangers; how to spot them and how to deal with them.
And so should parents.
Most importantly, rugby is one of those sports where the “cowboys don’t cry” attitude sometimes leads to injuries being covered up or minimised.
That culture must go, because it can be deadly.
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