Miscellaneous
Our guest on Episode 9 of the Players Podcast is one of the foremost sports scientists and researchers in Rugby...and a man with a lot of views on the mechanics and politics of our game. Dr.Ross Tucker is a sports scientist and researcher, currently working alongside World Rugby on how to reduce concussions, head impacts and the possibility of reducing the tackle height. In a fascinating chat, Ross discusses his work, the various issues around doping and WADA, concussion and head injuries, player training load and much more. One of the main messages from Tucker was that player welfare problems won't be solved overnight. "We're trying to change the culture around training and load, we're trying to change the culture around the intensity of contact, around head injuries and head impacts and concussions. And that's going to take two or three generations. We have to buckle-up for the long haul because you can't flick a switch and solve the problems." The Cape Town based researcher also argued that many of the problems with injuries around player load come from coaching philosophies that need to be updated. Check out this great discussion on the Science behind the game and visit rugbyplayers.org for more!