After four serious injuries among boys playing in the Greater Public School competition in Queensland earlier this year,Rugby Australia said the spate of injuries warranted a thorough review of the circumstances relating to each.
Despite the"incredibly unfortunate cluster of recent incidents",a spokesperson for Rugby Australia said injuries of this nature were extremely rare in the sport.
Yet about one in six players sustained an injury during the short season,according to a study that reviewed injuries sustained by 480 rugby union players aged 10 to 18 at a private school in Brisbane over 2515 match hours.
About 76 students sustained one injury or more,found the study in theJournal of Sports Science. About a third of injuries were to the head/face/neck,reported lead author Felix Leung from the Centre for Musculoskeletal Research.
The most common injuries were contusions and lacerations at 26.3 per cent. Concussions accounted for 19 per cent. Rugby had the highest level of concussions of any sports,found a major review of all literature on the subject.
Participation in sport was “studded with tragedies” such as Alex’s injuries,said sports researcher Dr Amanda Clacy from the University of the Sunshine Coast.
But sport was an invaluable tool for cognitive and social development. It can protect against or improve depressed mood,suicidality,anxiety,and stress in young people,she said.
“Unfortunately,current literature presents a paradoxical picture regarding the interactions between sport participation,suicidality,and concussion risk,which has also been largely overlooked in youth populations.”
News of Alex's injury has prompted a wave of grief and support for the Noble family,who also have a son in year 12 at the school.
Rugby Australia's independent review panel,including former Wallaby Tim Horan,is now reviewing the four QLD injuries. Chaired by James Bell,QC,the panel is scheduled to report before next year's rugby union season begins. Although finalised before Alex's injuries,the panel’s findings would be relevant to all teenagers who played in school and youth club competitions,said a spokesperson.
The review by Rugby Australia followed four separate incidents. In July,two students in year 12 at Toowoomba Grammar School -Ollie Bierhoff and James Kleidon - suffered spinal injuries in two rugby union collisions on consecutive days.
Within a few days of their injuries,a year 11 St Joseph's College Gregory Terrace student,Conor Tweedy,was seriously injured in a scrum collapse during a weekend match.
On August 4,a fourth schoolboy,Alexander Clark from St Joseph's Nudgee College,injured his neck during a school rugby match.
All four boysunderwent surgeries for their injuries,the accidents sparking debate about the safety of rugby in schools.