Rugby and other contact sports organisations and controlling bodies are taking seriously the long term risks of hard physical contact on players. Gone are the days when bruised and bloodied people would stay on the pitch to continue with the battle.
Erring on the side of caution will save lives. There are some who call boxing barbaric, and campaign to stop the sport altogether. My own view is that contact sports are exciting because of the physicality and the demands it makes on competitors. Everything that can be done to make contact sports as safe as possible without detracting from the spectacle is to be applauded.
odespinner 