Fear of injury is a huge factor for a teen deciding whether to play or continue playing rugby. Rugby can be an intimidating sport for people of a slight build, or not used to contact sports. Getting knocked over by bigger, stronger and more experienced players, believe it or not, isn’t hugely attractive for many people.
Most injured teens are keen to get back into rugby, but by the time they’ve healed, they have often picked up other commitments elsewhere. It is crucial to keep injured players in the fold, or risk losing them to other activities.
A structured role for injured players keeping them engaged with the team is critical. For example, you could give them an assistant coach role, ask them to manage a training drill, help with analysis and tactics, carry the drinks, or organise a social event.
Teens do have a certain amount of fear at the thought of injury - or as they put it – no one likes getting ‘smashed’. This is an obvious issue, and one with a potentially negative long-term effect on our game. I’m not talking about teenagers worrying about getting injured, rather how they react to getting hurt or injured.
