shows scrums, then proceeds to show rugby league highlights...

Scrums are the most historically dangerous? What about hospital passes

A few things to note; as props, the main role is to ensure no harm comes to the hooker, so it is very unlikely that they would dump the hooker down with such force. Also when the scrum collapses, hookers know to go down knees first. Additionally with the scrum buckling at the middle, it is quite likely that the hookers' faces are what go down first.

LOL i play hook, and my props would NEVER throw me down like that. this is not science.

They changed the call into "crouch, bind then set"

It's hilarious how the only dummy test in the video is obviously flawed, and they show these random ''scientists'' pretending to do shit acting like they're relevant.

I come to this video once a week for my weekly does of stupidity!

This is bloomin old. There have been no serious injuries since crouch-bind-set was introduced. There were none I was aware of with crouch-touch-pause-engage although I hated the delay and the cheating that the touch and pause permitted.

Some people should never be allowed to play with cameras. Or be allowed to use the word Science. Appreciate the concern Yankee but you have the most dangerous (read reckless) version of football. And you like it like that. Rugby has banned most protective wear, the shoulder charge (except for the ball carrier), tackling a player in the air, tackling aimed anywhere near the head and deal with miscreants ruthlessly (cards) because we want everyone to turn up to work on Monday. It remains what it always was, a game.

That may work in some cases but the ref says 'crouch' bind'set' so they don't have to hit each other like that.... In northern hemisphere rugby.

Scrums are my favorite part of rugby.

This is why im a flanker

I've never seen a scrum collapse with such force! The other front row holds it up and it bends and folds a lot slower than that (been part of MANY of those as a player).

so his work coaching rugby in Australia and wales got him to team USA did they, no offense to americans, but that's kind of a demotion in the rugby world. Also, I'm not sure they needed to do analysis to find out if you can get paralyzed when a scrum collapses - it happens quite regularly, even at school level.

BEST SCRUMS IN WORLD RUGBY 1. Argentina 2. England 3. France 4. All Blacks ........................ 176. Bangladesh 177. Kazakstahn 178. Australia

I can't believe they actually make TV like this

I have watched the sports science video on AF vs Rugby hits...Something does not add up to me. In this video they show that Casey Hampton is hitting at a force of around 1100lbs...Yet in the video i mentioned the AF player is half Casey's size, yet is hitting at a force of over 4000lbs... Am I missing something here or has the laws of physics changed in the last 20 minutes of my life??

why is there rugby league footage at the start of this video, I clearly saw State of Origin

He was a skills dev coach with Wales early on, then moved to attack coach a the wallabies. If you think the US is shit at rugby, he is the sort of coach you need, player development and systems oriented (in this case attack). He was interim Head Coach of Wales for a few games. He may have been "only" an assistant coach as you say, but winning a grand slam with Wales in 05, Attack coach of a consistently top 3 team in the world, still a pretty big accomplishment.

Love how they use alot of Rugby League clips. It is the tougher code however

make sure you strengthen the neck in rugby. that'll keep it injury free.

This is not how the scrum works

Our High School team is the three-time back to back state champions. They have broken two opposing players arms, 1 leg, 1 serious neck injury and several facial injuries. I would tend to agree, Rugby is the most dangerous team sport in the world.

My father used to play #2 at a fairly high level (there were two British Lions and some full international players on his side of the scrum at the time) and his neck was broken in a collapsed scrum (thankfully no severe lasting injury). A local player broke his neck a few years back, resulting in paralysis (sadly passed away last year). It's not like there is an injury like that every day of the week, but it is still a risk.

In my rugby club the ref says "bind" "set" so they don't crash together.

How I broke my ribs playing Rugby #RugbyScrum can create up to 1.5 Tons of force!

Gotta love your props

3:06 - "The first thing to hit the ground is the hookers head." XD

so playing both prop and hook i can say i would less than impressed if the props let the hook go like that if the scrum collapses it is the props new job to help the hook

played hooker for a season and a bit myself... always made sure to take my props out after the game for not letting me die ;p

In this experiment the "player" was thrown down by one team with the 2 teammates next to him still standin... in a real scrum both sides would go down and the 2 outerplayers with them which means that the force wouldnt be as hard as shown there and there are already rules in rugby to make sure something like that wont happen

Scott knows stuff all about the scrum. Master coach and strategist, but as an ex back has no idea. Good demo on how neck injuries happen.

Trust Americans to explain this...atleast get some real rugby players..

Im a back so I don't have to worry about this :D

Totally agree, the one with the tackles was Quientin Friggin Jammer hitting a pad and the rugby guys were some dudes from LA hitting their friend

That’s all very well... and true. However... The crash-test dummy has no natural protective mechanism such as the central nervous system, which will kick in with the reflex arc to create protective muscle spasm... thereby, to a degree creating a degree of rigidity to lessen the risk of the proposed damage. Also, the CTD does not have layers of protective, shock-absorbing soft tissue (eg musculature, connective tissue etc). None of the aforementioned seems to have been taken into consideration in this piece of ‘research’ . In other words, has the scientific method been fully respected?

lol you can't scrum on AstroTurf

rugby is safer than football though why are they painting it out to be more unsafe when it isn't lol so biased...

I started at 5 but I've been playing on the backs for the last 10 years. And yeah I understand what you mean. What I meant was that rugby training is harsh and technical to make sure that come gameday the probability of having a serious injury is as low as possible.

In response to body armour, most professional rugby strips are compression jerseys/shorts and can include light foam padding (up to 10mm). Padding typically protects the shoulders, arms and chest, but is not mandatory. Rugby headgear, also not mandatory, is made of foam tiles and resembles a tortoise shell. Headgear is typically worn by players in the forward pack to protect against 'cauliflower ears' and head clashes. The only mandatory protective equipment used in rugby is a mouthguard.

lol rugby isnt even this dangerous lol

I broke my neck in a scrum accident 30 years ago. I was playing tighthead prop and most of the serious spinal injuries tend to occur to the props rather than the hooker, especially on the tighthead side. Since my accident the laws have changed dramatically to try to prevent serious spinal injuries. However, in my opinion, the sheer nature of the scrum means there is an inherent danger in it. My next sufferered a fracture/dislocation of the C4/5 vertebrae leaving me paralysed from almost my shoulders down yet I have nothing but love for the game still. You are more likely to have a serious spinal injury in a car accident than playing rugby. Like any serious injuries were just unlucky that we are the ones that suffer it. The animation of how the neck flexes and dislocates is about the most accurate part of this video. As many have mentioned before the props would never throw the hooker down so that is very misrepresentative. Also when they show to this props, almost charging into each other as they engaged has now been outlawed. The engagement whilst is still quite forceful is not the same now. The only way to ever eliminate the risk of a serious neck injury in a scrum is to eliminate the scrums altogether, which in my opinion would be devastating to the game. I think that would ruin the game of rugby. We all play rugby, knowing there are risks and like everyone else weigh up those risks against the enjoyment we get from playing these sports, the same way we do every time we get into a car and drive or even be a passenger. Life is full of risks and if we do not take any would be so boring. Whilst I wish I had never had my accident. I don't regret playing rugby at all and would play again tomorrow given the chance.

I have done a lot of traveling and played a lot of sports (Army child) from Football (soccer), Rugby League, NFL, Motocross, Basketball, and Rugby Union. From my experiences I can say for a fact that all sports have their own unique challenges but I believe if I ordered them accounting for skill and fittness wise (Mental and Physical) overall difficulty it'd. 1) Motocross 2)Union 3)Basketball 4)NFL 5)Football 6)Rugby League But in terms of which is most painful. 1)Motocross 2)Union/League 3)Basketball 4)NFL/Football

you sir are the man

Yeah I was thinking the same... It would have been nicer to have professionals like they would usually have for some of their other tests

actually both front rows get the worst of it. because when the scrum collapses the locks and number 8's from both teams are still pushing and putting all there weight into the front rows along with there weight. the most a lock will get is a stray boot to the nads

not to mention the fact that some players even choose not to wear the mouth guard. I've played both sports and I can easily say, constant running/tackling/rucking beats the hell out of anything you will ever do in football.

my neck is constantly stiff and i can only turn my head 3/4 as far as normal people.. im 16 and this season just started will be my 5th season as a tight head prop, admittedly i wore headgear in our last game, but i will never stop playing in the scrum and i have never heard any talk of radically changing them. long live the scrum

i play number 8 in rugby,once i played as a prop in high school and it was the worst experience of my life, now i have a neck and back ache which is not pleasant!! i give my hats off to props all over the world,the front three is the most dangerous position a rugby player could play in a scrum...

Legendary coach: Scott Johnson! *crickets*

@MrFluffytoilet From the IRB, Catastrophic Injuries in Rugby Union: An Assessment of the Risk: "The risk of sustaining a catastrophic injury in rugby union in England was generally lower than that experienced in a wide range of other collision sports, such as ice hockey (4/100,000 per year), rugby league (2/100,000 per year) and American Football (1/100,000 per year).

Real props wouldn't let their FRC brother fall like that.

in Canada atleast in Mississauga they use crouch touch pause engage

A scrum collapsed happened at a rugby game in my school district. One of the props broke his neck and passed away, the kid was only 15 man..

In some ways american players are a good source to use as they already have good contact instincts through their experience in gridiron. The real difference is the ability to know when to 'plant out' if the scrum is collapsing.

Sport science should do a segment on the side step or goose step shimmy thingy that alot of rugby players use... Gotta be some interesting facts when analysing how someone can shift there entire mass while airborne.

I love how they are talking about the dangers of the scrum yet they show clips of Rugby League being played.

As a prop/hooker I know shit could go wrong in the scrum. However the scrums are definitely contested, however you were correct about the props never simply "letting go" the props are trained to protect the hook, possibly the most valuable position in the scrum.

That dummy test was awesome.. I mean not like anyone would hit a knee or catch themself when falling on your face..

I think I had all the necessary skills back when I was 3: throwing, catching, running into things and falling over. It doesn't exactly take a genius

Extremely rare case about the hookers. Unless its Golden Oldies (no pushing/contesting), no team would field any inexperienced front row.

You are my hero

Now they have crouch bind set so there is less impact at the beginning

I totally agree with you...

Many players have died not just wearing the 2 jersey but in the whole front row. Modern rugby has introduced the crouch, touch, pause system in an attempt to; A. Shorten the distance between packs to reduce the impact of engaging B. Stabilize the packs so they don't fall into the scrum or engage early This has made the scrum considerably safer, along with strict policing of scrum infringements by the referees.

3:44 the dummy doesn't seem to be in that much pain, he's smiling!

i have played rugby for 2 years and love it, about to try football soon and will probaly love it too... just not as much as rugby it will always be my favourite

@Rockboy1138, is there a way to get in contact with you to use a short clip of this footage? Thanks

It's considered dangerous because there's no protection involved other then a gum shield so many injuries occur, in both those sports you have layers upon layers of protection.

it's different now, opposing props lock arms before engaging which reduces force of impact.

Ya they started to do it to try to reduce the amount of pressure produced in them and the risk

the long term effects of rugby are dangerous too. my coach has had multiple surgies on his shoulders from years of scrumming. also my college coach has a leg that if you looked at, you knew something was wrong, it looks like a zig zag.

the scrum only hppens when a 'knock on' (a player loses the ball forward) occurs or if a team receives a short arm penalty and chooses the scrum option.

@MrFluffytoilet I qoute: "From 1931 to 2006, the National Center for Catastrophic Sport Injury Research has reported 1,006 direct and 683 indirect fatalities resulting from participation in all organized football (professional, college, high school, and sandlot) in the US.[4]; the yearly number of indirect fatalities has remained near 9.0 per year"

my friend broke his back when he got tackled and that was on the wing. he's now confined to a wheelchair with no movement below his neck. so i could say the same thing about the wing. just because of one injury that you know about, doesn't make it the "most dangerous" bit.

i play rugby and i had the almost similar impact and fall during the scrum. But if u know when to flex urself, u can play rugby easily and safely

@muselep its CROUCH, TOUCH, PAUSE, ENGAGE then you push when the ball is put in or else its dangerous, and when I was in a scrum and we pushed before the ball we got told off lol

What happened to engage? Thats what they used in my last tournament. Crouch, Touch, Engage And then we go through 2-3 faults cause one of the front lineman always fell to his knees.

I played rugby in the states almost 20 years. The amount of force generated in the scrums has to be experienced to be believed. Try doing 30-40 of those in 90 minutes. Fortunately I never saw a severe neck injury in my time playing, but it was always a possibility

it's safe if you know how to bind up, get tight together and engage in the right stance and place.

I'm a lock in rugby, when the scrums go down 90% of the time 1 side slumps and it ends up like a dog pile the hooks head rarely hits the ground.

Also, any sport which has impacts can result in brain damage, doesn't matter if you have a helmet or not, you're brain will bounce around inside your skull during a tackle. It's why brain damage is still a major risk in gridiron, even with hard helmets.

called a crutch bind, and no its not illegal - it makes the scrum more powerful though

'He went straight into the ground' as if he was just gonna chill in the air after being dropped...

Lets be fair he was not head coach of Wales or Australia but he is now Director of Coaching at Ospreys

I played both as well. I messed up my finger in rugby (I thought it was just a jam, but 2 months later it still looks swollen) and hyperextended my knee in both. Luckily, nothing got torn both times. *knock on wood*

@ScootezZ as do i..its all respect

In my youth I very badly damaged my spine playing as Hooker. I can't exactly remember how I damaged it but it was an all day competition. I saw a rugby specific physiotherapist (or whatever they are called) the next day and he told me that A LOT of force travelled down my spine and he said he hadn't seen it so bad in his whole career (tending to the senior XVs not the under 12s) and I lay in bed for 2 days and didn't play rugby for a year.

like to see you play it

4:40 I was in that position in a ruck. The other side, total assholes, kept pushing. I literally imagined my life as a paraplegic and my parents being forever pissed at me for playing this game. Then my teammates pushed me to the said and I can still walk just fine.

3:35 HAHAHAHAHAHA CAN'T STOP LAUGHING!

Ive played rugby for 8 years, all 8 in front row 4 as loose head and 5 as hooker, have been in a fair few collapsed scrums, ways to avoid hurting your neck allow your feet to slide right off the groung so your knees hit first before your head

Actually it's normally the tighthead that ends up head first in the grass after a collapsed scrum

My knees felt a joult of pain when he said "turf field"

As a American Football player, I gotta say, that shit looked epic lol

Every time I play rugby and doing the scrums I always get scared entering it but I like it anyway.

"I'ts a crazy game!" Right, bro!^^

@denvernegative0 It´s really hard to bend your neck like this video shows, mostly when scrum falls you land on your forhead. I´d say the second row is more expose since they can have all the first row land on their necks.

@Samax13 that means they weighed on average, 230 lbs, thats pretty crazy, i dont know wether to call your team lucky or unlucky

i respect both rugby and nfl players. These are ppl who are willing to endure hard tackles to win a game. Cheers for rugby and nfl! :)