Planet Rugby Forum

From Canada. Apparently kept alive on life support only long enough for organ donations.

Montague student dies after rugby game accident, school confirms

Grade 12 student Brodie McCarthy was playing in a tournament in Summerside at time of the accident

A high school student from Montague, P.E.I. has died after being seriously injured in a rugby game Friday, Montague High School has confirmed.

Brodie McCarthy, a Grade 12 student, was playing in the David Voye Memorial rugby tournament in Summerside at the time of the accident.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/prince-ed ... -1.4661389

That's tragic! RIP, young fella.

RIP

Sad news. RIP

RIP

bloody hell, with the italian girl, that's 2 young people who dieing in brain injury playing rugby... something is wrong with the sport.

i'm starte to be happy i am too old and broken to play again real rugby.

poor poor people and family, going playing a game with a head accident shouldn't happen.

jolindien wrote:bloody hell, with the italian girl, that's 2 young people who dieing in brain injury playing rugby... something is wrong with the sport.

Even in my time it's become much more of a "collission sport" than a "contact sport", with players getting huger and huger every year.

It wasn't that long ago at all that an International back that was 100kg was considered a beast. 95kg loose-forwards were not uncommon. These days there's usually a few (if not all) 100+kg backs even in an amateur club team. And with all the emphasis on "faster, bigger, better, more tries, more excietment!" for TV audiences, the game has gone away from "rugby" and more to a high speed demolition derby.

Mog The Almighty wrote:

jolindien wrote:bloody hell, with the italian girl, that's 2 young people who dieing in brain injury playing rugby... something is wrong with the sport.

Even in my time it's become much more of a "collission sport" than a "contact sport", with players getting huger and huger every year.

It wasn't that long ago at all that an International back that was 100kg was considered a beast. 95kg loose-forwards were not uncommon. These days there's usually a few (if not all) 100+kg backs even in an amateur club team. And with all the emphasis on "faster, bigger, better, more tries, more excietment!" for TV audiences, the game has gone away from "rugby" and more to a high speed demolition derby.

Poor bugger.

Agree with this, rugby is eating itself (along with lots of pills). I'm fast losing interest, love the top end with the freaks, and the bottom end proper amateur clubs, but the middle bit has no interest. I've gone from a game you dream of your son playing top level to one I'm not sure I'd even want him to play above 2nd team at a local club.

slick wrote: Poor bugger.

Agree with this, rugby is eating itself (along with lots of pills). I'm fast losing interest, love the top end with the freaks, and the bottom end proper amateur clubs, but the middle bit has no interest. I've gone from a game you dream of your son playing top level to one I'm not sure I'd even want him to play above 2nd team at a local club.

Even the state of some amateur sides put me off. I look at the club I played at as a kid and even the 2nd's are now roided up, training weights every day of the week, trying to be professionals. There's no place for all sizes now.

The days of training once or twice a week and just keeping fit to go and play on the weekend seem long gone and I'm very worried about lads of my generation who think they can train like professionals with none of the medical and rehabilitation support to help them. I worry that there will be a lot of 50 year olds who are physically ruined by trying to play amateur rugby these days.

I'm interested to know what happened. Nothing more than "freak accident" is all that's written in two other news sources. Maybe something outside of the normal course of play?

Always horrific news to hear that playing a sodding game can result in the death of someone.

Very glad to hear he is going to donate his organs however, that could save the lives or mean a massive difference for many.

i heard on the radio 2 english players dead on tour in sri lanka?

Mog The Almighty wrote:

jolindien wrote:bloody hell, with the italian girl, that's 2 young people who dieing in brain injury playing rugby... something is wrong with the sport.

Even in my time it's become much more of a "collission sport" than a "contact sport", with players getting huger and huger every year.

It wasn't that long ago at all that an International back that was 100kg was considered a beast. 95kg loose-forwards were not uncommon. These days there's usually a few (if not all) 100+kg backs even in an amateur club team. And with all the emphasis on "faster, bigger, better, more tries, more excietment!" for TV audiences, the game has gone away from "rugby" and more to a high speed demolition derby.

Does this apply to the 2 dead though?

DragsterDriver wrote:http://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/news/1 ... Sri_Lanka/

"non Rugby related breathing problems" is a bit vague really, sad to see so close on the heels of the first death in the OP. Wonder what caused one to die and one to be hospitalized at the same time?

Turbogoat wrote:

DragsterDriver wrote:http://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/news/1 ... Sri_Lanka/

"non Rugby related breathing problems" is a bit vague really, sad to see so close on the heels of the first death in the OP. Wonder what caused one to die and one to be hospitalized at the same time?

I did think dodgy drugs tbh?

RIP

May he rest in peace and my condolences to his parents. It must be gut wrenching.

I wish there were more details so we could learn how much was the sport and how much was a pre-existing condition. There might be something to learn player safety wise.

crash 669 wrote:

slick wrote: Poor bugger.

Agree with this, rugby is eating itself (along with lots of pills). I'm fast losing interest, love the top end with the freaks, and the bottom end proper amateur clubs, but the middle bit has no interest. I've gone from a game you dream of your son playing top level to one I'm not sure I'd even want him to play above 2nd team at a local club.

Even the state of some amateur sides put me off. I look at the club I played at as a kid and even the 2nd's are now roided up, training weights every day of the week, trying to be professionals. There's no place for all sizes now.

The days of training once or twice a week and just keeping fit to go and play on the weekend seem long gone and I'm very worried about lads of my generation who think they can train like professionals with none of the medical and rehabilitation support to help them. I worry that there will be a lot of 50 year olds who are physically ruined by trying to play amateur rugby these days.

Yeah, it's a bit sad. I suppose this is a side-effect of professionalism and commercial interests wanting to sell the game. Rugby really was in it's heyday right at the end of the amateur era, and slightly into the professional era, but it's lost it's way now. I fear we me have seen the end of Jason Robinson/Shane Williams/Neil Back type players.

The guys these days are huge. I also noticed a huge increase in steroid use towards the end of my "career", even in amateur club competition.

Andalu wrote:Does this apply to the 2 dead though?

I'm not sure. I must admit, I'm just speculating. But it seems likely that we're talking about brain or spinal injuries as a result of heavy contact, as opposed to a freak cardiac arrest or something. But I'm guessing. In any case it's defintiely true that players, even amateur players are getting huger and huger and the game has a greater influence on massive collisions; and that can't help.

The size arms race definitely adds to the injury toll in pro rugby but in these cases I'm not convinced it is a major factor, certainly not as important as the laws, technique, sheer bad luck etc.

Turbogoat wrote:

DragsterDriver wrote:http://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/news/1 ... Sri_Lanka/

"non Rugby related breathing problems" is a bit vague really, sad to see so close on the heels of the first death in the OP. Wonder what caused one to die and one to be hospitalized at the same time?

It's all very tragic and associated with rugby, but the first thing I noticed from the news article was that the dead man was said to be in a veterans team at 27. Doesn't look like there is much of a gap between Colts rugby and veterans nowadays.

slick wrote:

Mog The Almighty wrote:

jolindien wrote:bloody hell, with the italian girl, that's 2 young people who dieing in brain injury playing rugby... something is wrong with the sport.

Even in my time it's become much more of a "collission sport" than a "contact sport", with players getting huger and huger every year.

It wasn't that long ago at all that an International back that was 100kg was considered a beast. 95kg loose-forwards were not uncommon. These days there's usually a few (if not all) 100+kg backs even in an amateur club team. And with all the emphasis on "faster, bigger, better, more tries, more excietment!" for TV audiences, the game has gone away from "rugby" and more to a high speed demolition derby.

Poor bugger.

Agree with this, rugby is eating itself (along with lots of pills). I'm fast losing interest, love the top end with the freaks, and the bottom end proper amateur clubs, but the middle bit has no interest. I've gone from a game you dream of your son playing top level to one I'm not sure I'd even want him to play above 2nd team at a local club.

I'm with you on this. Both my boys play, not the girls. I am considering pulling them more away from it. My youngest could go relatively far based on size alone - just turning 8 years old, 4'11" and 105lbs. But in time he will be used as a battering ram, injuring himself and others. Not cool.

Oh dear. RIP. Tragic.

I often wonder if I'd take up the sport if I returned in another life.

So far, the answer is YES. I love it to bits.

But this makes you think.

I'll have word with the man upstairs. A bit late, but what else can you do?

Andalu wrote:The size arms race definitely adds to the injury toll in pro rugby but in these cases I'm not convinced it is a major factor, certainly not as important as the laws, technique, sheer bad luck etc.

And not likely in this Canadian case. Even our U20s tend to look smaller than most you'd find in Britain / Ireland, because we don't have much in the way of academies, schools don't take it that seriously, etc.

I can think of three deaths now in Canada and though we don't know much about this one yet, the earlier of the two others was a fight that - I've heard - resulted in the deceased being dumped on his head as the two wrestled to ground. The other was a girl who'd had a likely concussion early one week, a possible second that she only told a friend(s) about later that week (headaches, etc.), and taking a knock the following week, she went into a coma and didn't come out.

The latter's parents have been a driving force into heightening concussion awareness and managed to get a law passed - Rowan's Law - guiding parents, coaches, teachers on concussions. Though the first one was a fight, it sounded like what could happen in games with tip tackles (now banned, thankfully). All such incidents have the potential to educate us.

I'm with you Andalu in hoping that more details emerge to help us be more aware. Thinking of what could constitute a 'freak accident', and assuming that was a definite statement on something you don't often see in the game and that wasn't malicious, I immediately thought about someone jumping for a high ball and being tipped over. I worked at a school where a football player had that happen - hits the air legal, I think, so long as receiver has hands on ball - and though he was eventually okay, he had a minor break in his neck upon landing. Could have also been a scrum collapse.

Part of my push to increase coach education here is largely focused on game awareness, tactics, etc. but we could certainly do with increased education on practices that could be dangerous as well. You still see teams 'squeeze balling' though it's meant to be banned, and with more and more rucks going off feet (at the top level, often copied by amateurs) and not being punished, I just worry about young people's safety at the breakdown. I think it's something the sport has to get a handle on.

Mog The Almighty wrote:

jolindien wrote:bloody hell, with the italian girl, that's 2 young people who dieing in brain injury playing rugby... something is wrong with the sport.

Even in my time it's become much more of a "collission sport" than a "contact sport", with players getting huger and huger every year.

It wasn't that long ago at all that an International back that was 100kg was considered a beast. 95kg loose-forwards were not uncommon. These days there's usually a few (if not all) 100+kg backs even in an amateur club team. And with all the emphasis on "faster, bigger, better, more tries, more excietment!" for TV audiences, the game has gone away from "rugby" and more to a high speed demolition derby.

Except we’re talking about kids rugby here.

Just horrible accidents.

Fenman wrote:

Turbogoat wrote:

DragsterDriver wrote:http://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/news/1 ... Sri_Lanka/

"non Rugby related breathing problems" is a bit vague really, sad to see so close on the heels of the first death in the OP. Wonder what caused one to die and one to be hospitalized at the same time?

It's all very tragic and associated with rugby, but the first thing I noticed from the news article was that the dead man was said to be in a veterans team at 27. Doesn't look like there is much of a gap between Colts rugby and veterans nowadays.

I think it’s a strange way of describing an invitational touring side.

Both dead now

Scary to think that, so far, it sounds like something normal. Imagine he took a big knock to the head somehow, but from normal rugby play it seems ...

McCarthy, 18, was playing in the David Voye Memorial rugby tournament in Summerside on Friday when he was injured in what Evans-Renaud described as "a normal rugby play."

"There was nothing remarkable about it. There was nothing untoward about it."

After the play, McCarthy called for a substitute and walked off the field, Evans-Renaud said. The coach checked him over and asked him several questions.

"He was coherent. He was able to answer all the questions that were asked of him," Evans-Renaud said. "And then the coach asked him to sit on the grounds by the sidelines and it was there that he collapsed and the ambulance was called and he was taken to the hospital."

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/prince-ed ... -1.4661950