Friends or Foes

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Friends or Foes

Jon Davies

May 18th 2016

At a time when professional rugby players gain more and more attention from the outside

world, has the relationship between them and the reporters who provide the link between

the fan and athlete become more distant and fraught? Along with this, as the number of

professional players suffering from head injuries continues to rise, the game is currently in

the depths of one of its most contentious issues, as those involved in the game strive for

greater education and awareness on the consequences of these serious injuries. Jon Davies

has been to find out more about this divisive issue….

October 31st 2015. The curtain comes down on the most successful Rugby World

Cup of all time as New Zealand retain their 2011 crown with a deserved 34-17 victory over

old rivals Australia in arguably the most enjoyable and exciting final in the history of the

competition. In the days directly following that Grand Finale, rugby fans and pundits alike

looked back with fond memories on a tournament which had captured the imagination of

people all over the world, in a way never seen before. The tournament led to record

attendances and viewing figures, with official statistics showing a record 2.47 million tickets

being sold throughout the tournament with the final attracting a global audience of 120

million people. The wonderful performances from the likes of Japan and Georgia had

opened the sport up to a much wider audience. Japan’s historic triumph over two-time

champions South Africa could not have come at a better time, with the country due to host

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the next World Cup in 2019. Whilst Rugby Union has been growing in popularity for some

time in the Land of the Rising Sun, the sport has remained in the shadows behind the more

traditionally popular sports of baseball and football. To put into perspective how much of an

impact the Japanese team created back home, a record 25 million Japanese people stayed

up late to watch their team demolish Samoa in their third game of the Rugby World Cup.

The match was watched by around a fifth of Japan’s entire population of 128 million, and

garnered an audience share of 64 percent – making it the biggest national viewing audience

in rugby history. These statistics once again emphasise how the game continues to grow

twenty years after its move into professionalism.

However, whilst the growth in popularity around the world remains something to

celebrate, are the game’s core values in danger of disappearing? Unlike football where the

vast amount of money thrown at players and clubs has distanced the professionals from the

fans, rugby union has historically always maintained a strong link between players, coaches

and fans. However with the game surging in popularity, money is now being pumped into

the oval-ball shaped game like never before, and as a result some are beginning to question

whether the game itself is following in the footsteps of football. The introduction of media

training and media managers at professional clubs has created a situation where for the

most part, journalists get the same answers from players who have in some cases become

too wary of how their words may be interpreted. As a result, reporters and journalists gain

less and less access, as professional clubs now take it upon themselves to relay messages to

the public through club websites and social media pages. While these changes have

improved access to the public and helped move the game even further forward,

unsurprisingly these changes can threaten relations between clubs and the media, and

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consequently have created somewhat of a tense environment between the two, whereby

the one side (media) feel as if they are being shut out whilst the other side (professional

clubs, players and coaches) are increasingly wary of how their words will be construed. A

relationship that should be built on trust is now in danger of being overcome by mistrust.

This tense relationship has not been helped over the last few years with the sport

stumbling upon arguably its biggest crisis in many years. As the game has continued to move

forward in the professional era, naturally conditioning has become a huge factor in the

sport. At a time when players seem to be bigger and stronger than ever before, head

injuries have become more commonplace in the game. With club medics and doctors

coming to realise that the effects of these injuries may be more serious than they first

thought, the increasing number of incidents involving players suffering from head injuries is

a worrying sign. In as physical a sport as rugby, injuries are commonplace, yet it is only now

over the last few years that awareness over the effects of head injuries have become known

to those working in the sport whether it be at a professional or amateur level. With recent

statistics showing about 1,200 people suffer head injuries while playing rugby each year and

with about two-thirds of these injuries being either concussion or brain injuries, the sport

has been left reeling by an issue which threatens its very future. Consequently, more and

more reporters and journalists are delving into analysis and opinion on the issue at a time

when many within the sport – not to mention the fans – are still very much unaware of all

the details surrounding these injuries. With the professionalism of some reporters being

brought into question in the recent past, these relatively new findings within the sport have

seemed to exacerbate the problems between professional athletes and the media that has

led to a more distant relationship between the two.

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The Risks

Whilst the rugby world is now focusing sufficient time and effort in protecting

players when they suffer head injuries, due to a lack of education and awareness of the

issue this has not always been the case.

As if to emphasise the lack of knowledge associated with the impacts of head injuries

was an incident that occurred in 2008 in a test match between Wales and Australia.

Following a heavy collision of heads between opposing centres Jamie Roberts and Stirling

Mortlock in the opening five minutes, the match was brought to a halt as medics checked on

the players. Whilst Australian Mortlock was immediately helped off the pitch looking dazed

and confused, Welsh centre Roberts was initially allowed to play on for another 15 minutes

before being replaced. Wales eventually went on to win the match 21-18 without Roberts,

who realised only after the match that he had fractured his skull during the early collision

with Mortlock. Following this discovery, the Welsh centre was immediately rushed to

hospital, but incredibly suffered very few side effects with the exception of a strong

headache and just a few months later was back out on the rugby field. Whilst Roberts has

gone on to play for many more years without any issues arising from the injury, it is certain

that if a similar incident was to happen in a match now, neither player would be allowed

back on to the pitch.

A more recent case in point was an incident involving Wales winger George North in

2015 against England. Having taken an accidental kick to the head in the first half, North was

examined on the pitch by the Welsh medical team before going off to receive the necessary

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concussion protocols. Having passed the necessary tests North returned to the field of play

just before half-time before continuing in the second-half. Twenty minutes into the second-

half, the Welsh winger was again involved in arguably an even more dangerous head

collision as he clashed heads with team-mate Richard Hibbard as they attempted a tackle

together. The clash immediately caused North to lose consciousness as he collapsed to the

ground without protecting himself from the fall. Despite the severity of the incident,

incredibly North was once again allowed to carry on playing after receiving on-field

treatment and completed the match. Unsurprisingly attention soon turned to the actions of

the Welsh medical team who came under severe scrutiny for allowing North to continue

playing after two potential head injuries. Whilst North was rested for the next game in order

to recover fully from any on-going symptoms, only a few weeks later when returning to club

duty the player was involved in yet another concussion incident whereby he was once again

knocked out following a collision with an opposing player. North was immediately taken off

following the action, and subsequently was told following consultation from neurosurgeons

that he was to take a four-month break from rugby to fully recover from any possible side-

effects following his fourth concussion incident in five months.

Both of these cases once again highlight how dangerous an issue head injuries may

be, but also emphasise how more research is needed to educate people involved with the

sport and make everyone aware of the necessary action that must be taken to protect

players’ well-being. Whilst the two cases in point have striking similarities despite being

seven years apart, it is worth remembering that the issue has only been brought to public

attention over the last 18 months due to events such as North’s possible head injuries.

Whilst the actions of the Welsh medical team in the England match were rightfully

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questioned, it is highly unlikely that those medics would make the same decision now,

largely in part to the greater awareness brought about from that night in Cardiff.

With more money and research being put in to investigate the effects of head

injuries, steps are being made within the sport to obtain even greater education and

awareness for all individuals involved in the sport, whether it be on a professional or

amateur level. However with statistics from the EPR Injury Surveillance Report from the

2013/14 season showing concussion to be the most common match injury for the third

consecutive season, tackling the stigma of head injuries remains an ongoing challenge.

One man who knows all about the stigma that comes with head injuries is Jonathan

Thomas. A former Wales flanker, capped 67 times by his country, Thomas was an integral

part of a Welsh squad who won two Grand Slam titles in four years. Having been diagnosed

with epilepsy in October 2014, Thomas was forced to retire in the summer of 2015, with his

diagnosis seemingly caused by multiple head traumas which subsequently led to a degree of

brain injury.

Despite having to retire early from the game at the age of 32, Thomas has chosen

not to dwell on his situation.

“My diagnosis obviously came as a shock to me at the time, and whilst I was

obviously disappointed that I couldn’t play on for a few more years as I would have

expected to at that age, I understood having explored every possible avenue with the

medics before making a decision, that when the doctors finally told me in the summer of

2015 that I couldn’t carry on, instead of being in denial about it I think I was quite accepting

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of the fact that the time had come because I had tried everything and knew I wasn’t right, it

didn’t make the decision any easier or less hard to make but I knew it was the right one.

“As an athlete you always feel like you are indestructible, when you are diagnosed

with something like that there is a vulnerability about it because all of a sudden you know

you are human like everyone else and there is somewhat of a harsh reality around it.

“If I would have had to retire immediately following my diagnosis I would have

struggled to deal with that mentally, but having played on for a further 10 months I had

time to come to terms with the situation and by the end was satisfied that there was no

more I could have done to prolong my career.”

Given the increased publicity of the issue of head injuries in rugby, I was curious to

know whether Thomas was wary of revealing the possible cause of his epilepsy?

“I felt strongly about being honest, talking to medics they say epilepsy is the one last

condition that has a stigma around it, so the reason I wanted to be honest is if I didn’t say

anything I think I would have just been adding to the stigma, I didn’t want sympathy I just

wanted to state the facts and help bring greater awareness to the issue.

“Certain media wanted to bring me down a certain route because it added to the

headlines of concussion and the scaremongering and that is where I got frustrated but that

was the minority, the majority were great, as for the minority they had their own agendas.”

With the English Rugby Audit from 2013/14 also showing that concussion

constituted one eighth of all match injuries, I was interested to know whether Thomas

believes enough is being done to protect players’ well-being in regards to head injuries.

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“I think there have been massive strides over the last few years, but there is still a

long way to go.

“Up until 2 years ago I don’t think there was and that’s purely because of a lack of

education around the subject and a lack of awareness through people driving it, but through

the number of cases over the last few years its brought it much more into the forefront of

people’s minds and as a result the Unions and medical teams of clubs are much more aware

of the issue.

“Despite all this I believe the biggest responsibility is on the players themselves, and

my concern is the lower end of the game because they don’t have medical professionals on

the side-lines and perhaps players don’t have the same understanding because they haven’t

been through the courses the Union provide top-end players, so they might continue to play

with head trauma and not understand the consequences of doing so.

“As a player though, if you’re in a world cup final and a minute in you get a knock on

the head, your gut feeling is telling you, you will do anything to stay on the pitch, so if

players at all levels understand what the symptoms of head trauma are and the potential

consequences of playing on they can make informed decisions.”

Having played at a high level for both club and country, Thomas is no stranger when

it comes to dealing with the media. Whilst the issue of understanding and awareness of

head injuries amongst the rugby fraternity is being improved upon, many journalists are

reporting on head injuries with very little understanding of an issue that potentially

threatens the future of the sport.

So how should it be reported?

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“It is a topic that needs discussing but needs to be carefully managed in how it is

reported; you want to bring awareness to the issue without scaring people away.

“Modern journalism has changed because of stuff like Twitter, players are able to

give their own side of things, and people might read something in newspaper and then go

on someone’s Twitter for a greater clarification on what they might have said. With my

situation I just wanted the facts to be reported because I wanted to raise awareness of head

injuries without scaring people.

“I spoke to all different types of people in the media and the ones I had the most

respect for were the ones who just reported the facts and they didn’t try to exaggerate

certain aspects but rather just put out the facts, you can still in my opinion provide an

interesting article by providing the facts and asking them the right questions.

“The media has massive impact on general public, so they have to be really careful

about how they report injuries in particular.”

With an increasing sense of friction between players and reporters eminent, the

former Ospreys flanker was keen to get his views across.

“As a player, I never had any problems with the media. I think sometimes players can

overthink relationships as they feel as if the media are out to get them and I think if you

have that mentality your relationship is compromised and you don’t give a true reflection of

your personality.

“It is important to be sensible in what you say but also to be open and honest and to

get your own personality across.

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“When I was captain at Worcester, I knew I was going to be asked tough questions

and needed to answer them honestly and if you do that I think it builds a two-way trust

between the media and the players, if players become too guarded or take things too

personally, that is what creates friction.”

With the spotlight being shone on safety within the sport, future participation may

become another issue, something that Thomas – through his own circumstances – is well-

versed to discuss.

“My concern with the concussion thing is that people need to report the facts and

not scaremonger.

“There is a danger the game could become too safety-conscious, but people love

watching massive hits as it’s a huge part of rugby so I don’t think you can ever discourage

that otherwise it becomes a non-contact sport. Rugby is a contact sport and you need to

play hard but by the rules.

“The feedback I get from some parents is ‘Am I going to let my kids play rugby given

what’s happened to me’, my answer to that is I have had amazing experiences playing rugby

and I would always encourage anyone to play the game because it is a fantastic game.”

The Other Side

The role of a sports journalist remains important in all sports. Although clubs now

employ their own media and Public Relations teams that can report back to the public

through websites and social media, the vast majority of information and analysis the public

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receive from different sports often come from journalists with no direct links or affiliation to

the clubs and individuals they report on.

Despite all this, the general relationship between media outlets and professional

sportsmen and women has started to become less harmonious over the years with a

number of events in various sports adding fuel to the fire.

The recent doping scandal in athletics is an example of this.

The roots of the current scandal began in June 2015 when Alberto Salazar, one of the

top Athletics’ coaches in the world, was accused of violating anti-doping rules.

The claims were made following a BBC Panorama investigation into the Nike Oregon

Project – an elite American long-distance running training facility set up by the shoe

company – where Salazar is Head Coach.

With British Olympic champion Mo Farah being one of the athletes trained by

Salazar, many people came to speculate that Farah himself may be a drug cheat.

Despite Farah publicly coming out and denying all allegations against him as well as

claiming to have no knowledge of the claims made against Salazar, the long-distance runner

was made a scapegoat by many within the media in the build-up to the 2015 World Athletics

Championships in Beijing.

Despite the bad publicity and constant media pressure weighing down on him, Farah

brushed aside the rumours to defend his 5,000 and 10,000m world titles and once again

reign supreme on the grand stage.

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However with Farah admitting in interviews since those events that he believes there

are always likely to be people who believe he is guilty of doping, and having received

constant pressure and allegations thrown at him from the media in the build-up to Beijing, it

is only natural to think his relationship with some members of the media has been soured

by the events of 2015.

With a resulting report, commissioned by WADA, confirming widespread use of

performance enhancing drugs and blood doping by Russian track and field athletes, the

world of athletics has been thrown into disarray amid rumours that the governing body, the

IAAF, may have been aware of Russia’s actions.

With just a few months to go before the 2016 Olympics in Rio kick-off, at a time

when Britain’s athletes should be talking about their excitement and hopes ahead of the

games, many are wary of speaking to the media with a dark cloud hanging ominously over

their sport.

Like doping in athletics, the increasing number of concussion and head injuries in

rugby union has only exacerbated the issue of friction between players and the media.

Despite this, with an issue as serious as concussion it is of vital importance that the

public are made more aware of what is being done to tackle the issue, which makes it all the

more important for reporters to maintain positive relations with those involved in the

professional game, which is something that freelance rugby journalist Tom Bradshaw knows

all about.

“It is indispensable to maintain a good relationship with players and coaches”, says

Bradshaw.

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“As a journalist you have to be a people person, you should be able to adapt to the

great differences that exist in human personalities and get along with people and know how

to work with people of different inclinations and attitudes.”

That isn’t to say that Bradshaw believes journalists should always get along well with

sports stars.

“If the players are never having their feathers ruffled by you as a reporter it means

you are doing something wrong because it means you are not holding them sufficiently to

account.”

Bradshaw – who previously worked for the Bath Chronicle covering Bath Rugby –

went on to add:

“If you are doing your job well as a local sports reporter there will be times when you

have conflict between players and the management of the club.”

Speaking of his time at Bath, Bradshaw said:

“I was hanging around the club pretty frequently, so there were occasional conflicts

of interest when the players or team weren’t playing well, but in my own dealings I can

honestly say that I didn’t find it particularly hard to have decent relationships with players

there and the same goes for the other professional clubs that I have covered.”

Now working as a freelance rugby reporter, Bradshaw – who is also a University

lecturer – is in the perfect position to analyse the changing scope of reporting when it

comes to head injuries.

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“As a reporter I need to inform people why someone has left the field, references to

head injuries are more commonplace and frequent now than they ever have been, and

coaches are going to refer to their players suffering from head injuries which means we as

journalists must report on players suffering from concussion because you are quoting what

coaches said so I don’t think it is hard to comment on head injuries.

“As journalists we’re up to speed with the evolving issue of head injuries and how

the games’ authorities now take it much more seriously and because we’ve covered this

story we are familiar with the protocols and tests. We have a rough idea of these tests that

they do and appreciate that coaches are under more pressure than they ever have been to

not endanger their players.

“However there are different cases to look at. Former England international

Shontayne Hape was forced to retire due to a number of head injuries and since retiring he’s

published a very powerful article in the New Zealand Herald saying how he felt he was

treated like a piece of meat at times during his career and he only retired three season ago.

“Powerful stories like that have forced the game, coaches and journalists to be more

sensitive and knowledgeable about the issue.”

With head injuries attracting more column inches than ever now, the physicality of

the modern game has also been debated.

A Daily Mail article written by Jeff Powell in 2015 is a classic example of this.

Powell’s article surrounded a tackle made by England lock forward Courteney Lawes

on France fly-half Jules Plisson in England’s 55-35 win in the final match of that year’s Six

Nations championship. As Plisson shaped to pass the ball along to a team-mate, Lawes – as

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any defender would – marked the attacker up and went in for the tackle. As Plisson released

the ball the action led to the Frenchman turning his body slightly so that when Lawes came

through with a shuddering - yet legal – tackle, Plisson was hit in the back and subsequently

smashed backwards with huge force. At the time, referee Nigel Owens with the help of a

Television Match Official reviewed the tackle and was happy that Lawes was committed to

the hit before Plisson released the ball and therefore was a legal tackle.

Following the match Powell wrote up an article widely condemning Lawes’ action

and the decision of the referees and rugby authorities. In the article, Powell criticised Lawes

for not apologising in the aftermath, claimed if a similar incident were to happen on a public

street it would merit an assault charge and also used the tackle as an example of why

parents may discourage their children from playing the sport.

Ironically the nature of Powell’s sensationalised article sparked more debate and

controversy than the tackle itself with over 100 comments being posted online in response

to the article, with many written in disagreement of Powell’s point of view.

So where do journalists stand on the issue?

“I know journalists at Daily Mail in particular who started campaign around

concussion in rugby and the danger with a campaign like that is every piece is linked to the

campaign so you have a snowball effect, where the news organisation is repeatedly looking

for more collaboration or interviews from doctors that supports the line of their campaign

and perhaps information that is contrary to the campaign is overlooked or downplayed,

which is worrying because you then have a misrepresentation of an issue or a misbalance.”

Bradshaw goes on to say:

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“There are some sports journalists who almost become a brand in their own right

and get too cocksure about themselves and can sometimes rank their opinion above

everyone else’s and that kind of self-indulgence in journalism can crop up, particularly if you

are a well-established writer.

“However I’m uncomfortable with the idea of the full extent of serious injuries not

being relayed to the public simply because it might have a negative impact on the uptake of

the sport, which would be a type of self-censorship by the journalist if they opted to do that.

“It’s a difficult one, but what you should do as a journalist is to give both sides to the story

even if particular information goes against what you are trying to say or do.

“We as journalists need to be careful how serious we claim a certain head injury or

concussion to be, concussion is much more talked about which is a good thing but at all

times it is incumbent on the journalist to make sure their language around the subject isn’t

over the top.”

The debate around safety within the sport was recently brought to public attention

once again following news that more than 70 doctors and academics are calling for a ban on

tackling in rugby matches played in UK and Irish schools.

In an open letter to ministers, the doctors claimed that injuries can have lifelong

consequences for children and argue that two thirds of injuries in youth rugby - and most

concussions - are down to tackles and have urged schools to move to touch and non-contact

rugby.

The notion has been widely dismissed by many former players, school teachers and

fans, a view shared by journalist and former Bath Chronicle Sports Editor Neil Beck.

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“I was disappointed to read recently about the debate about whether tackling

should be allowed in schools because it is an important part of the game and I see no

problems as long as you are taught correctly and safely how to tackle by coaches, I think

things like that are going a bit too far.”

“It’s important to make people aware about head injuries and to educate them but

banning tackling is not the answer.”

Beck – who is now editor of West-County based sports magazine XtraTime West –

also believes that as a journalist it is important to help parents become more aware of

safety within the sport, especially with regards to head injuries.

“Raising awareness with head injuries is key in all sports not just football and rugby,

as people should know the risks before they take part and I think having all the information

is important, so as a reporter I feel it is our responsibility to present the facts without trying

to unduly influence people.

“My personal feeling is the benefits of playing sport outweigh the risks, although

there are obviously risks associated with playing contact sports.

“I think it is better for parents and their children to be presented with the facts and

then make the decision themselves, I wouldn’t discourage my children from playing rugby

on the basis of what I’ve read but that isn’t to say someone else wouldn’t, it is an individual

thing and is your choice.”

Despite his views Beck does admit that journalists do need to be educated more

when it comes to head injuries.

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“I wouldn’t say I feel particularly comfortable talking about head injuries and

concussion, I don’t think that I know enough about it and do sometimes have to read

around the subject.

“I think it would be good to have a bit more knowledge about it, and is probably

something that the RFU can look at, maybe they could put on workshops and invite

reporters along, and it would be good to put that out to the media.

“There are occasions I think when modern-day reporting has become more

unprofessional, only because the social media aspect makes life difficult because you tend

to have to be ahead of everyone else on there, as there is a pressure to get stuff online.

“Sometimes you don’t get the depth nowadays and unfortunately it can be a case of

quantity over quality in local press, and the shrinking in the number of jobs doesn’t help as it

can lead to shrinking in terms of quality and professionalism.

“Any journalist would benefit from greater education on head injuries and I would be

keen to go along to find out the latest information because as a journalist the facts are key.”

So does he feel enough is being done within the game to tackle the issue?

“I think the protocols are good and I welcome the rules being brought in.

“It is possible to go over the top but I think the balance is right at the moment,

although whilst I think enough is being done at the moment, there is a long way to go and it

is paramount that we continue to research and look into the subject.”

With all the tension created by such an issue, Beck understands that relations

between media and players will remain lukewarm.

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“I do feel that players are more guarded now, it is becoming harder to get decent

stories out of players particularly in press conferences where they seemingly want to

protect their club’s image as well as their own.

“Through my own experiences rugby players and coaches tend to be more open than

footballers, but I think they are too afraid of saying something controversial.

“The characters don’t come through as much nowadays, everything can be a bit

bland and I don’t think that helps the game.

“Whilst you want to stay in the good books with clubs it is a balancing act, as if you

are doing your job properly there will be occasions when you have to tread over the line and

upset them.”

So what if anything needs to be done to improve relations?

“I think greater understanding from where everyone is coming from really.

“I think it would be more enjoyable for players and coaches if they were let off the

leash a bit more to say what they really think, clubs sometimes think they can portray their

own version of events without the third party involved but that really isn’t the case and

shouldn’t be the case.

“I think people still like to hear journalists opinions, clubs perhaps need to be more

understanding and perhaps both parties need to be more honest in what they want.

“With my work for the magazine I have enjoyed some great interviews with sports

coaches that seem to be more relaxed and honest than formal press conferences, so I think

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a more personal touch from coaches and players would really help establish a greater

connection for everyone involved.”

The Coaches’ View

Dealing with the media has always been a big responsibility for coaches. Whether it

be in football, cricket or rugby, much of a professional sports coaches’ time is now spent in

front of a camera or microphone answering questions from the media.

Like their players, coaches can often endure frosty relations with the media but often

have to maintain a solid working relationship with reporters and journalists for the benefit

of both their clubs and players.

Yet that is not to say that coaches do not have their run-ins with the press.

Former Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson was renowned for his

intimidating presence towards journalists.

One of the most infamous stories concerning Ferguson’s difficult relationship with

the press stemmed from a BBC documentary in 2004 about his son Jason Ferguson, who

worked as a football agent.

The documentary entitled ‘Fergie and Son’, raised serious doubts about the

professional conduct of Jason Ferguson, with the agent being portrayed as somebody who

exploited his father's influence and position to his own ends in the transfer market.

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Although Jason Ferguson was never found guilty of any wrongdoing, Sir Alex

subsequently refused to speak to the BBC in light of the portrayal of his son’s motives and

actions in the documentary.

In 2011, following a meeting between then BBC Director General Director Mark

Thompson and Sir Alex Ferguson, the then-Manchester United manager agreed to lift his

seven-year ban on speaking to the broadcaster.

Although this is a somewhat sensationalised and uncommon example of a coach

falling out with the media, it is another reminder of the tension that can arise within the

world of professional sport.

For Worcester Warriors coach Sam Vesty, this is something that is all too familiar.

Having played professionally at both Leicester Tigers and Bath Rugby during his career,

Vesty chose to move into coaching following his retirement from playing.

Having first joined Worcester as an academy coach, Vesty was promoted to first

team backs coach in 2015, and now working as a coach at senior level is all too aware of his

responsibilities.

“Of course it’s important to maintain good relations with the media as a coach.

“At the end of the day both the journalists and the club need to get something out of

it, and as a coach if you come across badly in the media it can be very damaging as that is

where people get their opinions on what you are trying to do with the club.

“It is a difficult balance as you have to be able to talk freely with them but you can’t

get too close because there is a fine line.”

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So how does the relationship differ from his playing days?

“You probably get asked tougher more pointed questions as a coach”, said Vesty.

“I think I always had a healthy relationship with the media as a player, very

occasionally I felt that my words may have been misconstrued and were perhaps presented

in a way not how I would have liked to be seen by the public, but on the whole it was very

positive.

“That said I was always wary and considered what I said, I probably made a few

mistakes over my career and you learn that perhaps you have to be a bit guarded with

certain people.”

Having worked at Worcester around the same time that Jonathan Thomas was

forced to retire, I was interested to gather Vesty’s thoughts on the reporting of head

injuries.

“I’ve looked at all the data sets about head injuries and concussion coming back from

the medical profession and it is worrying.

“As a rugby player you go into the game with your eyes wide open.

“You know injuries are commonplace, but there’s a difference between being a little

bit bruised and battered in your limbs and being able to hold a conversation with your

daughter.

“With regards to the media, I don’t think there has been too much scaremongering.

“Some people might think journalists have delved too far into things like concussion

but I would actually disagree with that.

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“Saying that I think journalists should be careful how they report on these injuries

and the stats behind them because you can’t be vague in these areas you have to be

accurate.”

Vesty also believes that more education on the impact and severity of head injuries

is needed for everyone involved with the game.

“People are becoming more educated about the issue, the RPA (Rugby Players’

Association) has everyone do an online quiz that you have to pass that educates you and

everyone within the rugby club must do that, and I think it would be helpful if you are a

sports journalist to receive the same educating on the issue.

“Raising awareness and educating people is very important and I think the

management of that from the governing bodies is getting better.”

With more and more professional clubs providing media training for academy

players, many people believe that rugby is following a similar route to football in that too

many players say the same scripted material in interviews.

While the rise of social media has often been celebrated as a means of greater social

interaction and debate, issues have arisen through sites such as Twitter where people have

been accused of forms of discrimination such as racism and homophobia through ill-judged

quotes that have been misinterpreted.

This has become a specific issue within professional sport with many sportsmen and

women interacting with fans through social media at a time when clubs are wary of the

impact said quotes may have on the players as well as the club.

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As a player who started out his career during a time when media training was almost

non-existent, I was interested to get Vesty’s thoughts on the practicalities of media training

for young players.

“When I started out as a young player I was surprised we didn’t receive more media

training.

“I just learnt on the job, made a few mistakes but gradually became more savvy and

learnt from those mistakes.

“However the game has changed a lot over the last few years and you see

sometimes in sports such as football, that some people have a vested interest in finding

something bad about certain young players and whilst I still don’t think that is the case in

rugby, I do believe as a coach that a certain amount of media training is necessary for young

players nowadays.”

So with safety in the game a hot topic at the moment, should more be done to tackle

issues such as head injuries?

“I don’t think more needs to be done in terms of safety within the game.

“There has always been a stigma about rugby being a brutal sport, and there are

certain aspects where the game has turned into a bit of touch, but rugby is a physical game

and you need to be able to have contact within the sport.

“I wouldn’t change many of the current laws away from where they are but it does

worry me that the game may get sanitised and not be the game we love to watch.”

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With a number of players being forced to retire early from the game due to injuries,

Vesty also believes that it is important as a coach to encourage young players to have career

options outside of rugby.

“I think it is always important to have options outside of rugby.

“Of all the players that are signed up to professional clubs’ academies, only a few are

likely to make it to the top, so I would encourage any young player to work on what they

want to do when rugby doesn’t go their way because the chances are against you.

“With regards to head injuries specifically, the things that have been implemented

have gone a long way to tackling the issue in a short period of time which will hopefully

mean that those players going through these issues now will be in a good place when they

retire.

“However for the players who have retired and are suffering from the possible

effects of head injuries like Jonathan Thomas, I think more needs to be done.

“The problem with that though is a few years ago nobody could have foreseen the

impact that head injuries may have had on the brain, so I don’t think anyone is to blame.

“There is greater awareness and education now within the game, and thankfully I

believe everyone within the game is moving in the right direction when it comes to player

safety.”

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The Future

Safety within sport has always been something of a divisive topic. The nature of

sport means that those who choose to participate must be aware that there are dangers,

however small. Any sport whether it be rugby or gymnastics, will have potential hazards

that could lead to injuries, yet at both amateur and professional levels safety is the top

priority and is always adhered to.

However a number of extraordinary cases over the last few years have served to

remind the sporting world that safety within sport is something that must be maintained

and advanced upon.

Over the course of two months in 2014, the world of sport was rocked by not one

but two tragic accidents involving elite sportsmen in competition that sadly led to the death

of both sportsmen.

The first incident occurred in October 2014, when an accident at the Japanese

Formula One Grand Prix resulted in French driver Jules Bianchi crashing his Marussia car into

a recovery vehicle, which subsequently saw the Frenchman suffer a “severe” head injury.

The crash was mainly caused by the wet conditions in Suzuka.

As the rain intensified and light faded, Bianchi’s car aquaplaned off at the same spot

where recovery vehicles were attending the Sauber of Adrian Sutil, and collided with the

rear of a tractor crane tending to the removal of Sutil’s car.

The race was immediately called off as an unconscious Bianchi was rushed to

hospital for emergency surgery before being placed into an induced coma.

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Tragically however, Bianchi never regained consciousness following the incident and

died on 17th July 2015, aged 25. He became the first F1 driver to die from injuries sustained

in a Grand Prix since Brazilian triple world champion Ayrton Senna was killed at the San

Marino Grand Prix in 1994.

Just under two months after Bianchi’s crash at Suzuka, the cricket world was rocked

by their own tragedy when Australian batsman Philip Hughes died in hospital, two days after

being struck on the top of the neck by a ball during a domestic match in Sydney.

Hughes – also aged just 25 - collapsed face first on the ground when batting for

South Australia after being hit by a bouncer from Sean Abbott during a Sheffield Shield game

against New South Wales.

The accident occurred despite Hughes wearing a helmet, and after receiving CPR and

mouth-to-mouth resuscitation at the ground; the batsman was rushed to a local hospital

where he had a 90-minute operation to relieve the pressure on his brain.

Despite the operation, Hughes never regained consciousness and died two days

later.

The striking reality in both of these cases was that both incidents were freak

accidents whereby no safety measures were breached.

However with both sports still struggling to come to terms with their losses, more

pressure is being put on governing bodies and manufacturers of sporting equipment to carry

on trying to improve safety within both sports.

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The same could be said for head injuries in rugby union. Whilst knowledge and

awareness on the issue has improved over the last few years to the point where players’

safety is now more assured than ever, that is not to say that there should be a sudden

reduction in the focus given to continuing to fight the stigma of head injuries.

In many ways an issue as sensitive as this could have the capacity to improve

relations between the media and sporting individuals.

With medics, reporters and players often debating over the current safety measures

put in place to protect players from head injuries; many people are giving their honest

assessments and opinions – something that hasn’t always been the case.

As Rugby Union has continued to progress as a professional sport, safety within the

game has continually moved forward to the point where players are now protected as well

as possible with increasing numbers of medics and physios available. With this beginning to

trickle down to all levels of the game, there is no reason why more youngsters should not be

encouraged to take up a sport that is growing so fast in popularity around the world.

However cases like Jonathan Thomas prove that caution is also needed in the future

and with many players like Thomas being forced to retire early from the game, it is

paramount that those involved in the game continue to support these players off the field.

As for the relationship between players and the media, it is clear to see that more

honesty from both parties may be needed in the future. That is not to say – as mentioned

before - that everyone needs to get along in all circumstances, however a little more

understanding about what everyone wants and is looking to gain will go a long way to

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making the whole process of interviewing and reporting, a more positive experience for

everyone involved.

Then and only then will the game continue to flourish and prosper as a global game.

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