Should you let your child play rugby?

(From The Northern Echo)

After England's World Cup win, lots of children will want to emulate their heroes by joining rugby teams. But just how dangerous is the sport, asks NELL RAVEN?

AFTER England's victory in the Rugby World Cup, many experts are forecasting an explosion in the game's popularity.

Children, in particular, are likely to want to emulate the heroics of players like Jonny Wilkinson, who decided the final with a crucial drop-goal seconds before the end of the match.

Nigel Dudding, coach of Henley rugby club, says: ''In the past, rugby has tended to be a private school game.

There was a fall in the number of state schools playing rugby, especially during the teacher disputes of the 1980s. But the World Cup win could be the catalyst we need to get kids from different social backgrounds playing rugby.'' For any child thinking of taking up rugby, the sport has much to offer.

Terry Burwell, the Rugby Football Union's community rugby director, says: ''Obesity is costing …