s they must blend that with composure.We know that our discipline was not on par

Sky Sports has spoken to five experts - including Will Greenwood - on the debate surrounding tackling in school rugby.A group of 70 doctors and health experts wrote to the government to urge them to ban tackling in school-level rugby, stating in the letter: A link has been found between repeat concussions and cognitive impairment and an association with depression, memory loss and diminished verbal abilities, as well as longer term problems.The Rugby Football Union said that high quality coaching, officiating, medical support and appropriate player behaviour would help to reduce the risk of injury. The letter has sparked debate in the rugby community, with fans of both codes having their say. We spoke to five experts who are involved in the game to get their opinion.Will Greenwood (Former England centre and Sky Sports pundit)This is a tough debate for me because I can see it from the point of view of the game as a former player, and as a parent I understand the call for the safest possible version of the sport.I am involved with Marlow Rugby Club who stick to the health and safety protocols handed down by the RFU to the absolute letter, with constant reviews of the way things are done. Safety for children is absolutely paramount. The RFU have given player safety a high priority in the organisation, and thats what gives me the confidence that my son is being equipped as best as possible to deal with taking part in a contact sport. Will Greenwood On the other side of the debate, when doing filming for School of Hard Knocks we teach young men how to tackle, and one thing to consider is that these are close to fully-developed adults who have a lot of power at their disposal and theyre learning how to tackle from scratch.Learning to tackle at a later age is potentially dangerous as the margin for error gets smaller with each year a child develops and gets stronger.I am all for the game of rugby investigating these issues. My son is a young rugby player and I want him to grow up playing a sport I love, but with strict safety measures in place to ensure his safety. Will Greenwood urged for safe tackling technique to be upheld With that said, I think there should be full focus on teaching children how to tackle, and ensuring that coaches are constantly asked to show they have an intimate understanding of the importance of tackling technique.The RFU have given player safety a high priority in the organisation, and thats what gives me the confidence that my son is being equipped as best as possible to deal with taking part in a contact sport.Phil Vickery (Former England prop)I think voices should be heard but when I first heard about it on Wednesday morning I was cross more than anything. It is the middle of the Six Nations, the tournament has been great, everyone is enjoying it - how do we get a headline? Bam. Tackling in schools.There is no information or reference to the brilliant work that is being done already. I dont say that with my RFU hat on but there are already things in place to help develop the game and to make it safer - particularly for kids.Rugby is a dangerous sport - I dont think we should ever get away from that. But are we a proactive sport which is always looking to make it safer? Yes we are.Are we standing here burying our heads in the sand pretending everything is great and saying we dont have to work on anything? No we are not.So you stop tackling until you are 18 - what happens then? You have these big athletes who want to start doing contact and have got not technique, no training and no understanding on how to tackle someone. You will have big athletic specimens running at each other with no understanding - that is dangerous!We can always look to do more, we are trying to make rugby as safe as it can be but ultimately it is a contact sport and accidents will happen.Maggie Alphonsi (Former England international) Transitioning into tackling at a late age could be a struggle, says Maggie Alphonsi If this did come into force I think it would really damage rugby union.For a lot of the young people, they get into rugby because of the contact element. Rugby is open to all kids of different shapes and sizes, and if you take away that element and you just focus on touch and non-contact rugby, it might put kids off and it might make it harder for young kids to transition into the sport. Tony Rea and Maggie Alphonsi weigh in on the debate If you start rugby contact at a younger age, kids can develop and they can get conditioned.Their body can get used to the contact so when they get to the older age of 18 years old, theyre fully developed and fully strong for the actual contact itself.Dewi Morris (Sky Sports pundit) The key is to get children tackling properly, says Dewi Morris At the end of the day it is up to the pupils and up to the parents. Rugby is a fantastic sport and it is one of the best team sports in the world and it gives you so much.It gives kids a real sense of self-belief, fitness and a sense of belonging. It is a physical sport and there is a danger when you play a contact sport. However, if it is marshalled properly with well-trained coaches and refs then I dont see a problem with tackling. Sky Sports News HQ reporter Geraint Hughes explains how teachers might change the way rugby is played at their schools The key is getting these kids to tackle properly as proper technique is crucial when you are tackling.My daughter is 12 years old and she plays and absolutely loves it. No one should be forced to play - yes, there are dangers and I understand that injuries do happen but I really hope that we focus on getting our kids to tackle properly rather than banning it outright.Paul Anderson (Huddersfield Giants head coach) Huddersfield Head Coach Paul Anderson thinks that banning tackling in school rugby would badly damage participation I think tackling is a necessity, it is something that has to stay in there. It is one of the two integral parts to our game - one is attacking and the other is defending.To say that you have to stop one of them until you are 18 - well I dont think it has any part in our game. If you get players at 18 who have never tackled - well basically it is a new game. Anderson says tackling is part of what rugby league and rugby union is all about If I told my kids they could not defend well they would laugh at me. Tackling, defending and collisions is what rugby league and rugby union is all about.To take that away until the age of 18, well I am not so sure about that one.Should tackling be banned from schools rugby? Let us know on twitter @SkySportsRugby or give us your comments below.Also See:School rugby tackle ban?Dewi: Two rising starsOwens: Rugby needs grassrootsCheap Nike Shox China . -- James Young couldnt wait to apply those tweaks to his jump shot, and the first one he made against UT Arlington told him it could be a good night. Cheap Nike Shox Online . -- Matt Ryan needed one of the best games of his career to lead the Falcons and their depleted offence out of their three-game losing streak last week. http://www.cheapnikeshox.us/ . LeBron James and Chris Bosh didnt need any more. Williams scored 11 points in 10 minutes, Alan Anderson scored 17 points, and the Brooklyn Nets finished the exhibition season with a 108-87 win over the Miami Heat on Friday night. Cheap Nike Shox For Sale . Vaives lawyer Trevor Whiffen claims the former 50-goal man wasnt provided with a copy of the claim beforehand and that he would not have agreed to the allegations made against the NHL had he been asked to review its contents. Cheap Nike Shox Shoes . With Parker having a quiet game for once, Nicolas Batum and Boris Diaw provided the scoring as France won its first major basketball title by beating Lithuania 80-66 on Sunday. It was a victory that ended a decade of frustration for Parker and a talented French generation, which lost the final against Spain two years ago and took bronze in 2005.South Africa have freshened up their engine room, making two changes to the tight five to face the All Blacks in the Rugby Championship Test in Christchurch.Stormers pair Pieter-Steph du Toit and Vincent Koch will start Saturdays Test while uncapped Lions hooker Malcolm Marx comes onto an overhauled bench.Eighteen-Test lock Du Toit replaces Lood de Jager, who suffered a bruised knee in last weeks 23-17 loss to Australia in Brisbane.Koch, who has joined English champion club Saracens, will play his fifth Test in place of prop Lourens Adriaanse, who drops to the bench and pushes out Trevor Nyakane.A Springboks side seeking to avoid a third straight loss on the road will once again feature six forwards on the reserves bench.The recalled Willem Alberts fills the void left by du Toit while Damian de Allende usurps Lionel Mapoe as outside back cover and Marxs promotion comes at the expense of Bongi Mbonambi.Flanker Francois Louw will play his 50th Test, while it is the 120th cap for Bryan Habana. The most capped winger in history will move to eighth on the list of all Test players.It is otherwise an experienced Springboks starting side, boasting 488 combined caps compared to New Zealands 726.ddddddddddddCoach Allister Coetzee says the fact many of his 23 players havent faced the All Blacks is a cause for excitement this week.However, he says they must blend that with composure.We know that our discipline was not on par against the Wallabies in Brisbane, and we have to show a big improvement on several fronts, he said.Our defence will have to be solid for the full duration of the match, because the All Blacks have the game breakers that will punish you for any defensive lapse.South Africa: Johan Goosen, Bryan Habana, Jesse Kriel, Juan de Jongh, Francois Hougaard, Elton Jantjies, Faf de Klerk, Warren Whiteley, Oupa Mohoje, Francois Louw, Pieter-Steph du Toit, Eben Etzebeth, Vincent Koch, Adriaan Strauss (capt), Tendai Mtawarira. Reserves: Malcolm Marx, Steven Kitshoff, Lourens Adriaanse, Franco Mostert, Willem Alberts, Jaco Kriel, Morne Steyn, Damian de Allende. ' ' '