Rugby fans like to say it’s a rogue sport played by gentlemen, but sometimes the sport can be very dangerous. Like American football, contact between players is very frequent and the damage to them can prove irreversible. We no longer count the old glories in retirement suffering from dementia and other problems caused by the many shocks received at the level of the head. Some still young players even decided to quit before things got too serious, but the subject is still taboo in rugby.
However, the testimony of Joe Marler, a true star of his sport, will perhaps change mentalities. Interviewed on the TalkSport program, the English pillar, who has 72 caps with England, gave a disturbing testimony to say the least. “To be honest, I’ve always been like an ostrich because all of this scares me”he says in the preamble, before talking more specifically about the problems he has experienced: “I remember suffering a concussion a few seasons ago. I took a big hit trying to tackle Billy Vunipola. the only thing I remember is finding myself in a room and seeing the physio enter”.
Joe Marler no longer remembers the existence of his children and panics
In a position where frontal shocks are very frequent, Joe Marler is constantly asked to go into impact with opposing players and the many blows he received ended up causing a lot of damage… While the trainer asks if his wife and children were present at the time of his concussion, the British prop has a blank. “I took a break and I broke down. I had no memory of having children and it really scared me”he blurts out.
A testimony that sends shivers down the spine and further confirms the dangerousness of repeated impacts among rugby players. Joe Marler then confessed to having participated in a match when he was hit by a concussion. “Do you want to continue to be there for the children, or not? Do you want to be there for me, or not?”he then retorted his wife after the match.
If all is going well for Joe Marler today, the rugby player knows that one too many bad shots could well be fatal to him and he continues to play with this sword of Damocles above his head.