How many deaths have there been playing rugby?

In the 110 years that rugby has been played, there has been only 71 recorded deaths in the sport. These were mostly from broken necks during collapsed scrums, and from hard head collisions causing concussions or alot worse. A tragic incident in Australia saw a 16 year old boy collide with a goal post after a tackle and die in hospital from a brain concussion.

Most injuries occur because of the mix-match of fitness levels and sizes of players on the teams.

Although rugby union is a dangerous sport, the risk of death is extremely low. This is due to better coaching standards and practising certain safety techniques. Of course, padding and protection have played a huge part in lowering the risk of injury and state of the art medical facilities around the world have healed even the most serious inuries.

So, in conclusion:

Wear pads, attend training frequently and stop telling yourself that you could die from a wee tackle. Even the ladies can take a hit better than some men! :D