"Is rugby worth risking my life?" - Injured Rugby Student Luke Fitzsimons

An Ulster Rugby Student has been forced to quit rugby due to the strong contact game
putting a risk to his life.

University Student, Luke Fitzsimons suffered from life-threatening injuries, including a
ruptured lumbar spine and a fractured skull while playing the contact sport last year.

Luke had been playing a game as part of Ulster’s Development Team when he collapsed
in a scrum and was rushed to hospital where he was advised to never play rugby again.

“I had to start asking myself, ‘Is rugby worth risking my life?” said Luke who has been
playing rugby for over eight years.

“Rugby was honestly my life but I knew it was dangerous if I didn’t take a break - my
friends and family were all so concerned about me.

“The injury on my skull thankfully didn’t give me severe brain damage but I did suffer
from major migraines and memory loss which I feel really affected my performance in
my A Level exams,” he said.

Luke is just one of many rugby players who have suffered from a brain injury while
playing the game in the past year.

The recent annual injury audit for rugby has leading concussion experts like Dr Willie
Stewart saying the rates of concussion in the professional game are "unacceptably high.”

The audit goes on to state that more than one-third of rugby injuries were sustained
through just training and this statistic has many calling into question the safety of the
game.

Premiership Rugby says the new data has uncovered "significant challenges" for player
welfare and rugby chiefs have declared a new eight point plan including a review of laws
in an attempt to make the game safer.

Other points in the plan include an increase in workshops and conditioning training over
summer so there is greater understanding of the risks and danger of rugby as well as an
increased funding into research covering artificial grass pitch risks.

Players who sustain injuries during the season not only suffer from the physical impacts
of their injury but the mental effects too.

Pictogram created by me shows 1 in 4 players will be injured during a season

“Suddenly having to stop training and playing a sport that I had relied on for most of my
life really affected my mentality,” said Luke who has been on the bench for over half a
year.

“The loss of routine and not being surrounded by my coach and teammates everyday
really hit me harder than I would’ve expected.

“I began to suffer from depression and anxiety as I started to gain quite a bit of weight
and I felt like the one thing I was good at in my life had been taken away,” said Luke.

Despite the negative impact Luke’s injuries have had on him, he claims rugby has still
shaped his life for the better and is now studying as a strength and conditioning coach at
St Mary’s University, London.

“I believe rugby has taught me respect as well as making me disciplined, dedicated but like
all sports, it does have its risks.

“After I’ve graduated I hope to work in the rugby area and bring my knowledge and
experiences to new players to teach them how to cope with injuries and rehabilitation,”
said Luke.