10:14am, 27 September 2017

After fresh calls in the UK this week for tackling to banned in the age grade rugby, an unlikely hero has come to the defense of rugby.

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Serial alarmist Professor Allyson Pollock has argued continually over the last number of years to remove tackling from rugby due what she perceives as the undue dangers there-in.

However controversial British broadcaster and media figure Piers Morgan has lept to the defence of the game , on morning television no less.

Supported by Maggie Alphonsi, former England rugby player, Morgan challenges her calls for the ban.

Other figures have pointed out the gapping holes in Professor Pollock’s arguments.

They will want to ban walking to school next. And only rubber pens and pencils to be used in class. What is the world coming too. https://t.co/CYMmk6WSgt — Nigel Owens MBE (@Nigelrefowens) September 26, 2017

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In a statement this week World Rugby have said of Prof Pollock: “The continual claims made by Pollock are not based on like-for-like injury statistics and her extreme and alarmist conclusions are simply not supported by the data. It is well documented that, for most sports, injury rates increase with age, but the quoted research mixes 9-12 with 18-20 age groups.”