Rugby joins ranks of the politically correct with "no winners" rules for children

“In sport there are winners and losers. As long as you don’t demean the loser,

it’s straightforward.”

Mini-rugby was developed in the 1970s to encourage children to take up the

sport. They tend to play on smaller pitches, in smaller teams and with

smaller balls.

The rules vary depending on the age group, but have always been scaled back to

make it less physical than the adult game. However, the new changes being

introduced in Surrey have led to accusations that children are being

mollycoddled.

Chris McGovern, chairman of the Campaign for Real Education, said: “This is a

depressing confirmation of the stranglehold these misguided ideas have on

our education system in the broadest sense, and it will betray generations

of children.

“This is not in the interests of children. It will rob them of motivation and

incentive, and does not prepare them for the real world.

“If you talk to five- or 10-year-olds they like competitive sport because

children are naturally competitive.”

Mr McGovern, a retired head teacher who coached sport for 35 years added:

“Rugby is a competitive sport by definition, otherwise it isn’t rugby it is

just exercise.

“Children can learn from failure and they have to lose sometimes. These new

rugby rules are misplaced and out-of-date, because in the 21st century our

children have to compete in a global market.”

Surrey Rugby refused to discuss the new policy and referred all inquiries to

the RFU.

Steve Grainger, the RFU’s development director, said: “It’s a fine line – when

you allow the experience to be driven by what the adults want rather than

what the kids want.

“If we are not meeting children’s needs and not presenting them with a format

that suits them, we are not delivering to our customers.”

The governing body is keen to increase the sport’s popularity on the back of

next year’s Rugby World Cup, which England is hosting.

Prominent internationals who came up through the mini rugby system include

Jeremy Guscott, Jeff Probyn and Ben Clarke.

Article source: http://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/rugby/international/8766951/Wade-Kvesic-get-England-debuts-vs-Pumas

Rugby joins ranks of the politically correct with "no winners" rules for children