Trouble ahead, warns O’Connell

Munster’s Paul O’Connell has warned that an increased emphasis on building muscle mass in professional sport will lead to more serious injuries on the pitch and, in some cases, court prosecutions.

O’Connell was addressing a UL seminar on Violence and Aggression in Sport. The Munster, Ireland and Lions player said while he did not believe there is a problem at present, he could foresee problems down the road.

“The conditioning and weight training being undertaken by professional rugby players now may lead to situations that even while playing within the rules of the game, players can be injured more easily,” he said.

“It’s generally not a problem because guys don’t do damage. But now with training and weights, guys are becoming more and more powerful and someday someone’s going to do damage with a punch and the law may have to be involved.”

Professor Anderson of Queens University Belfast said the appeal of contact sports for spectators and players alike lies in the controlled aggression and physicality of the playing field.

“When a player oversteps the mark, the tendency has been for the players to sort it out themselves on the field with the mantra being ‘what happens on the field stays on the field’,” he said.

“And yet no area of society, not even sport, can operate outside the law. Players must be aware that acting in violent manner which is clearly outside the rules and spirit of the game, may make them liable to legal action and even criminal liability. An assault is an assault whether it occurs on the street, in the family home or on the sports field.”