Thousand Hills Rugby Football Club has revealed that the reason they pulled out of the national rugby league was the lack of medical emergency equipment and facilities at games. The Gatenga-based rugby side, who led the first round of the league table standings, announced their withdrawal from the championship last month before the kick off the second round. The immediate league game they had before pulling out was against Kigali Sharks Rugby club. The club says that in such a serious game, players can get seriously injured since rugby is a contact sport. The club requested the national rugby federation (RRF) to ensure that a medical ambulance and doctor are present in case of emergency, which was not met. “The federation should do something because most of the players get injured and risk their careers because there is no medical emergency unit at matches. RRF should avail an ambulance and a doctor well ahead of the games,” Hills vice president, Serge Shema, said in an exclusive interview with Sunday Sport on Saturday. According to rugby experts, as many as 1 in 4 rugby players get injured during a season; on average each player performs 20-40 tackles per match. Almost 25 percent of injuries occur when there is a mismatch in experience between the two opposing front rows. It is also said that in the scrum, the locks are at greatest risk of facial cuts and cauliflower ear (external deformity to the ear caused by repeated blows). Hookers and flankers sustain the most injuries, and experts believe that having a medical unit around is very crucial. When repeatedly contacted yesterday, RRF officials were unreachable for a comment. Meanwhile, the second national rugby league semi-final between Kigali Sharks vs Puma Kamonyi will be played this afternoon at Utexrwa ground. The winner between the two sides will meet Resilience Rugby Club in the final later this month. editorial@newtimes.co.rw
