Rugby is often painted as a rather violent sport, a game from which players routinely emerge with chipped teeth, broken bones, and severe concussions. But it’s not all that bad; rugby will always be a gentleman’s game at heart, and many people argue that it’s far less dangerous than, say, American football. Besides, this is a sport that we teach our children to play in school, so it’s not exactly rollerball.

Still, injuries do happen – our paramedics are all too aware of that – and if you don’t take certain precautions before a rugby match, they’re all the more likely to occur. Here are four ways for you to minimise the chance of a casualty:

1. Warm Up Properly
   It’s important to engage in a thorough warm-up before any form of exercise, but it’s particularly crucial before playing rugby. If you’re preparing for a full match, you’ll probably want to spend a solid thirty minutes on the warm-up; be sure to do lots of stretching and pay particular attention to your back muscles, as these will be under a lot of stress during the match.
2. Wear Protection
   Here’s a quick checklist of what you ought to be wearing when you play rugby: a gum shield (to prevent tooth damage and protect against concussion), a scrum cap (to protect your head and ears), shoulder pads (to protect your shoulders, obviously). Don’t let anyone tell you that you’re soft for taking precautions like these!  
3. Play by the Rules
   The rules are designed to prevent casualties, so make sure you stick to them! Proper rugby tackles are far less conducive to injury than illegal shoulder charges and spear tackles (you may remember that Bradley Davies was suspended for committing the latter offence in a 6 Nations game a couple of years back). There’s a reason why they call it ‘dangerous play’.  
4. Stop if you Get Hurt
   A proper game of rugby is bound to leave you feeling a little sore, but it’s important to know when you’re genuinely hurt. It’s one thing to play on with a bloody nose, but if you sustain a head injury – especially one which leaves you dazed or unconscious, even momentarily – it’s time to call it quits. Playing on when you could be concussed may well lead to more serious injuries, so don’t risk it!

The RBS Six Nations Championship starts this weekend, and the first fixture of the 2014 tournament will be taking place right here in Cardiff. The Welsh rugby team will face Italy at the Millennium Stadium on Saturday, and once again, the Lubas Medical team will be right there with them!

Now, don’t get us wrong – we’re colossal rugby fans here at Lubas, but as with any full-contact sport, it’s awfully easy for players to get injured out there on the pitch. And that’s where we come in; four of our expert paramedics will be pitch-side at every Welsh home game throughout the competition. If one of the boys in red should happen to sustain a traumatic injury, we’ll be there to make sure it’s not too serious.

So here are the games we’ll be there for:

• Saturday 1 February
  Wales vs. Italy
  (ko 14:30)
• Friday 21 February
  Wales vs. France
  (ko 20:00)
• Saturday 15 March
  Wales vs. Scotland
  (ko 14:45)

Obviously, we’re hoping to witness a trio of emphatic victories for the dragons – fingers crossed, eh?

Lubas Medical's role in rugby matches

The Welsh Rugby Union employs its own medical team to administer general first aid, and while we do assist them in several capacities, we’re mainly there to deal with more serious injuries. If something gets fractured, or if a player gets knocked unconscious, that’s when we rush onto the pitch. We also handle neck injuries, which can, of course, be life-threatening without quick and proper treatment.

In the event of a casualty, we administer immediate treatment on the pitch as necessary before carrying the player to the Millennium Stadium’s medical room. Here, we carry out a proper assessment of their injury, and if needs be, we’ll send them to A&E in one of the onsite ambulances.

So that’s what we’ll be doing over the coming weeks. We hopefully won’t have to do it too often, but whatever happens, we hope that the Welsh players feel a little safer with the Lubas paramedics waiting in the wings!