Can a reason for the succession of injuries be pinned or is the reality more abstract?
rugby league reporter Matt Newsum thinks it is a combination of factors.
“Firstly, ruck speeds have been sped up by a more thorough policing of infringements, and the reward for those teams quite often is a set restart – more commonly known as a six-again – rather than the old penalty and break in play,” Newsum said.
“Teams that have been ‘pinged’ can feel like they’ve been set on a treadmill someone has jammed into reverse, while someone whacks them with a baseball bat intermittently.
“It’s repeat efforts on top of repeat efforts, and because it is so new, it has been difficult for teams to fine tune conditioning for it. The ball in play time is soaring, anecdotally it feels like far fewer scrums, and those other little moments of rest and recovery have already been lessened by shot clocks.”
Factor in an incredibly rainy winter, with some pitches struggling with the deluge, and you have a perfect storm.
“Some of the shared football stadiums and even bespoke rugby league grounds have specialised drainage systems which can alleviate some of those issues but even the best of them have struggled,” Newsum added.
“Heavy pitches take their toll, sapping players who already feeling their way into the new season and the return to this most physical of contact sports.
“The science behind the injuries is possibly not yet complete, but these two factors – a quicker game and heavy surfaces – could be extenuating circumstances in the glut of players breaking down.”
This article is the latest from Sport’s Ask Me Anything team.
