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Serious concerns have been raised over the safety of youth rugby training in Scotland following recent spine injury accidents.
Scottish Government officials are investigating the numbers of youths injured and the Queen Elizabeth National Spinal Injuries Unit in Glasgow have formed an expert analysis group.
Since the beginning of 2007, five people, four of them teenagers, have required care in the national spinal unit after badly damaging their spines in rugby accidents. This appears to be an increase on the average spinal injury statistics over recent years.
Two patients have suffered total paralysis from the injury site down and have little movement in their hands or legs.
Mr David Allan, director of the unit, believes that young rugby players who are required to compete against other athletes of differing age, weight or ability may be put at increased risk of sports accident.
Mr Allan said, "The injuries sometimes happen when people are playing outside their age group or experience because we do not have the number of players. An elite 15-year-old playing against a poor 18-year-old might be at a disadvantage."
The governing body for the sport, the Scottish Rugby Union, is said to be co-operating with the research as part of the International Rugby Board's "Rugby Ready" initiative.
A Scottish Government spokesman said of the spine injury research, "While the Scottish Government is fully supportive of school rugby, it's very important we have accurate data about injuries sustained on the pitch to ensure that young people are not being exposed to disproportionate risks."
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