The risk of severe head injury in rugby union means it has become a form of child abuse and should be banned among Under-18s, according to a new report by British academics.
The sport has just celebrated its bicentenary, with folklore proclaiming the game started when William Webb Ellis ran with a football at Rugby School, central England, in 1823.
But researchers argue children should no longer participate in sports such as rugby, where there is a risk of head contact, or boxing where blows to the skull are allowed.