Welsh player dies after neck injury

Funkstard

A Neath rugby player has died in hospital after suffering an injury to his neck during a match on 20 April.

Scrum-half Gareth Jones, 28, was hurt at a ruck during a Premier Division game against Cardiff in the Arms Park.

The Pontypridd-born decorator leaves a wife and two children.

"It is with deep regret that Neath Rugby have to announce that scrum-half Gareth Jones passed away peacefully this afternoon," said a club statement.

Jones, who previously played for Glyncoch, Beddau and Pontypridd, made his debut for Neath against Newport in 2006.

He won a league title with the Welsh All Blacks and was also a Konica Minolta Cup winner with Pontypridd.

Medical staff treated Jones on the pitch for around 10 minutes during the Cardiff-Neath match in April and he was then transferred to hospital, where scans revealed a significant injury to his neck.

Jones had been in intensive care at the University Hospital of Wales in Cardiff since the incident, where he underwent surgery for his injuries and medical complications.

A statement on the Neath website said: "Jones's family have requested their privacy is respected at this very sad and difficult time for them all."

Guto Davies from Pontypridd RFC paid tribute to Jones and said: "He was full of energy and that was the way he played his rugby.

"He was a real character who stood out among the squad and that's what made him so popular with the supporters."

The Welsh Rugby Union cleared Cardiff centre Darren Ryan of reckless play after he was cited over the incident in which Jones was injured.




Absolutely tragic. I've heard of players being paralysed after match injuries, but never dying as a result. RIP.

Amz

That's terribly sad. Sympathies to his family and friends especially.

dc69

RIP

Crash

Aye, deepest sympathies to family and friends. As well to the opposing player, something like that must be unbelievably hard.

dc69

crash_000 wrote: »

Aye, deepest sympathies to family and friends. As well to the opposing player, something like that must be unbelievably hard.

I read on a welsh site that among some there is a suspicion of fowl play.

Crash

I've looked at a couple and while one or two posters have made such a comment, I really do believe it is neither the time nor the place. As such any threads like this should really be kept for condolences.

Amz

Agree 100%

nacho libre

:(
RIP

suppafly

really tragic. hope his family is taken care of well

AlphaMale 3OO

RIP

Nukem

Damn, hate to see that. Heart goes out to the family.

Starting to get worried lately, been back in the rugby fold two years and seen two guys in traction braces due to broken necks and one guy last year , 2 hours getting medical attention from a collapsed scrum. Thank god all relatively ok, but highlights the need for vigilance.

RIP

[Jackass]

Wow...that's terrible. Condolences to the family, it's really tragic. RIP

Gelio

Very sad

RIP

Eoin

Nukem wrote: »

Damn, hate to see that. Heart goes out to the family.

Starting to get worried lately, been back in the rugby fold two years and seen two guys in traction braces due to broken necks and one guy last year , 2 hours getting medical attention from a collapsed scrum. Thank god all relatively ok, but highlights the need for vigilance.

RIP

Very sad story, and probably quite close to home for a lot of us who have either seen someone been carted off on a spinal board, or have been themselves.

Amz

Unfortunately sometimes referees aren't as vigilant as they should be, or could be at scrum time.

Eoin

Amz wrote: »

Unfortunately sometimes referees aren't as vigilant as they should be, or could be at scrum time.

I agree with you 100% , but the problem is that it's an incredibly hard thing to referee as you really need to have played in the front row to have an appreciation of what's going on.

I initially didn't like the J2 and under scrummaging rules, primarily because I was playing in between J2 and J1 for a few seasons, so could go from pretty much uncontested scrums one week to full on scrummaging the next. Not that easy if you've not played a game with proper scrums in a few weeks.

However, after having played many matches at different levels of Junior rugby (J1 to j4) and seeing the amount of mis-matches in the front row, it's probably a good thing.

There was one time about 8 years ago where our scrum was absolutely destroyed. We went back so often we should have had the beeping that lorries have when reversing. I was hooker and ended up being pushed backwards over my second row. I still remember the feeling nearly 10 years on that I was seconds away from breaking my neck.

Amz

I've only played back row in the scrum, second row once or twice in tens matches, but you're right, there's no way someone who hasn't played front row can have any concept. The fact is, unfortunately, that you don't get many former front rows refereeing.

The only really serious incidenct I saw was this past season where one of our props was unconscious with serious neck and shoulder injury after collapsed scrum because the ref. hadn't been paying attention to the side of the scrum where there had been issues, which eventually resulted in the collapse.

Eoin

Amz wrote: »

I've only played back row in the scrum, second row once or twice in tens matches, but you're right, there's no way someone who hasn't played front row can have any concept. The fact is, unfortunately, that you don't get many former front rows refereeing.

Too true - many of us front-rowers don't make it around the pitch during our career, let alone after it!

I remember being penalised for breaking my bind by a linesman a few years ago, but in fact the tight head was pulling my arm down. A few minutes later, the linesman casually asked me just before a lineout if the other prop was supposed to be doing that to me.

Amz wrote: »

The only really serious incidenct I saw was this past season where one of our props was unconscious with serious neck and shoulder injury after collapsed scrum because the ref. hadn't been paying attention to the side of the scrum where there had been issues, which eventually resulted in the collapse.

It's a sickening sight to see someone in that condition.

Amz

I got really upset, it freaked me out how easil it happened. The girl she was propping against was one of her mates too, she was very shaken. The game was stopped for about half an hour, it was cup semi-final. We ended up finishing the game after she went in the ambulance, but nobody's head/heart was in it. We ended up losing, but the main thing was that she was ok after a night in hospital and lots of rest and physio.

I did my level 1 coaching course at the weekend there, was crazy the amount of backs there who had been coaching full scrums who didn't know some of the stuff about binding and basic safety in the scrum.

Eoin

Amz wrote: »

I got really upset, it freaked me out how easil it happened. The girl she was propping against was one of her mates too, she was very shaken. The game was stopped for about half an hour, it was cup semi-final. We ended up finishing the game after she went in the ambulance, but nobody's head/heart was in it. We ended up losing, but the main thing was that she was ok after a night in hospital and lots of rest and physio.

That wasn't a game in Old Belvedere about 6 years ago, by any chance?

Amz

Nah, was this year out in St. Mary's.

Eoin

Amz wrote: »

Nah, was this year out in St. Mary's.

Should have read your post properly.

All this talk about scums, and it happened to a scrum-half at a ruck...

toomevara

eoin_s wrote: »

Should have read your post properly.

All this talk about scums, and it happened to a scrum-half at a ruck...

Most serious injuries in rugby are sustained in the ruck/tackle...v few as a result of scrums.

Amz

Well I'd suspect it's because you're not always prepared for the level of impact that you can sustain at ruck/tackle, plus you can land awkwardly, and with bodies piling everywhere it's easy happen. There's times you're under a pile up and you're just waiting for something nasty to happen.

anonymous_joe

Look at Cipriani recently. Wasn't his leg damaged after a ruck?

Sangre

And on Saturday, 20-year-old Argentine wing Juan Cruz Migliore also died after suffering a broken neck when a maul collapsed on him. Surely such an injury highlights the dangers involved in collapsing mauls, and yet the IRB are happy to introduce the ELVs which allow mauls to be collapsed. It just doesn't add up.

Riders in the Tour de France were eventually forced to wear helmets, but not until several riders had died from head injuries - most famously Fabio Casartelli who died in 1995 after a crash in the race. Let us pray that it does not take the same wake-up call in rugby before those in power reassess the laws coming into play next season.

http://planet-rugby.com/Story/0,18259,3551_3726694,00.html


Pretty tragic stuff.

Amz

I think that'll be a huge danger in collapsing mauls, most especially for the person trying to collapse it.

Pinetree Boy

Played in the front row for 25 years and never saw a serious injury at scrum time. A lot of it is coaching. I have coached upto under 21 level and been astounded at times how little some props know of the art. Seems as though they rely on simply being big.

I don't know about Ireland but in NZ we have had depowered scrums at junior levels which I think is wrong. When guys are young and flexible (pre- teenage growth spurts) it is the time to teach them how to scrum and particularly engage properly and safely (head up bum down). Most of the basic technique I learned was around ages 10 to 13.