French Neurosurgeon Calls Rugby 'A Combat Sport' After Player Death

French neurosurgeon Jean Chazal suggested rugby should change its rules to avoid more fatalities.GETTY IMAGES

A French neurosurgeon said that rugby has become "a combat sport" with too many deaths and "must follow the lead of codes and change its rules and training practices to avoid more fatalities," according to STUFF. Jean Chazal "urged rugby authorities to act" after 21-year-old Pro D2 side Aurillac player Louis Fajfrowski died last Friday in the dressing sheds "after being injured in a tackle" in a preseason match. Chazal said, "Should we wait for a death on the [pitch] to really take the necessary measures?" Chazal also said that there had been deaths in New Zealand and South Africa as well as France, where a young player from the Billom club was found dead in his bed in May "a day after hurting himself while making a tackle in an amateur club game" (STUFF, 8/13).