how Conrad Smith can help fix rugby’s pressing issues

Conrad Smith and Ma'a Nonu were in Melbourne for the recent Bledisloe Cup match. They were there to watch the match with their former team-mate Tana Umaga. The night before, Nona had wowed a sell-out audience with his account of rugby and life.

As head of welfare for the International Rugby Players, Smith is trying to change the game for better. He is motivated by his desire to represent and be an advocate for players on welfare matters and to address some of the challenges that rugby is currently facing. World Rugby is a representative body of member nations and it takes a long time to implement changes. The game's administrators are cautious and conservative in their approach to player safety. There have been changes with respect to lowering tackle heights, but these haven't always been well accepted. The current law changes are aimed at making the rugby game safer.

Smith explains why rugby is different from other sports. He points to the fact that players are conscious of their safety, but they are only in the game for a short time. Relations between New Zealand Rugby and the players have been very positive. Media in UK has played a bigger role in educating and giving the matter prominence. He also points out that broadcasters often use ‘expert’ commentators who are ill-informed and conflict with the messaging around head injury and player safety. The game has a problem with consistent message and communication. Recently, he has tried to bring broadcasters to table to align them on things that he's trying to achieve.