Rugby is an England sport that began in the 19th century. Rugby doesn’t need a lot of gear. But the primary equipment includes cleats/boots, rugby jersey/shirt, and rugby shorts. The material used for shorts is thick cotton. However, for safety, some players prefer to wear a scrum cup, mouth guard, shin guards, and thin shoulder pads. Scrum cap is worn to shield the ears. The rugby gear of high quality, good material, reliable, and long-lasting is available at Decathlon Hong kong at competitive prices.
Generally, rugby gear is classified into the following categories:
- Rugby shoes
- Rugby protection gear- Scrum cup, shin guards, shoulder pads, mouth guard, and so on.
- Rugby clothing- Jersey, shorts, etc
- Rugby body protection
- Rugby socks
Rugby is a sport that is a game that can involve lots of force, pressure, and risk of injury. The nature of the sport has some violence integrated with fun and sport. You may encounter hitting, kicking, falling on top of each other, and such other moves involved in this sport. It is, however, not so vigorous as American football. But the severity is sufficient to don protective gear. Earlier rugby players weren’t allowed to wear protective gear, but professionalism during the 1990s led to make it a permissible act. Currently, these players can don a wide range of equipment. Essential gear for a rugby play includes a breathable, good quality, sturdily made jersey, and rugby shorts.
The essential gear in Rugby for protection are:
Mouthguard- Any level of rugby involves getting kicked, punched or elbowed in the area of the mouth and around. A jerk or snap that the head swings back abruptly can be shielded in risking an injury to the mouth or biting down. A tooth loss or tongue bite or a shock that can harm your TMJ- temporomandibular joints of the jaw can be avoided or made minimal with the help of a mouthguard. They can conveniently be avoided by putting on your mouthguard. It does take some time to put one on, but it is worth the associated risk prevention. Gum shields are mouthguards that can save your tooth and gums from the risk of an injury. They range between 39-79 Hongkong dollars. Not to forget, if you bite the player of the opponent team, it can cost a ban time of 2 months.
Benefits
- Minimizes the orofacial injury risk
- Lesser priced and widely available
Head gear
Serious head injuries are hazardous to your living. It can result in a memory loss or even a concussion. It is not as severe as in American Football. However, there is a risk of injury to the head when there’s no appropriate tacking by the player from the opponent team. Headgear also gives you the advantage of locks, preventing cauliflower ear and other issues. Rugby shorts should be of tough and good material. In several matches, the scrums on the player’s head can get squeezed in between the opponent’s shorts resulting in ear abrasion. Helmets or headgear can help in these positions of play.
The headgear is made of breathable material and is light in weight. It helps in the summertime or relatively hot climate to keep you comfortable during the play. This will not tempt the player to remove the helmet or the headgear protection in the play. On average, a decent headgear can cost from 99-169 Hongkong dollars.
Benefits
- Headgear offers a good shield from laceration and bruises.
- It gives wicking from moisture due to play.
Boots/cleats
The rugby boots are ideal for tolerating the wear and tear of the play. The boots can endure different patterns of the game, the load of the player, positional differences, and other aspects.
Benefits
- Shields the players from the foot bruising and impact on soft tissue
- Stud presence offers additional traction and stability.
- Ankle protection and support are high in quality.
A lesser essential rugby protection gear includes:
Protection vests
A rugby player has a lot of pressure placed on the back, shoulder, and also their chest. Pounding, punching, pressing can be experienced during the play. Wearing a protection vest below the rugby jersey can avoid the impact of these actions by the opponent player. A protection vest is a compression shirt. It has light shoulder pads. In high-end models, spinal cord and chest protection is also sewn within the fabric. These are highly armored to the upper half of your body. Wearing a vest can absorb the impact of the play, and wicking is also another advantage of the vest. The vest keeps you off the perspiration. It shields you from skin abrasions. A small downside is that some extra weight is put up with extra gear on the body. However, the benefits surpass the downside of a vest.
Protective Padding
It is efficient in direct impact prevention and contact injury risk. It minimizes the bruising of soft tissues. Under this protective rugby, gear is shoulder pads, shin guards, and so on.
Support braces
These are bracing for wrist, ankles, knees, and elbows. They provide stability and avoid joint displacement during the play. It reduces injury risk. It retains heat within the body and keeps the joint warm. It enhances the circulation and flow of blood during the pain. It minimizes the pain associated with the play.
Benefits
- It is time and cost-efficient
- It supports joints and ligaments
- It offers protection to knee to lateral blow
- Comfortable to wear
The least essential rugby gear is:
Rugby gloves-This gear also has some benefits of wearing them. It gives you a grip to catch the rugby when passed from one player to another. You would certainly not miss the pass or throw. However, the use of gloves is not prominent and is seen rarely. It does give you grip in certain climates such as rain. Full backs, fly-halves, or wings are efficiently played with gloves. Catching passes is more accessible during rain with gloves. It is also useful in cold weather. It not only gives grip but also keeps your hands dry and warm. It is not that expensive as compared to other rugby gear.
Conclusion
Rugby is a high contact game. It is tough and risky in some ways. Rugby usually has a leather scrum and a gum shield as its protective gear. This is because metallic items and hard plastics are restricted in the gameplay. But, currently, there has been other protective gear introduced in the sport such as shin guards, head guards, shoulder pads, mouth guards, and so on. Various Rugby gear Hong kong is available at local stores like Decathlon Hong kong.
