ALBUQUERQUE: Researchers say they have been unable to find any definitive links between rugby and long-term physical and psychological health problems in former players.
The study conducted by New Zealand’s Auckland University of Technology, funded by governing body World Rugby and supported by New Zealand Rugby, took place between October 2012 and March 2015, and involved 131 retired elite rugby players, 281 retired amateur community rugby players and 73 retired non-contact sports players.
Researchers assessed the general and cognitive health of participants from New Zealand who played rugby at a professional or community level from the 1980s until the 2000s and compared results to age-matched control groups…