Rugby Union: The truth that really hurts

Few sights in my rugby career have made such a chilling impact on me as seeing the incident in which the Welsh captain Gwyn Jones injured his spine while playing for Cardiff against Swansea last weekend. Since he moved to Cardiff two years ago, Gwyn and I have been great drinking buddies and he was a staunch support through my family's heartache earlier in the year.

Now, I'm visiting his bedside regularly and although he is remarkably cheerful he is suffering real anxiety deep down. We know he will never play again but the full extent of the damage is still not known. One thing is certain - everyone in the game has had a sudden and shocking reminder that beneath all the rows and controversies of officialdom lies the truth that the players are the ones at the sharp end and their welfare deserves a little more attention.

I'm not blaming rugby for what happened. It was an unfortunate accident. In fact, the number of neck injuries in scrums has fallen since they changed the scrummaging laws. But those laws don't protect the rucks and mauls where new rules have been brought in recently which, I believe, made a contribution to Gwyn's injury.

The new rules require a player to stay on his feet while trying to win a ball. Gwyn was a very intelligent player and part of what made him such a great flanker was his ability to pluck a ball out of a ruck as it formed. Cardiff won the particular ruck involved because Gwyn was first there to pick it out, but it was a costly success. Since he had to stay on his feet to perform his work, his body was bent over while he was collecting the ball and at that moment the following-up forwards of each side hit him from front and back.

It was a freak, a split-second occurrence, but it still makes you wonder how it doesn't happen more often. The game will be failing in its duty if it doesn't give full priority to examining the rules to see if they if they can make rucking a little safer. But there is a limit on the safety you can guarantee in a game of such fierce physical contact.

The introduction of more protection, such as helmets, has been suggested. But helmets don't keep neck injuries out of American football and there is the extra danger that wearing a helmet persuades players to take greater risks than normal.

The other worrying aspect is insurance. I'm not sure how Gwyn is fixed but I do know that this is a worryingly grey area in rugby at the moment. Cardiff asked me to come out of retirement for a couple of second-string games earlier in the season. I was quite happy to play but I had the sense to check if I would be insured. Not being a regular squad member, I wasn't - so I quickly declined.

I should imagine that players at all levels have been checking up on their insurance situations during the past week. The figures I've been hearing about don't mean much when a disability-threatening injury is involved. When you consider how much money has been swilling around since the game went professional it seems a scandal that such an important matter has not been rigidly governed.

When all the arguments are over, it'll be up to the players to make rugby viable. Gwyn Jones is in very good hands and we all hope and pray for his complete recovery. What he is going through is an awful reminder about who is really bearing the brunt of the new world.