Shoulder Pads
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Wore headgear once I moved to front row. More to avoid sexy ears and the odd cut. A good mouth guard does more to combat concussion imo. Haven't tried shoulder pads (headgear as a prop was bad enough) but if that helps develop confidence and good technique then all good.
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Never wore a cricket helmet until I got cut open. "Can't see properly through the grill!" but its all different once you're bleeding on the pitch. Needed it after that.
Likewise, started wearing shoulder pads when I returned to contact sport in my 30s, but got rid of it once I had the confidence back. Plus, being a prop, shoulder pads kind of suck.
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Interesting topic this one.
My son is returning to Rugby after taking a year off to try soccer with his school mates. He enjoyed playing rugby until he went from club rugby at Mosman to the GPS competition here in Sydney as he goes to Sydney Boy's High which is a selective school so playing against all the "Private" schools.Basically this means it's nerds v jocks and they always get killed in any sport they play against the private school kids.
After last year playing soccer, he's had enough of that game and has thankfully decided to return to real game... rugby.
I also have returned the last few years to GO's and found that the knocks and bruises were getting a little bit too much so I went with a full integrated rugby pad, like someone described previously, like a skins top but with interated padding.
Where having pads on really helps is to lessen the sharp impacts and I end up with fewer bruises on Monday mornings which I'm very thankful for. And yes, as others have said, there really is a mental "boost" as well knowing there is a little more padding there.
So I also recently got my son a very similar set of integrated pads like those which I play in.
It will be an interesting year as he really shot up the past 12 months and is now much leaner and meaner after concentrating on rowing the past two years. He is now my height at 15, 5'11"/179 cm but to be honest, the kid has never been quick so the backs were never an option... so disappointing for someone who has always been a back and only one time stuck my head into a scrum. As he has always played at hooker/prop but would rather play in the loosies.
So we wanted something that won't be too restrictive and annoying throughout the game.
From watching other players throughout the years, I find nothing more annoying that players constantly "fixing and repositioning" their pads... like cricketers and their boxes.
So I made sure to get a set that was comfortable and would stay in place and that type really works.
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Not about shoulder pads, but headgear, just something that I have observed, has there been any All Blacks that played with headgear? I think Parsons played his cap(s?), Ngatai probably had his on with the Maoris, anyone else?
Is it an All Black thing or does it just happen that no one uses one?
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McCaw said he got way too hot so was always taking it off halfway through the match, so in the end didn't bother. Which is probably the case for a lot of pro players now given the pace of the game.
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@No-Quarter I reckon it would be a convenient excuse for me...Sir I gotta wear the headgear, but it gets hot and slows me down, I am way fitter, honest!
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I tried it for a about 10 minutes one game and discarded it. Felt like my head was cooking. Then again that was in Brisbane. In colder climes it may be different.
But as mentioned, at junior level 95% of kids here use headgear. It's almost as important as a mouth guard.
