Former England star Ben Kay has delivered a stark warning over the future of rugby union, claiming the sport "might not be here in 50 years time" if player safety concerns are not addressed.
Kay, who played second row for England in their historic 2003 Rugby World Cup win, recently took part in a landmark study into brain injuries among rugby players. Hooker Steve Thompson, a teammate of Kay's during that World Cup win, has been diagnosed with early onset dementia.
Speaking in 2020, Thompson claimed that playing rugby left him with permanent brain damage, revealing he has "no recollection of winning the World Cup" and that he wishes he had "never turned professional". And while Kay was given the "all-clear" after his brain scan, the 46-year-old is massively concerned about the future of the sport.
"It is without doubt the biggest concern that rugby faces," he told the Daily Mail. "If mums and dads don't think our game is as safe as it can be, they won't let their little boys and girls go and start playing.
"Rugby will start to suffer and potentially might not be here in 50 years time." And although his scan came back normal, Kay could still have problems in the future.
"When people hear you're going for a brain scan, they're probably slightly more concerned than I was," he added. "I wasn't going into it, thinking: 'Well this scan is do or die'.
"I know that I haven't got any significant problems that need addressing now but I'm also aware that down the line, potentially, there might be something to do with brain ageing that needs to be addressed.
"There's an element of trepidation but I also knew that this isn't a magic [bullet] — 'Oh, we've found that your brain has been affected by playing rugby'. I knew they probably weren't going to be able to give me that answer.
"My motivation is: I know a few people that are struggling — anything we can do to give the scientists and doctors more data so they can find a reason, find a link, then that's great. So although it's nice to get the all-clear from a doctor, we're looking to try and be able to diagnose stuff through testing. Before someone dies."
