Odds On Rugby Union Becoming Safe Soon Are Astronomical

Image source: Fanny Schertzer, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Online sportsbook sites in the UK like Bet365 have always offered odds on Rugby Union. It’s a popular sport and people like to bet on it. However, it would seem actually playing the sport is a little more dangerous than we were led to believe. Players risk serious brain injuries and trauma. This has led to the launching of a lawsuit against the sport’s authorities by former players. It may take the legal world a few years to sort that out, but in the meantime, Rugby Union needs to act.

“I can’t remember at all being there.” Steve Thompson helped England win the World Cup but now can’t recall doing so. “Honestly, I don’t know scores from any of the games.” Suffering from early-onset dementia Steve is just a number of former players now suing Rugby. The odds on Rugby Union holding their hands up for the damage they’ve done won’t be worth mentioning. This will take years of patient legal wrangling by lawyers to sort out. The press won’t be so patient.

The press are already damning the sport. The doleful famous faces, the risk to children, the complete lack of aftercare. It all adds up. The players appear betrayed by the sport. The press love that sort of thing. They print it up next to the odds on Rugby Union. Looking for justice. Maybe they’ll find some. You can bet on Rugby Union to put up a fight. Anyone in the UK gambling laws of decency might make the authorities admit culpability is fooling themselves.  

Brain Injuries Blight Former Players 

“I don’t want to kill the game.” Steve Thompson is adamant on the point. “I want it regulated.” He, and many others, feel brain-scans should be mandatory prior to every season for all professional players. Given the number of concussions they get week in week out, that seems sensible. Whether the sport wishes to go to that expense is another matter. They may not have a choice. The odds on Rugby Union doing the right thing only exist at all because of liability now.

“At the end of the day , the players make a choice to play the game. No one is forcing them.”

• Eddie Jones, England Coach

Further lawsuits could be forthcoming. The payouts are potentially massive. To head this off the sport is likely to adopt some placatory safety measures. These are likely to be wholly cosmetic. After all, if you stop all the braindead people playing Rugby Union, who would you have left? So all those who like a bet on sports in the UK at Bet365 that involves egg-chasing need not worry. The odds on Rugby Union games will still crop up online as usual. Nothing is really going to change.

Odds On Rugby Union Available At Bet365

“I think rugby at the moment is leading the way in terms of player safety.” Said Eddie Jones, England team coach. Thompson and his fellow plaintiffs may disagree. Many will see Eddie’s comment as blind to the realities. The sports forces thousands of collisions on its top players who only see the damage after retiring. An England coach failing to see the evidence before his eyes is just a little disappointing. With attitudes like his the odds on Rugby Union changing are just daft.

“They knew what was happening and nothing was done about it.”

• Steve Thompson, Former England Player

Thompson and co. may not wish to kill the sport but perhaps they should. We have no place for something that causes so many fit and able men to become husks of their former selves. Calls to make the sports safe are overly optimistic. Safety will always take a back seat to results. Coaches like Jones will keep driving players on and not care if they end up vegetables later. As you’ll note from the listings on online betting sites in the UK like Bet365, the odds on Rugby Union changing are zero.

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We take a look at how the odds on Rugby Union responding well to the lawsuit brought by former players are extraordinarily high.