I'd rather boys played rugby than got fat

When I heard the leading public health academic Professor Allyson Pollock dub rugby “too dangerous” to play in schools, my heart sank a little.

I still remember clearly and with much fondness my playing days at school in Zimbabwe.

I was a scrum half, much shorter and lighter than most of my classmates, and more often than not stuck at the bottom of the scrum.

There were long training sessions, crunching tackles, sore limbs and some bruises, but I don’t really remember it for that.

My memory is of the camaraderie, the elation of scoring a try and the feeling of being totally exhausted …