What extra is needed before a younger player plays up in the front row?

SA Rugby treats the front row, especially hooker, as the highest-risk position for catastrophic neck injury. A younger high-school player may not train or play in a higher age group at loosehead, hooker or tighthead until Schedules A and B (and Schedule C where it applies) have been accepted by the provincial union.

Schedule B asks the World Rugby Level 2 coach, with the player and parents, about:

• front-row playing history over the last two seasons, and whether the player missed games with a significant head, neck or spine injury
• specialised front-row coaching and conditioning over the last two years
• strength and conditioning (more than twice a week), neck strengthening (more than twice a week), a pre-season programme of more than a month, plus weight, height and bench-press 1RM

Schedule C applies where the player did not play in the front row last year, did not play a full season there, or lacks specialised front-row coaching or conditioning in the last two years. The coach must confirm that, in the 8 weeks before, the player has done position-specific neck strengthening, progressive live scrum training (e.g. 1v1 up to 8v8) and scrum-specific conditioning.

Apart from the answers that send a player to Schedule C, any "No" on Schedule B, or a "Yes" to missing games with a significant head, neck or spine injury, means the player should not be cleared. On Schedule C, any "No" means the same.