HAVING suffered only one bout of concussion in my amateur football days, when the panel pattern of the old Tomlinson T ball was printed on my forehead for a week, I watched the weekend's Six Nations' rugby matches with growing concern.

Gone forever are the days of the jinking Johns, Gibsons, Reas, Duckhams and the rest, replaced by brute and heavyweight force, resulting in greater numbers of serious injuries, particularly to the head.

The time has surely come for rugby's ruling bodies to properly address this worrying trend and if it emerges that radical rule changes are required to reduce these dangers, they should be implemented without quibble. Failure to act risks not only a backlash from parents unwilling to encourage their children to take up the game, but also an increasing danger of paralyses and fatalities.

Duncan Macintyre,

2 Fort Matilda Terrace, Greenock.