The national rugby safety programme has certified 208 BokSmart Trainers and concluded Trainer workshops at the Western Province, Leopards, Griffons, Pumas, Free State, Kwazulu Natal, Eastern Province, Valke, SWD, Boland and Griquas rugby unions. In November the trainers will conduct BokSmart Trainer workshops with the
Blue Bulls, Golden Lions and Border Rugby Unions. More than 700 coaches, referees and development officers have now been trained on the BokSmart programme.
BokSmart, sponsored by Absa, aims to reduce the number of serious and catastrophic head, neck and spinal injuries associated with the game.
“All the unions trained thus far on presenting the BokSmart programme have unanimously bought into what BokSmart is trying to do, and that is to make the game safer for all involved,” said SA Rugby’s BokSmart Project Manager, Dr Wayne Viljoen.
“This includes applying the injury prevention and injury management initiatives provided on the programme, changing the way people conduct themselves both on and alongside the field, and teaching the universal technical safety principles of the game to all players at all levels. By end of November, all 14 Provincial Unions will have the capacity and sufficient BokSmart Trainers to provide BokSmart workshops.”
BokSmart also provides a short rugby first-aid course presented by EMT (Emergency Medical Training) for disadvantaged and rural communities who have no medical support or equipment available at home games.
This course enables them to identify serious and/or catastrophic head, neck or spine injury, and understand what to do in the case of such an incident.
BokSmart Spineline, (0800 678 678), their toll-free emergency help-line, links to ER24 to accelerate emergency treatment and management of serious injuries.
