FORMER Super League and NRL star George Burgess has taken up a violent new sport.
RUNIT is the latest craze being undertaken in the southern hemisphere, with two competitors charging at each other at high speed on a 20-metre-long runway.
One player holds a rugby ball while the other attempts to tackle the runner, with the result as you would expect from such a high-speed collision.
And Burgess was a special guest at the first-ever RUNIT Championship League last week, with eight competitors battling it out for AUS$20,000 (£9,500).
The 33-year-old, who had spells with South Sydney Rabbitohs and St George Illawarra Dragons in the NRL as well as Bradford Bulls and Wigan Warriors in Super League, went up against Leicester Tigers legend Nemani Nadolo – and won.
RUNIT’s rules state that “victory belongs to the one who dominates the collision”.
But, it’s fair to say that the new sport has not been welcomed by those in science, with neuroscientist Dr Helen Murray telling the New Zealand Herald: “From a CTE standpoint, we know that exposure to repeated head acceleration events is the biggest risk factor for CTE pathology.
“Therefore, finding ways to reduce these impacts in contact sports is a priority for player safety.
“It appears there is no attempt to mitigate head acceleration events in this activity.
“The risk of significant injury is high, given the intent to collide, so I do not support it.”
RUNIT plans to hold an event in New Zealand next month before it hopes to expand into the UK, USA and Saudi Arabia later in the year.
