2023 marked the 200th anniversary of the game of rugby football and a lot has changed in the game since that time.
Ahead of this year’s ever popular Autumn Internationals, St Paul’s Glenn Harrison (Undermaster and former Director of Sport) will share some of the research from his recent sabbatical with the RFU and his brainchild the ‘3rd Game’, for a safer version of rugby. He will give more details of groundbreaking trials and this innovative new model of playing rugby. Glenn will be joined by former professional rugby player and co-founder of Luca Health, Nick Greenhalgh, and award-winning author and former journalist Sam Peters, and between them will discuss on the prestigious sport and the added measures to improve player safety.
Glenn Harrison joined St Paul’s School in 1995 after studying at Cambridge, where he gained a Blue in Rugby. He began at St Paul’s Prep School, which allowed him to play professional rugby for Harlequins, before moving to the senior school in 1999. At that point, he left his playing career to focus on overseeing rugby at St Paul’s Senior School. After serving as Director of Rugby and Director of Sport, he continued coaching rugby, cricket, football and PE, while also taking on pastoral responsibilities as 5th Form Undermaster and, more recently, Harrison House Housemaster. During his recent sabbatical, he worked with the RFU to develop a new version of the game, designed to enhance skills and reduce collisions, making it safer and more enjoyable for younger age groups. Following the success of the ‘3rd Game’, some of the pilot’s laws are now being considered for adoption in age-group rugby more widely.
Nick Greenhalgh is a former professional rugby player who had to retire aged just 20 because of injury. Following 6 years at a startup and then after completing an MBA at Oxford University, he co-founded Luca Health, with the simple but ambitious mission of making “sport safer, for all”. Nick’s a huge believer in the power of sport to inspire, to unite and to change lives. For that to remain true, it must retain grassroots participation, and that depends on closing the welfare gap with pro sport. Sport is now operating in a high scrutiny, high awareness environment, especially with regard to head injuries.
Schools arguably feel this pressure more than most due to worried parents and because of a potential lack of specialist provision. Luca’s innovative concussion management solution alleviates these fears by combining a best in class medical service with cutting edge technology to keep pupils safe and stakeholders informed.
Sam Peters (OP 1991-96) is an award-winning author and former journalist who spearheaded the Mail on Sunday’s acclaimed concussion in rugby campaign. In 2023 Sam authored ‘Concussed; Sport’s Uncomfortable Truth’, recounting the huge challenges he’s faced reporting on concussion while also highlighting player welfare failings in professional sport. In 2024 Concussed won the UK Sports Book Award for outstanding sports writing and was shortlisted for the William Hill Sports Book of the Year. It was also named a Times and Telegraph Book of the Year and Waterstones Sports Book of the Year. He was twice shortlisted as rugby journalist of the year at the Sports Journalists Awards and also shortlisted for sports journalist of the year at the Press Gazette Awards. He has since covered rugby for the Sunday Times and set up Concussed Media in 2023. He has written two other books; The Row to Recovery and Broadside with England cricketer Stuart Broad.
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