Australian Super 12 players are concerned about excessive drinking and gambling among their peers, according to a survey released on Tuesday.
The Australian Rugby Union Players’ Association (Rupa) survey of 84 professional players, including 27 Wallabies, found that 51,1% believed one to 10 members of their state squad had a serious drinking problem.
The number rose to 57,1% when players were asked whether members of their squad had a serious gambling problem.
More than 50% felt they were pressured to play rugby when they had an injury that required rest, with many blaming overeager coaching staff.
The survey, released in Rupa’s annual report, also revealed 20% of players thought that the refereeing was not good at Test level and more than 50% rated Super 12 refereeing as merely ”OK”.
An Australian Rugby Union spokesperson said the problem of excessive drinking and gambling was confined to isolated individuals and was not an endemic part of rugby union culture.
He said programmes were in place to help players battling such problems.
”You can probably say that young footballers receive more coaching and counselling in this area than other young people,” he told Sky News. – Sapa-AFP