Does Your Child Need a Scrum Cap? The Honest Answer for Rugby Parents

Short answer: probably not, unless they're a forward, they keep getting cut about the head, or they want one. And whatever anyone tells you at the club shop, it does not protect against concussion. Here's the honest version.

What a scrum cap actually does

A scrum cap is a thin padded cap, usually under a centimetre of foam, worn by forwards to stop their ears and scalp getting scraped, cut and rubbed raw in scrums, rucks and mauls. That's the job, and it does it well. It reduces cuts, grazes and abrasions to the head, and it gives real protection against cauliflower ear, the swollen, set ear that comes from repeated friction and knocks to the ear cartilage. For a young forward whose ears are taking a hammering, that's worth having.

What it doesn't do

It doesn't prevent concussion. World Rugby's approval standard for headgear is specifically about abrasions and cuts, not impact, and the padding is far too thin to change what happens to the brain when the head decelerates. Some research suggests it doesn't even reduce concussion rates, and there's a reasonable worry that a cap makes some kids tackle with their head more confidently, not less. So if you're buying it because you're worried about head injuries, it's the wrong purchase. The right one is a coach who teaches safe tackling and a club that follows the concussion rules, and our guide to rugby injuries in children covers what those rules are.

Who should wear one

• Forwards, especially the front row and second row. Ears in the scrum, head in the ruck. This is who they're made for.
• Any child who keeps coming home with cuts and grazes to the head.
• Anyone with a history of ear problems or who's started to develop cauliflower ear.
• Any child who wants one. It's not harmful, some kids like feeling padded, and a child who feels confident plays better. Fine.

Backs, minis who aren't scrummaging yet, and kids who hate things on their heads can skip it. Most clubs don't require it at any age.

If you buy one

Buy a World Rugby-approved cap (there's a mark on the label) so it's legal for matches. Fit matters more than brand: it should be snug enough not to slide over the eyes in a tackle, not so tight it leaves marks, and the chin strap done up. Try it on with the gum shield in, because kids breathe differently with both. Kids' sizes exist and they should use them; an adult cap on a nine-year-old spins round on contact.

Wash it. A scrum cap is a foam sponge that lives on a sweaty head, and it will smell within a fortnight if it goes back in the bag wet. Hand wash in cool water with a mild detergent, rinse well, squeeze without wringing, and dry it fully somewhere with air before it goes anywhere near the kit bag. Our guide to cleaning gear that can't go in the machine covers headgear properly.

The rest of the head

A scrum cap covers the ears and scalp. A gum shield covers the teeth, and that one's compulsory. Our gum shield guide for parents covers which type, moulding and braces, and the kids' rugby kit list covers everything else in the bag.

This article is general guidance and not medical advice. Headgear reduces cuts and abrasions; it is not concussion protection. If your child takes a knock to the head with any symptoms, they come off, they don't go back on that day, and they see a doctor.