If you have watched rugby you will have seen that many players have deformed and ugly. The deformity is known as cauliflower ear where the ear has been damaged, causing it to fill with blood which has then hardened, leading to permanent disfigurement. Cauliflower ear is highly prevalent in rugby due to the ears copping a lot of abuse.

What Is Cauliflower Ear?

What is cauliflower ear? Cauliflower ear is the result of the outer portion of the ear being damaged which leads to the connective tissue within the ear to separating from the cartilage. At the same blood vessels located within the ear bleed resulting in the ear swelling.

Why do rugby players get cauliflower ears? 

 Rugby players get cauliflower ears due their ears suffering friction and trauma as they rubbed, hit and slammed during tackling, scrumming and mauling. 

What Causes Cauliflower Ear In Rugby:

• Scrumming – nearly all front row forwards have cauliflower ear, their ears are being constantly smashed and rubbed as they go to head to head with opposition during the scrum
• Tackling – one big collision where your ear hits your opposition’s knee or hip can injure your ear and cause cauliflower ear
• Mauling – just like scrumming having your ears violently rub against your teammates and opposition causes high amounts of friction which can damage your ear
• The Breakdown– when you are standing over the ball you can easily take a hit to your ear as your opposition cleans you out, or when you are cleaning out you can strike your against your opposition’s head, elbow or knee disfiguring your ear

Is Cauliflower Ear From Rugby Permanent?

Is cauliflower ear from rugby permanent? 

Cauliflower ear caused by rugby is permanent if the liquid inside your ear solidifies. This occurs after 4-7 days. If you don’t want permanently defored ears you need to treat them before the fluid hardens. It can take up to 3 weeks before the separated cartilage within your ear reattaches. If the liquid in your ear has hardened your only option is ear reconstructive surgery.

How Do You Avoid Cauliflower Ear From Rugby?

How do you avoid cauliflower ear from rugby? 

To avoid cauliflower ear from rugby you need to wear a scrum cap or tape your ears. This will reduce the amount of friction and trauma your ears will suffer. If you do hurt your ears you need to treat them straight away by draining and compressing them. Do not return to rugby until your ear is healed.

Your best option to avoid cauliflower ear from rugby is to strap on a scrum cap. Scrum caps are highly effective at reducing your chance of hurting your ears because they significantly reduce the amount of rubbing your ears endure which is a major cause of cauliflower ear in rugby. 

Scrum caps do not offer perfect protection as they are soft they won’t offer much protection from a strong blow to the ear such as smashing your ear into your opposition’s hip or knee which can lead to cauliflower ear.

Even though scrum caps offer good protection against cauliflower they are still quite rare. I would say probably around 10%-20% of rugby players actually wear them. I guess this is why you see so many rugby players with cauliflower ear jogging around the rubgy pitch.

What position you play in rugby can help you avoid getting cauliflower ear. If you are a hooker at the centre of every scrum and constantly burrowing into the bottom of rucks then your chance of getting cauliflower is through the roof. On the other hand if you are a nippy scrum-half who wouldn’t be caught dead putting his head over a breakdown then your ears will thank you because they aren’t likely to suffer much abuse. If you don’t mind switching from the front row to the wing you will greatly reduce your chance of suffering cauliflower ear however, I don’t know how your coach will feel about your career change.

How Do I Treat Cauliflower From Rugby?

• Drain your ears – you need to get the blood out of your ear, the only way is to drain them by syringing the blood out with a needle, continue to drain them until all the blood is gone, draining your ear is the secret to preventing permanent deformity
• Compress your ears – after you drain your ears you need to compress them, if you don’t your ears they will refill with blood and you will be constantly draining them, you can use magnets or a head bandage to tightly compress your ears
• Rest – you to wait until your ear heals, if you don’t wait until they heal even a small amount of friction or a minor blow can cause your ear to refill with blood

Why do rugby players cover their ears?

Rugby players cover their ears to reduce the amount of friction they suffer particularly scrummaging, tackling and mauling. Covering their ears reduces the chance of rugby players suffering cauliflower ear and lacerations.

When Can I Play Rugby After Cauliflower Ear?

When can I play rugby after cauliflower ear? You can return to the rugby pitch immediately after suffering cauliflower ear as long as you wear a headgear and compress your ear; however, it may be painful and you risk worsening your ear. It is best to wait until your ear is no longer sensitive to touch and is not refilling with blood (takes 3-6 days).

If you don’t look after your ears when you return to rugby you are highly susceptible to reinjuring your ears as even a minor blow can further damage the cartilage. Even a minor bump can result in your ear ear refilling with blood. If you don’t want to be dealing with prolonged symptoms of cauliflower ear just nip it in the bud by taking a few days off and not training until your is back to normal.

Does Cauliflower Ear From Rugby Have Long Term Side Effects?

Does cauliflower ear from rugby have long term side effects? 

Yes, cauliflower ear from rugby does have long term side effects. Long term side effects include tinnitus higher incidence rate of ear infections, deafness and wax build up

The long term side effects of cauliflower are rarely serious and typically only affect those with serious cauliflower who have neglected to treat their condition over many years. If you don’t want to suffer some of these nasty side effects just follow the prevention and treatment regimes mentioned above.

How Long Does It Take To Get Cauliflower Ear From Rugby?

How long does it take to get cauliflower ear from Rugby? Cauliflower ear from rugby can happen anytime you step on the pitch. If you are playing rugby there is always a chance you may take a blow to the ear. Cauliflower ear may occur during your first rugby match or on a random training session 8 years into your career.

Do Scrum Caps Prevent Cauliflower Ear?

Does scrum cap prevent cauliflower ear? Yes, scrump caps do prevent cauliflower ear. Cauliflower ear is caused by trauma and friction. Scrum caps reduce the friction and trauma by covering your ears with firm padding.

Why Do Some Rugby Players Get Cauliflower Ear?

Why do some rugby players get cauliflower ear? Some rugby players get cauliflower ear because they don’t wear a scrum cap or tape their ears. And when they do get cauliflower they forgo treatment (draining, icing, compressing) and return to training before it heals. Forwards, particularly front row forwards are most likely to get cauliflower due to scrummaging and mauling. 

Many rugby players aren’t the best looking blokes in the first so they aren’t too concerned about the aesthetic appeal of their ears. Others take it a step further by being proud of their deformed ears and viewing them as a badge of honor or symbol of their rugby prowess. These rugby players often do not bother treating their cauliflower ear and they end up with ears that are forever deformed.

The type of ears a rugby player has can also impact their likelihood of getting cauliflower ear. If your ears are not flexible and are painful to fold in half then you are more likely to suffer cauliflower ear. On the other hand if you have floppy ears that can be folded into a ball then thank your parents because that may keep your ears looking pretty. 

Conclusion

If you play rugby especially in the forwards you are bound to experience cauliflower ear sooner or later. Your ears are not fit to endure the abuse that the sport of rugby will throw at them. You never know when you might get your first bout of cauliflower ear as it  can occur at any time. Fortunately, you can prevent cauliflower ear and ending up looking like Shrek by wearing a scrum cap and taping your ears. If you do get cauliflower ear, don’t panic if you drain your ear, compress it and wait until it hardens your ear will heal, it won’t be exactly like it was before but the damage will be barely noticeable

If you have ever watched or played rugby you will have noticed there are an awful lot of pacific islander players. Not only are there a lot of them but they tend to be naturals at rugby and many go on to play professionally (amazingly 20% of professionals are of Pacific Islander descent) . In this article we will explain the reasons why these islanders have taken over rugby.

Why are Pacific Islanders so good at rugby?

Pacific islanders are so good at rugby because they have the ideal body type for rugby. Rugby is also the national sport in many island nations such as Fiji, Tonga and Samoa which ensures a very high participation rate. Rugby represents a way out of poverty, so many islander athletes are hungry to become professionals.

Pacific Islanders Have The Ideal Physique For Rugby

Pacific Islanders are natural mesomorphs which means they are naturally large people who can gain weight including muscle and fat easily. They have thick frames, wide shoulders, large heads and thick wrists and ankles. Mesomorphs tend to be very strong and explosive. These physical attributes make Pacific Islanders perfectly suited to the rigours of rugby.

Freaky athletic prowess appears to be far more common among Pacific Islanders than other groups of people. It is totally common to line up against Pacific Islander players who are 120kg with ankles thicker than your calves and wrists as wide as your forearms who can dust your winger over 20m. This unusual mix of size and speed which is perfectly suited to rugby is rare in most population groups but is far more among Pacific Islanders. 

If you grew up playing rugby as a kid you would have come across the 13 year old Tongan or Samoan kid who was 90kg and was as quick as the winger on your team. It would often take half your forward pack just to slow him down and then the other half to finally bring him to the ground.

The physical gifts that many Pacific Islanders possess particularly being big, strong, easily able to gain muscle and fast makes them perfect for rugby and is a big reason why many of them go on to have successful professional careers.

Rugby Is Very Popular In The Pacific Islands

Rugby is the national sport of Fiji, Samoa and Tonga. In Samoa there are 24,000 registered rugby players with a population of 196,000 that means over 12% of the population are active players. When you include unregistered and retired players it wouldn’t surprise me if nearly every man in Samoa has played rugby. Like Samoa, Fiji for its size also has an astonishing number of players with 122,000 registered players representing 14% of the population. To give you some perspective Australia has 230,000 registered players representing less than 1% of their population.

These are amazing rates of participation. When you have so many athletes participating in a sport just based on the law of averages you are going to have many outliers who are exceptional talents who possess what it takes to play professionally. 

Even though the population of the Pacific Island nations is small the high participation rate in rugby means that Pacific Island nations actually have a large amount of rugby players. You combine this with the fact that a large percentage of registered rugby players in the Pacific Islands are serious players who are looking to earn professional contracts then it is no wonder that these small nations are able to produce so many fantastic players.

Rugby Is A Path To Financial Prosperity For Pacific Islanders

The economic situation in the Pacific Islands is poor with 20%-30% of Tongans and Samoans living in poverty. The isolation of the islands, lack of industry and natural resources severely limits the development of the island nations.

Rugby represents a very real and tangible way for young islander men to escape poverty and provide a better life for their families. Astonishing in Dan Leo’s documentary ‘Oceans Apart’ about rugby in the Pacific Islands, Leo claims that 20% of the Pacific Islands’ GDP is generated from rugby. With the average Tongan salary at $15,000 average professional rugby players can expect to earn 10 times that amount with top players earning 100 times that per year. There is big money in rugby and there are many young hungry poverty stricken islanders who are willing to give their all chasing a slice of that pie. 

The chance of enriching themselves and their families motivates many Pacific Islanders to dedicate themselves fully to rugby with them training every day from the time they are children in hopes of winning a professional contract. The goal of helping them families is a driving force which propels young Pacific Islanders to train extremely hard and push themselves more than others who come from a wealthier background.

Poverty is a motivating factor for many young athletes around the round to train hard in hopes of becoming professionals. It is common for athletes in many different kinds of sports to come from tough and underprivileged backgrounds. Rugby is no different. The poverty that many Pacific Islanders face may be tough but is a major contributing factor to their rugby success. I bet if the Pacific Islanders were a wealthy country they wouldn’t produce as many great rugby players because the athletes wouldn’t train as hard knowing that if rugby didn’t work out they could always return home to a life of luxury.

Conclusion

Pacific Islanders excel at rugby because they are literally built for the game. Rugby requires a rare combination of size, strength, power, agility and speed, fortunately for Pacific Islanders they have these attributes in spades giving them a massive advantage over some of their less genetically gifted opposition. You combine these genetic gifts with the popularity of rugby in the Pacific Islands and the fact that many young men are looking to escape poverty through playing professional rugby then it is obvious to see why 20% of current rugby professionals are of islander descent.

Flanker is the most popular of the rugby forward positions. They are often the stars of the forward pack and appear to be involved in every facet of the game. Their actual true role in rugby can be a bit confusing as they seem to do a bit of everything.

What does a flanker do?

They are expected to be strong defenders around the ruck and provide cover defense near the five-eighth during scrums and lineouts. They are good ball runners and run the ball wider than other forwards. The flanker’s main role is to be hard on the ball at the breakdown and win turnovers.

Flankers get to do a bit of everything from ball running, tackling, pinching the ball at the breakdown, making linebreaks and making try saving tries. It is no wonder that many kids grow up wanting to wear the number 6 or 7. 

Many of rugby’s most famous players are flankers such as Richie McCaw, James Haskell, Michael Hooper, David Pocock and George Smith.

To be a successful flanker you need the right combination of speed, fitness, strength, power and agility. You need to be quick and agile enough to run with the ball away from the ruck and to get to breakdowns early enough to have an impact. You need strength and power to run the ball at and tackle big forwards. Then you need high levels of fitness to ensure you can continue to make an impact in defence and attack for the whole game.

Flanker is one of the most demanding positions on the rugby field. There is no rest for a flanker. They are expected to always be involved in the contest whether that’s competing hard at the breakdown, making a covering tackle in the backline or stepping past a few tired locks and breaking the line.

How Much Should A Flanker Weigh?

The average openside flanker should weigh 105kg (231 pounds), while the average blindside flanker should weigh 108kg (238 pounds).

Openide flankers need to be a bit quicker and agile than their blindside partners so tend to be a bit slimmer. They use this speed and agility to get to more breakdowns, run with the ball wider of the ruck and to provide cover defense in the backline.

In contrast blindside flankers need a bit of extra weight because they defend and run with the ball closer to the ruck. They are often making hard contact with the opposition’s props, locks and number 8s who tend to be the heaviest players on the field. The blindside’s extra weight helps them gain metres and tackle these giants.

How Tall Should A Flanker Be?

The average openside flanker should be 6ft 1 to 6ft 2 (185.5 to 189cm) tall , while the average blindside flanker should be 6ft 4 (192cm) tall.

Blindside flankers tend to be taller than openside flankers because they are often the number 3 option during a lineout. After the two locks the blindside is expected to be the best lineout jumper. This extra height makes it easier for the flanker to sail above his opposition to secure possession for his team.

Blindsides are also expected to run and defend closer to the ruck then openside flankers. This means they are often faced with the opposing side’s locks and number 8. The extra helps them deal with these players who tend to be taller.

Can A Flanker Pick Up The Ball During A Scrum?

A flanker can not pick up the ball during a scrum. Only the last player in the scrum can pick up the ball which is the number 8. The flanker can only pick up the ball if the ball has already left the scrum and is live. 

How Do You Bind As A Flanker?

A flanker binds around the back of the lock nearest to him. The flanker will wrap their inside arm around the lock’s mid to high back depending on their preference. The outside hand will be placed on the ground to provide balance.

The flanker will place his inside shoulder on the prop’s upper hamstring just below his buttox. They will bend their legs, placing the weight on the balls of their feet and maintain a flat back. The flanker will drive straight forward and keep looking forward while maintaining a neutral spine.

What Is The Difference Between Openside And Blindside Flanker?

During scrums openside flankers push on the side which is furthest from the sideline. Opensides are typically a little bit lighter and shorter than blindside flankers. Opensides are expected to play wider of the ruck during attack and defence than blindsides and attack the ball harder at the breakdown.

Blindside flankers are similar to number 8s. They are expected to be strong ball runners and drive hard over the ball at the breakdown. They are meant to be taller and bigger than opensides but not as big as locks and typically a little smaller than number 8s.

In attack they are mostly taking hit ups directly at the opposition forward pack to soften them up before the backline looks to exploit holes in the opposition defence. At the breakdown their first thought is to drive over the ball rather than look for a pilfer.

They stand closer to the ruck than opensides and are less likely to drift into the backline. They still stand wider than locks and props.

Blindsides are not expected to be as fast or agile as opensides and they are not expected to have as high of a workrate. Blindsides do more of the gritty work of running it hard into the opposition props and locks and are in charge of bringing the big men down in defence.

Conclusion

Flankers are all round forwards. They need to be able to do everything including run with the ball, be strong tacklers, compete hard at the breakdown, save the backline by offering cover defence and even jump in the lineout.

 If you want to be a top flanker you need the perfect combination of endurance, speed, agility, power and strength to ensure you can be stealing the ball at the breakdown one minute, running down a centre during open play and then making a linebreak of your own up the middle of the field.

Georgia is currently ranked 12th in the world in rugby. The national team regularly plays in front of 55,000 fans in a sold out Lokomotivi Stadium in Tbilisi. How did this Caucasian nation of just 3.72 million who many rugby fans wouldn’t be able to pick out on a map come to be ranked ahead of Italy, Tonga and Samoa? It is time to look at the rise of rugby in Georgia.

Why is rugby so popular in Georgia?

Rugby is so popular in Georgia because it is similar to a traditional Georgian sport known as Lelo. The sport has also benefited from large financial support by billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili who has spent millions building facilities, attracting sponsors and getting the sport shown on TV.

Georgians’ appetite for rugby has been attributed to their love of a similar game, known as Lelo. Lelo is a medieval folk sport that involves two sides attempting to move a heavy ball across a field to a certain place, called the Lelo. The two sides could use any method to transport the ball including passing, kicking. To prevent the attacking side progressing the defending side would tackle and trip.

The sport would typically be played between two rival villages. There were no set limits on the number of players with villages putting as many men as they could onto the field. There was also no stipulation that the match had to be played on a field; some matches would involve teams having to run through forests, climb mountains and cross rivers.

The local Orthodox priest would referee the contest and whichever side won was said to receive blessing from God for a bountiful harvest.

The connection between Lelo and rugby can still be found in Georgia as a try is called a Lelo in Georgian and the national side is nicknamed the Lelos.

Georgia’s love of team contact ball sports served as a great foundation for rugby to be built upon and it is not surprising that the sport’s popularity has exploded in Georgia.

It wasn’t just Lelo that helped turn the modern nation of Georgia into rugby fanatics, the Soviets also played their part.

During the 1950s and 1960s rugby began to take a foothold in Georgia with the first clubs being established. Georgian students returning from Russia who had learned the game at university returned home and were keen to keep up their newfound hobby. The game jumped in skill level when a French Armenian by the name of Jacques Haspekian began teaching his flashy French rugby skills to eager Georgian players.

Georgian teams quickly became fierce competitors with clubs such as Dinamo Tbilisi, Locomotivi and Kutaisi winning Soviet championships. Georgians were always over represented in the Soviet side with sometimes up 9 of them making the squad, not bad for a country of 3 million.

After the collapse of the Soviet Union in the 90s rugby largely collapsed in Georgia as the country was thrown into a terrible financial situation. 

There were some very dark days for Georgian rugby from the late 90s to the mid 2000s. However, the game saw a surge in popularity after billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili started pumping millions into the game and national side head coach Claude Saurel got his athletes playing professional rugby in France.

Georgian prop, Anton Peikrishvili explains how Saurel was able to quickly improve the quality of Georgian rugby. Peikrishvili said, “Saurel through his contacts, he arranged for a lot of our better players to play club rugby in France. Every player that went improved and that strengthened the national team”.

Bidzina Ivanishvili’s impact on Georgian also can’t be understated. Ivanishvili has spent big on Georgian rugby but the investments by the metal magnate appear to be paying off as rugby matches are shown on live TV, Georgian players appear in magazines and online papers and major companies are sponsoring the side.

The Georgian players now had the funding to become full time rugby athletes and had the ability to learn from and play against world class rugby players week in and week out in France. These two factors took Georgian rugby to new heights.

The result was the Georgian side started winning. Georgian people are fanatical about their love for their nation and they love to see their fellow Georgians doing well on the world stage. 

After defeating Tonga and Namibia in the 2015 world cup and securing automatic qualification for the 2019 world cup rugby’s popularity in Georgia soared. Rugby is now a major sport in Georgia and ranks only behind football in terms of popularity. 

The national side routinely runs onto the pitch of Lokomotivi Stadium in Tbilisi to screams of 55,000 fans. Rugby is shown on TV and has attracted major sponsors. Georgians love a winner and if the side continues to do well the sport is only going to grow and become more popular.

Georgia’s rugby future appears to be in safe hands as Bidzina Ivanishvili has built 12 training bases and academies where thousands of young Georgians are dedicating themselves to becoming future rugby stars.

Georgia’s head coach, Milton Haig who hails from New Zealand said, “We’ve got more and more kids getting into the game and watching our 14, 15 and 16-year olds, it is scary. It is like watching the All Blacks coming through”.

Conclusion

To the outsider the popularity of rugby in Georgia may appear to be an oddity. However, when you factor in the similarities between rugby and Georgia’s traditional sport of Lelo, Georgia’s rugby success during Soviet times and the sport receiving generous support from billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili it starts to make sense. 

Above all else Georgians are a very proud people who love their country. They fanatically support Georgians who achieve international success and after Georgia’s triumph at the 2015 world cup rugby has solidified itself as a major sport in the small but mighty Caucasian country.

It isn’t just you. If you have been watching post match interviews with rugby league players you will have noticed a large number of them have raspy and husky voices. Lets break down exactly what is going on with footy players and their unusual voices.

Why do rugby league players have husky voices?

Rugby league players have permanent husky voices due to injuries and repeated blows to their throats, usually from tackles. They have temporary husky voices due to straining their vocal cords from yelling to communicate with their teammates.

Darren Lockyer might have the most famous husky voice in rugby league. It is comical how raspy he sounds. So much so it can often be difficult to understand him. There have been many rumours how the Queensland legend developed such a gravelly voice ranging from a rampant cocaine addiction to eating a dodgy lozenger. However, the truth is less exciting. While playing for the Broncos in 2004, Lockyer took a blow to his throat which damaged a small bone in his larynx. This has left Lockyer with a permanently altered voice.

Here Is A Video Showing You Just How Much Darren Lockyer’s Voice Changed After His Throat Injury

Gold Coast Titans star, Kevin Proctor had his voice moved down a few octaves by a stray elbow at practice in 2018. Proctor was making a tackle when he copped the full force of Brenko Lee’s elbow right into his throat. At first, Proctor didn’t think much of the contact, he popped up and wanted to continue training. It was only after taking a sip of water did he feel the bones moving in his throat. He immediately knew something was wrong, this was confirmed when he then started spitting blood. 

Proctor jumped in one of the Titans trainer’s cars and headed to hospital. Doctors confirmed  that Proctor had damaged his larynx but that he could still play footy but he would be sporting a new husky voice. Kevin didn’t seem to mind though as he was more concerned about his league career saying, “I said, ‘Am I going to be able to play footy again’,

“And they said, ‘Yeah’. As soon as they said that, I just calmed down”. Proctor actually seems to quite like his new voice, not surprising considering his wife’s fondness, Proctor said, “I don’t care that I have a husky voice aye. My missus actually likes it”.

Simon Mannering, a long serving New Zealand Warriors player developed a husky voice of taking repeated blows to the throat throughout his playing career. He said it often occurred when he was going in for a tackle on a big forward who would use his arm and forearm to bump and fend off Mannering. This would often result in Mannering taking a big shot right in the throat from a rampaging 100kg plus forward. 

Mannering specifically recalls two incidents that really messed his voice up. In 2013, he took an elbow in the throat from Fuifui Moimoi which forced a trip to the doctors who inspected his throat with a camera and found some serious damage. Then in 2015 Mannering’s throat bore the full brunt of Newcastle Knights Jeremy Smith’s forearm, after that he was left with a very gravelly voice.

Rory Kostjasyn is another rugby league player who added his name to the list of players who have developed permanent raspy voices. During pre-season training with the Newcastle Knights in 2017, Kostjasyn copped a stray elbow directly into the throat. He had to be immediately transferred to hospital where it was discovered he had suffered a fracture to the cricoid cartilage in his trachea. Kostjasyn had also dislocated his vocal cords. These injuries were extremely severe and forced Kostjasyn into medical retirement as he had prolonged breathing difficulties, suffering a 30-40% reduction in breathing capacity.  

Injuries to the throat during tackles are the common reason why rugby league players develop permanent husky voices. However, it is common for a footy player to end up with a scratchy voice that can last for a few days or even a week after spending the whole 80 minute match screaming at the top of his lungs.

As rugby league is a team sport made up of 13 players communication is key to getting every player moving in unison as a team. If a team isn’t working together effectively they have no way of winning the match. A major way teams organise themselves is through verbal communication. Footy players use verbal communication to call out plays they want to run, to organise their defensive line, to let each other know where they are on the field and to give words of encouragement to each other. There is a common adage in rugby league, a quiet team is a bad team. 

Rugby league players will be talking to each other the entire game. To ensure that their teammates can hear each other over the noise of the crowd and the opposition side who is also shouting out instructions to each other they need to scream and shout. This prolonged shouting can take its toll on the vocal cords over an 80 minutes match. It can especially test the voice of the playmakers who need to be extra vocal to organise both the forwards and the backs and decide what plays the team runs. 

This is why at the end of a match when players give post game interviews their voices will be very husky because they have just spent 80 minutes screaming. This damage to the vocal cords is temporary and players’ voices typically will return to normal within a few days. However, years and years of abusing the vocal cords can have permanent effects on the voice and some retired players will have a more raspy voice because of all the yelling they did throughout their career.

Conclusion

The mystery has been solved. Rugby league players have husky voices because they suffer injuries to their throats after being struck usually by forearms and elbows when attempting to make tackles. These blows result in damage to the bones in the larynx and the vocal cords, permanently changing their voices and giving them a raspy sound.