Rugby player calls for ban after being admitted to hospital following dog poo incident

Rugby Union did not officially become a professional sport until August 1995, when the International Rugby Board (IRB) declared the game "open" – removing all restrictions on payments to players and ending over 100 years of amateur status.

However, amateurism is still a major part of the sport, as millions of players around the world turn up every weekend to play it for the love of the game, with it becoming a key part for many in their youth.

Amateur players understand that the facilities they play on will not be to the standard of those professional players who run out at Twickenham or Murrayfield, but there are still certain standards they expect at the lowest level.

One of those is a clean and safe playing surface.

This week, the BBC reported a cautionary tale that will see all amateur rugby players sit up and listen, as an individual who plays for Bridgend club, Tondu RFC, was hospitalised after falling in dog poo during a match.

Adam Lang has spoken about this experience, as he did not realise a cut had become infected until the pain in his arm was intolerable following the match.

Now, he has called for the council to ban dogs from local sports pitches to avoid a similar incident happening to another amateur player or child.

Tondu RFC's club chairman, Graham Thomas, is desperate to ban dogs from local sports fields, as it is not the first time they have had problems with poo on their playing surface at Pandy Park.

He said: “It's really frustrating when it happens. This has happened before but not for a while. I'd say 99% of dog walkers are responsible, but it only takes that 1% to give every dog walker a bad name.

“It's something that should be mandatory if adults and children train there."

Thomas added: “Why should dogs be allowed to run around on the pitches? Pandy Park is a big place with plenty of space for everyone."

This impassioned desire of Thomas’ to ensure a situation like this does not happen again seems to have the desired impact.

Bridgend Council has now said it was considering banning dogs from marked sports pitches across the county borough.