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You know what they say: never squeeze it or it won't get any better. I need some advice this week: to squeeze or not to squeeze?

I'm coaching a club in Scotland and, four weeks away from the first league game, you start to wonder about small technical aspects.

I know, it's technical, sorry, but that's why I love this game. When a player takes the ball into contact, assuming he is in charge of what he is doing, then he has a couple of options as to what he does when he hits the ground - if he hits the ground.

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Every morning, most of us have to weigh up the risk of plugging in the kettle, crossing the road, getting on the train or into the car, eating what could be a sandwich made by Sam and Ella, and getting home again. Life is risky. I write this after reading that a pedestrian has been killed on a motorway.

How risky is rugby? Every single day of my life I wonder whether some sports are too dangerous.

I have to respect Dr Alyson Pollock's position. While I was away on holiday her publicly-funded Edinburgh University research was published into 190 rugby matches at five schools that produced 37 injuries, one of which needed an overnight stay in hospital.

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