Great Britain and Irish Lions are calling for a substitute law change to prevent death on the field

The British and Irish Lions lost an extremely physical three-test streak against South Africa this month

Five great British and Irish Lions have asked World Rugby to change the substitution laws fearing that a player might die on the field.

Four-time Lions head coach Sir Ian McGeechan has signed an open letter requesting that substitutions be made only in the event of injury and not tactical.

Willie John McBride, Sir Gareth Edwards, Barry John, and John Taylor also signed.

They said the game “became unnecessarily dangerous”.

The letter to World Rugby Chairman Sir Bill Beaumont, also signed by Consultant Surgeon Professor John Fairclough, said current players would not speak out for “fear of losing a living”.

Former players cited comments in 2019 by two-time Lions c -tain Sam Warburton that if nothing is done, someone “will die in front of television cameras during a game”.

“It would be grossly negligent to allow the status quo to continue,” the letter continues.

“Rugby Union was designed as a 15-on-side game for 30 players. With eight substitutes per team, many of whom are tactical ‘impact players’ or ‘finishers’, this can often be as high as 46.”

Injury substitutions were first officially allowed in rugby in 1968, with tactical substitutions introduced in 1996 shortly after the sport became professional, although initially limited to three.

In July, World Rugby has put in place a six point plan for player welfare and in response to the open letter, a spokesperson for the governing body said it “welcomes considered views that inform and support the positive momentum generated by this strategy”.

The letter added that some players were now prioritizing “strength over aerobic c -acity” because they shouldn’t be playing the full 80 minutes.

“This characterizes the entire game, leads to more collisions and in the final phases numerous new ‘giants’ collide with tiresome opponents,” the letter continues.

“The simple change we’re advocating is to allow eight substitutes on the bench if you have to, but limit the number that can be used to four, and then only in case of injury.

“This will make the game safer, a view supported by leading players and outstanding members of the medical community.

“We know that the chairman of World Rugby, Sir Bill Beaumont, agrees with us. In January 2020, he expressed concern that ‘rugby has become a game for tall people’ and supported a court law that only replaces players if they are injured.

“Unfortunately, more than 18 months later, World Rugby has done nothing – once again, he is being accused of all words and no deeds.

“Well, no more empty words, we call on Sir Bill to act now in the deep hope that Sam Warburton’s words will not become prophetic.”

A World Rugby spokesman said, “We are acting in accordance with the latest science, research and data to make the sport safe and accessible for everyone – at all levels and for men and women.”

The organization said that “a comprehensive review of the impact of substitute players in the elite game”, spanning more than 2,000 games, is being carried out by the University of Bath and will inform the future  -proach to injury prevention.

The review examines “whether more injuries occur later in games, whether starters or substitutes are injured more often, the positions with the highest risk and the type of injuries”.

“We have to keep in mind that the elite and community games are not the same, the risk of injury is very different and that substitutions are the key to the accessibility of the sport at this level,” added the spokesman.

“Our door is always open to those who can make valuable contributions to this important and r -idly evolving debate.”

World Rugby currently co-chairs with the Rugby Football Union and the Welsh Rugby Union a claim by former players Sue authorities for brain damage.