Run It Straight turns brute force into entertainment, with fatal consequences
For Onehunga Mata'uiau, rugby has always been about skill, discipline, and controlled contact.
That's why the former Manu Samoa player and seasoned coach sees the Run It Straight craze sweeping Pacific communities as a dangerous distortion of the game he loves.
Backed by former and current rugby stars Manu Vatuvei, Chanel Harris-Tavita, George Burgess, Nemani Nadolo and UFC's Carlos Ulberg, and attracting hundreds of thousands of followers online, Run It Straight sees players charging at each other like rugby front rowers, to "dominate" their opponent.
But as the online hype has grown, so too have the risks.
The social media-driven craze made international headlines late last month when 19-year-old Ryan Satterthwaite died in New Zealand after suffering head injuries in an impromptu contest.
Speaking just before that incident, veteran coach Mata'uiau had told ABC's Pacific Pulse he feared a tragedy was inevitable in a format where collision, not evasion, is the goal.
"As coaches and game developers, we make sure there is technique and players are not reckless … we teach our kids how to tackle properly instead of taking the head off," he said.
"[Run It Straight] revolves the game around rugby, but the principle of our game is not that.
"We never trained to knock each other out like that, where you have to smash someone at a hundred miles per hour.
In May, Run It safety spokesperson Billy Coffey revealed the sport has a concussion rate of around 20 per cent, noting that two concussions at a recent event were caused by players using "illegal" head-first techniques.
As pulverising hits flood social media, the spectacle is also drawing criticism for glorifying "harmful forms of masculinity".
Some Pacific Islanders who grew up in the 1990s trace Run It Straight back to their childhoods in the Australian and New Zealand diaspora.
"We'd make our own fun after to'ona'i (Sunday lunch) by playing games like bull rush or Run It Straight," associate professor Lefaoali'i Dr Dion Enari said.
Once a backyard pastime, it has transformed into a high-impact combat event drawing a legion of online fans, families, community vendors, and influencers.
From the polished, star-studded RUNIT Championship League to the grassroots Run It Straight 24, participants face off one-on-one in a tight 20-by-4-metre arena, taking turns charging or tackling at full speed.
Matches end in knockouts or are decided by dominance, with prize money reaching $NZ200,000 ($185,700) for the last man standing.
Despite warnings from injury experts, the unregulated contest is booming online.
But sporting codes are pushing back. New Zealand Rugby has warned of "significant risk of serious injury," with All Black and Moana Pasifika captain Ardie Savea saying sportspeople "should not be seen supporting something like this."
New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said people needed to take more responsibility for their actions, while in Australia, Manly Sea Eagles fans have been told they face bans if caught taking part in the craze at games, after footage surfaced showing men hurtling downhill into awaiting tacklers.
Dr Andrew Affleck, senior hospital scientist and brain bank manager at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, calls the craze a "hit-fest" designed to cause maximum damage.
He said repeated clashes, both mild and severe, increase the risk of developing neurodegenerative conditions such as dementia, motor neurone disease, and chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE).
Queensland league great Wally Lewis lives with probable CTE, while the late NRL coach Paul Green, who died by suicide in 2022, was posthumously diagnosed with CTE, a condition that cannot be fully diagnosed in living patients.
"They probably do not fully appreciate that each knock might be another step toward potential impairment," Dr Affleck said.
"We know that people who develop CTE have often experienced not just concussions but repeated blows, including non-concussive events.
Police described the incident that fatally injured Ryan Satterthwaite as "innocuous," underscoring Dr Affleck's warning about the lethal risk of smaller impacts.
Ryan did not strike anything solid. According to police, it was the sheer force of the movement that led to his death.
Dr Affleck wants to see a shift in attitudes towards the trend.
"We only have one brain. It controls everything we do automatically, like breathing, movement, reflexes. Unlike other organs, we don't have a backup."
As thousands rallied around grassroots contests, mental health worker and advocate Shenei Penaia became concerned when a family member signed up to compete in Melbourne trials.
"My greatest worry is it reinforces a harmful form of masculinity. Young people are not just watching, they are learning that their bodies are disposable, pain is performative and safety comes second to going viral," she said.
"We should be building environments that protect and uplift our young people, our young men, where strength are things like self-awareness, vulnerability, and the freedom to say no to being put at risk.
On Wednesday, Run It Straight 24 CEO Christian 'Charizma' Lesa said the group will now enforce the use of mouthguards, headgear, and stricter tackling rules, with disqualification for any contact outside the chest-to-waist zone.
"We're still learning, but we want to make this as safe as possible so no head highs, no grass cuts, and if you're dazed, that's it, you're done," Lesa told Triple J Hack.
Lesa said paramedics and ambulances are on stand-by at events and he follows up with injured contestants.
Responding to criticism after Ryan Satterthwaite's death, Lesa said Ryan's family were in his prayers "but I can't be the one to blame if people are doing it outside [our competitions]."
The ABC put separate questions to the RUNIT Championship League and Run It Straight 24 regarding safety measures, insurance, and competition rules but did not receive a response.
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