One of the world’s leading authority on brain injuries spoke to me about his concern over the future of rugby if awareness and treatment does not improve…
Other than being elite-level rugby players, what do Ben Smith, Conor Murray, Bernard Foley, Alexis Palisson, Sekope Kepu, Stuart Hogg, Nic Stirzaker, George North, Charlie Ngatai, Tommy Seymour, Colin Slade, James Parsons, and Ryan Wilson have in common?
They have all suffered recent concussions – and, to be honest, this is hardly a comprehensive list, just ones gathered on a quick trawl of Google.
Former All Black Slade was this week stood down by his Top 14 club Pau for the remaining five games of the regular season, after suffering three concussions since the start of the season last August, with the club saying it adopts a ‘zero-risk policy’ on this type of injury.
This ‘phenomenal brain injury rate’ is ‘unsustainable’, according to one of the world’s leading authorities on head injuries in sport.
James Harrington: Freelance sports journalist 