Concussion warning for rugby bodies

Irish players are amongst those being left at increased risk of concussion-related injuries due to the failure of the PRO12, Heineken Cup and Six Nations to adopt IRB guidelines, according to a leading player advocate.

Rob Nichol, chief executive of the International Rugby Players Association, was speaking at the IRB’s first annual conference and exhibition in Dublin, where he urged all bodies to adopt the Pitchside Assessment Concussion Assessment (PSCA).

“We have a couple of days to have some dialogue in the medical commission conference and get people up to speed and hopefully they might jump on board the boat and get constructive and do the right thing,” the New Zealander said. “The direction I can sense it going is you will be leaving yourself out on a limb and significantly exposed if you don’t get on the boat and, from a player welfare perspective, we’d expect most people in positions of governance with strong influence to do the right thing by their athletes.”