NSW Waratahs coach Chris Hickey is likely to rest Tatafu Polota-Nau but has no plans to curb his kamikaze style despite the Wallabies hooker being knocked cold in back-to-back Super Rugby matches.
While Polota-Nau reported a clean bill of health at Sunday’s medical check, he will undergo neurological assessment and the Waratahs are under pressure to stand down the powerhouse front-rower just as they did with five-eighth Berrick Barnes after his succession of heavy head knocks earlier this season.
A week after suffering concussion and vomiting on field against Queensland, Polota-Nau wiped himself out with an ill-timed tackle on Melbourne fullback Julian Huxley on Saturday night.
After several minutes’ treatment, a sick and sorry Polota-Nau was escorted from the SFS pitch only to gallantly return to the bench later in the game.
He took no further part in the match as the Waratahs ended a two-game losing run with a gritty 28-9 win over the Rebels.
“He’s recovered well and was fine at this morning’s medicals,” Hickey said on Sunday.
“He showed no residual symptoms from his knock at all.
“But, just as we were with Berrick, our primary concern with Taf is his welfare.
“We’ll send him to a neurologist during the week to get an assessment.
“Based on the neurologist’s report, we’ll make some decisions on whether or not Taf plays next week.
“But if he doesn’t play (against the Western Force on Saturday), we have the bye the following week which would give him three full weeks to recover.”
Polota-Nau has always played with little care for self-preservation, driving in low and hard for head-on tackles, and has continually vowed to go hell for leather, come what may.
Despite concerns that his fearless playing style might shorten the 25-year-old Test star’s career, Hickey said he wouldn’t order Polota-Nau to tone it down.
“You can’t take away from a person’s character. The way he tackles is a feature of his game,” Hickey said.
“He’s got to get his technique right and get his head in the right position, be precise in the tackle.
“But, at the same time, you have to allow him to be who he is.”
The Waratahs coach was “quite happy” with Barnes’ comeback after the playmaker lasted 74 minutes on Saturday night in his return from five weeks’ recovery from his second round of concussion in 2011.
“He made some tackles and got tackled and did all the things that you expect of him,” Hickey said.
“In terms of his performance, there’s obviously room there that he will improve as he gets more game time over the next couple of weeks.
“All in all, though, we were pretty happy with that performance.”
bennalong
Guest
There are different incidents that result in KO's In one, the brain is directly traumatised by collision and may be bruised, or bleed, as a result In the other, the head is rapidly tilted and rotated on the neck, affecting the midbrain, which includes control centres, This is usually a jolt to the jaw, but can result from complex rotations occasioned by collisions in sport TPN's injury appeared to be the second type whilst Berrick Barnes unfortunately suffered the first, which is far more likely to involve brain bruising that is susceptible to concussion resulting from minor knocks. Contact sports are dangerous and I agree with Jeremy there should be acknowledgement of "late effects" allowing insurance claims uncontested "down the track" .
allblackfan
Guest
Hickey still doesn't get it; if he won't get TPN to change hos tackling style, TPN's head will do it for them when TPN is forced to retire due to ongoing concussion worries. Amazing that what barnes had to say about head injuries appears to have made no impact on Hickey
jeremy
Guest
I'm getting a bit concerned about the absolute willingness for the high impact players to get out onto the park after head injuries. Head injuries, especially concussions and knock-outs, are shown to contribute significantly to the risk of dementia and mental illness in future years. You need look no further than the aging survivors of a career in the boxing ring to see just how damaging repeated blows to the skull are. By the time the full effects of these injuries are felt, the players are usually well outside of the sporting system and aren't the recipients of the healthcare provided by support structures, such as the neurologist mentioned in the article above. It seems manifestly unfair that the players bear the cost of their eagerness to perform, but much later in life when they don't get the support they need.