On Friday night Toulouse locked horns against Racing Metro in the Top 14 playoffs for a much-anticipated game at the Stade Ernest-Wallon.
Nineteen minutes in, with Racing Metro 6-3 up, Toulouse’s centre Florian Fritz was tackled and as a result made contact with the onrushing knee of Racing Metro’s Francois Van Der Merwe.
It was a sickening blow, with the results clearly shown on television, as Fritz had blood pouring down his face and splattered on his arm. As play stopped and Toulouse’s medics tended to Fritz, it was clear he was visibly dazed. He had to be escorted off the pitch and stumbled onto the ground when he decided to walk off instead of being carried off on a stretcher.
What happened next was shocking. Sixteen minutes later Fritz came back onto the field of play, despite suffering a severe bang to the head. The centre would last just a few minutes before being replaced by Gaël Fickou at half time. What happened was nothing short of a disgrace and blame has to be accredited towards the officials, but especially to Toulouse.
During the period of Fritz receiving treatment, television cameras showed Toulouse director of rugby Guy Noves insisting that the centre return onto the pitch. Many could see that Fritz should not have returned, as he had received a nasty knock onto the head.
One of the reasons why Noves probably wanted Fritz onto the pitch was that Toulouse only had two backs on the bench, with five forwards making up the seven replacements allowed. Noves certainly did not want to use one of his backs so early in the game, especially as they were losing at the time.
The referee, Jerome Garces, also has to come under criticism. It has been reported that Garces did not demand a concussion test be carried out on Fritz when he was leaving the field. Fritz was heavily bleeding from the head, sporting a nasty cut, as well as having to be supported by medics. Garces should have used every available precaution available to him in the form of a concussion test.
What’s worse is that at half time Florian Fritz admitted to Canal Plus he shouldn’t have played after suffering the injury.
“I had a small KO,” he said.
“I don’t remember everything. It was better to leave a fresh guy like Gaël Fickou [take my place].”
It is quite worrying that Fritz was allowed onto the pitch and it has the hallmarks of what happened to George Smith in the third Lions Test in Sydney. Despite suffering a bang to the head the Wallabies medical staff allowed him to go back on, despite looking concussed.
The injuries to Florian Fritz and George Smith follow a similar trend – these injuries were suffered during very important games. For Fritz it was a playoff game that Toulouse hoped to have won – they would lose 21-16 and fail to reach the semi-finals for the first time in 21 years. In regards to Smith, he suffered the injury in the Lions’ decider with the series tied 1-1 before the third Test in Sydney.
Despite those being important games, player safety takes priority and those two examples show team medics are not doing that. To be fair to the medics they are under pressure, as Scottish international Sean Lamont suggested when speaking to ESPN.
“It is difficult to tell what went on without speaking to those involved,” he said.
“But there is a standard process where medics are put under huge pressure to get a player back on the field.
“It shows, without making too many assumptions, that some people still don’t understand how serious concussion is.
“If you let a player like Florian in that situation come back on the field, you are endangering the life and career of this player by allowing them to return to the field.”
The IRB need to enforce these concussion protocols more stringently than ever before, because what happened in Toulouse made a mockery of it. There was no real attempt to dissuade Fritz from returning to the field and there was a real risk of harming his career.
Though the crowd cheered for Fritz when he returned to the field, he should have been at a hospital awaiting treatment. Questions will certainly be asked of the referee, but more importantly to Toulouse’s medical staff and Guy Noves.
It will be hoped that this incident will spur the IRB, along with the respective leagues in the northern and southern hemisphere, into action regarding concussion injuries. If not then there could be a real tragedy waiting to happen.
Harry Jones
Guest
Agree. I had two concussions in rugby and in both cases, I finished the games and played the next week. Thirty years later I still suffer consequences.
SamSport
Guest
Penalty is simple. Guy Novès is banned from the ground for several rounds, and Tolouse lose points (5 ?) from their standing next season. FFR and LNR need to take a hard line on this.
Chan Wee
Guest
"" Fritz farce: Toulouse accountable By Jamie Lyall 10th May 2014 23:21 Guy Novès and his Toulouse staff have a serious case to answer after the jaw-dropping Florian Fritz fiasco at Stade Ernest Wallon. On the same weekend the best rugby player in the world, Kieran Read, was correctly stood down from Super Rugby action by the Crusaders staff after sustaining his second concussion of the season, their Toulouse counterparts played the role of judge, jury and executioner in one of the most disgusting and dangerous incidents I have ever seen play out on any sports field. By now, most of our readers will have seen the footage of stupefied Toulouse centre Florian Fritz in the aftermath of the thumping head knock he sustained via high-speed collision with the knee of Racing Métro second-row, Francois van der Merwe, in Friday's Top 14 playoff. Bloodied and dazed, one of French rugby's hardest nuts staggered from the field surrounded by several medics, his forehead drizzled with claret and legs more befitting a pantomime puppet. All that was missing were the cartoon stars orbiting the midfielder's aching skull. But more shocking than the blood and gore and upsetting scenes as a bewildered Fritz tried manfully to quell the gaggle of doctors leading him to the sidelines before crumpling to the turf, was the conduct of Toulouse head coach, Guy Novès. As his star centre sat on a Stade Ernest Wallon treatment table, surrounded by staffers, Novès prowled and paced up and down the tunnel, apparently rousing the player to get back on the field, pronto. This was astonishing for all the wrong reasons. We watched in horror a year ago as a similarly vacant George Smith was led reeling by his elbows from the ANZ Stadium after clashing heads violently with Lions hooker Richard Hibbard, only to be passed fit to return five minutes later. It is perhaps distasteful to weigh up the respective virtues and severities of two such gross derelictions of the duty of care, but when I do draw comparisons between Friday's farce, which bore all the hallmarks of its predecessor, and the Smith scandal, I invariably come to the conclusion that the former was worse. Here's why. Show me any player, elite or otherwise, let alone a lynchpin of his teams as Fritz is to Toulouse, let alone a man who has just had his bell rung so vehemently, let alone one taking part in arguably the biggest game of the season, who would voluntarily remove himself from the action. It won't be easy; players just want to play - shocking, I know. So it must fall then upon the shoulders of medical and coaching staff to save these stricken and battle-hardened individuals from themselves, as perceptive England and Ireland doctors did for Geoff Parling and Brian O'Driscoll earlier this season. I am saddened whenever I see any player backchat a referee, engage in deliberate foul play or otherwise tarnish the reputation of what I believe to be the finest sport on the planet. But my hurt and anguish runs far deeper on the odd occasion the tables are turned and that player is so spectacularly failed by the very people who should safeguard him from such jeopardy. For make no mistake about it, the Toulouse medics who herded Fritz from the field, and bowed to the glowering omnipotence of Novès in allowing him to return risked his life in doing so. It is no longer the case that sports medics, officials or coaching staff at any level can plead ignorance to the inherent danger posed by head injury. Recent very public revelations in neuroscience and neuropathology have taught us more about the profound long-term effects of repeated head trauma, while the tragic consequences of a second or third blow to the head post-concussion must serve as an almighty wake-up call. The cautious treatment of the twice-concussed Read - and many of his colleagues south of the Equator - is to be commended for the message it sends to those across the game far below the echelons of Super Rugby. But rugby as a sport must grow self-confident and mature enough that such a conservative approach becomes gospel, so that we do not feel compelled to laud what should become a well-trodden path. Novès' motivation was clear, yet his actions were prehistoric. I do not proclaim to be an expert in legal matters, but based on what we often see in other fields regarding duty of care, I'd go as far to suggest a strong case could be mounted against him and his staff for what was at best, indefensible ignorance, and at worse, professional negligence. We can at least take comfort in the level of outcry this time around, and in the recent education initiatives rolled out by the IRB. But I am warming to the view that it may take high-profile litigation or a major legal wrangle within the sport to have us all singing from the same conservative concussion songsheet. For which scenario makes for the greatest impact, or generates the loudest headlines? The throwaway press release that states Kieran Read will not play this weekend? Or the sight of a bleeding star thrown to the wolves by those whose desire to win a rugby match superseded their duty to protect his health? It will be a sad day if and when it arrives, but legal intervention may just prove the tonic rugby needs to clear its head. ""
SamSport
Guest
It's a failure of the medic, coach and ref. The IRB always seem to be the first to get blamed, but that's like blaming the govt. for car theft. There need to be big disincentives for team officials that allow this kind of thing. Even docking competition points. The people that know a player is concust *and* have the ability to prevent them returning to play are ignoring the injury. It's a serious problem -- and not just in rugby.
Chan Wee
Guest
a small correction they had a 6-2 split of the replacements (not 5-2) Toulouse: 15 Clement Poitrenaud, 14 Yoann Huget, 13 Florian Fritz, 12 Luke Mcalister, 11 Hosea Gear, 10 Jean Marc Doussain, 9 Jano Vermaak, 8 Louis Picamoles, 7 Thierry Dusautoir, 6 Yacouba Camara 5 Joe Tekori, 4 Yoann Maestri, 3 Census Johnston, 2 Jaba Bregvadze, 1 Cyril Baille. Replacements: 16 Christopher Tolofua, 17 Gurthro Steenkamp, 18 Joe Tekori , 19 Yannick Nyanga, 20 Timoci Matanavou, 21 Gael Fickou, 22 Akapusi Qera, 23 Yohann Montes. having watched the incident , i can safely say it was cleasr concussion that needed no tests : not sure if it is available on you-tube but after the guy comes onto his feet he almost puches the medic to trying to take him off to the dressing room. he was repeatedly pushing away the people who were trying to stop the blood-flow , a clear idication of momentary memory -loss due to a blow ot head. one would think a player would know the team medics as much as he knows his mates !!! as he went on to say afterwords, he cant remember what he happened. it seems the ref and other officials treated it as a bloos wound instead of a concussion. so it brings to question , were they watching / observing what went on? something else happened in the match between force and cheetahs : a force player was sent to the sin bin for team foul. now as far as i know a player binned has to be isolated and cannot be talking and getting instructions fom team management. however as he was about to come on, he was seen talking to the coach ona two-way comm. this in front of the 4th official. i wonder if it is allowed under the laws or did the official ignore it?
Justin3
Guest
There needs to be independent medical tests. It's clear that club medics get them back playing when they shouldn't be...
nickoldschool
Roar Guru
Great article Yousef, couldn't agree more. I watched the game and couldn't believe my eyes when I saw Fritz back in the game. I hope Provale, French players' union, have a good look into this as clearly players welfare wasn't given enough consideration. Jerome Garces and his assistants are the first culprits: 1st they should have asked for the concussion protocol to be conducted. 2ly, Fritz was clearly not at 100% when he came back on the pitch with stitches and Vaseline, seriously, is that rugby or war? Garces should have said, like a boxing ref does when a boxer isn't fit enough to fight, "sorry Florian, you cant play like this". What would have happened if Fritz had been hit on the same spot? Finally, not impressed at all by Guy Noves on this one. French coaches often consider their players like their son, or so they say, well he didn't show much respect for his son then. Sure he was desperate to win this one but he should have been lucid enough to say NO. Did he speak to Fritz while he received stitches? How about team's doctor? Garces refereeing was pathetic, home reffing all right, only good news is that Racing won. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bdNQQFm5tdo
Minz
Guest
Good article. I'm going to disagree with you on one aspect though - the need to use the concussion test. IMO (as an ex-player and a rugby first-aider), the concussion test is great if you have some uncertainty as to whether there's concussion, but if the guy's clearly out of it (like Fritz and Smith), or lying unconscious on the ground for any period of time, concussion is just about self-evident and the test isn't needed. George Smith passed the concussion test, and Fritz may well have done so after getting his stitches in (although according to French rugby websites he wasn't even tested). For mine, rugby players would be better served by modification of the concussion protocol, making it such that players who display clear and unequivocal signs/symptoms of concussion are removed from the field without needing to be tested, and that the test is used where there is some doubt over the player's status only. Of course, players would hate that, but I bet they'd get used to it, and it'd remove a few of the grey areas at least.