Wales wing George North should not have continued playing after his head injury in Friday’s Six Nations opener, World Rugby said on Tuesday.
But the sport’s governing body exonerated the Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) of any blame in their handling of the player.
North took an accidental boot to the head from England lock Dave Attwood in the first half in Cardiff and he was temporarily replaced by Liam Williams while he underwent mandatory concussion assessment.
The 22-year-old subsequently returned to the field, but he then clashed heads with teammate Richard Hibbard during the second half in what appeared to be a worse incident.
North did not go off a second time, playing on as England started their Six Nations season with a 21-16 victory.
According to World Rugby, North “should not have remained on the field of play” as the “World Rugby head injury protocol clearly states that a player should be immediately and permanently removed from the field of play where there are any visible symptoms or suspicion of a potential concussion”.
But World Rugby said the WRU had followed correct protocol.
“….World Rugby accepts the WRU’s explanation that neither the team medical staff nor the independent doctor had sight of the incident and understands that the medics acted within the framework of information they had at the time and would have taken a different course of action had they had direct pitch-side visibility or access to the same broadcast footage seen by those watching on television.”
Wales resume their Six Nations campaign against Scotland at Murrayfield on Sunday and North still hopes to be passed fit to feature.
IronAwe
Guest
The formal medical definition of concussion is a clinical syndrome characterized by immediate and transient alteration in brain function, including alteration of mental status and level of consciousness, resulting from mechanical force or trauma.
pjm
Roar Rookie
Concussion: temporary unconsciousness or confusion and other symptoms caused by a blow on the head.
IronAwe
Guest
Mate, that backs up what I said. All we saw was him getting knocked out, we didn't have any proof that he was concussed, which is what your comment says and I agreed that he should have been taken off?
Reality
Guest
I hope you're joking IronAwe, in case you are serious.. Concussion is a traumatic brain injury resulting in a disturbance of brain function. There are many symptoms of concussion, common ones being headache, dizziness, memory disturbance or balance problems. Loss of consciousness, being knocked out, occurs in less than 10% of concussions. Loss of consciousness is not a requirement for diagnosing concussion. Typically standard brain scans are normal. http://playerwelfare.worldrugby.org/content/getfile.php?h=3b6586da16b63b26409ce496dc923c21&p=pdfs/Concussion_Guidance_for_the_General_Public_EN.pdf
IronAwe
Guest
Being knocked out, doesn't mean you are concussed. These attention seeking headlines drive me nuts. I agree that North should have been removed and tested. But we have no proof that he was concussed.Yet every article says he was.
Anglo-Scot
Guest
I don't know why though, I've never seen any player no matter how good he usually is, play well immediately after a concussion.
Atawhai Drive
Roar Guru
I don't often agree with Mark Reason but he's written a good piece on North's concussion: http://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/opinion/65997311/reason-concussion-in-rugby-rears-its-ugly-head-again-in-welsh-incident
fly on the wall
Guest
Will be interesting to see if McKibben plays this week for the tahs.
Red Block
Guest
It seems no matter what the code if you are a superstar like George North or Sam Burgess then the concussion laws don't apply to you. If none of the sideline officials saw it, what was the TMO looking at? Eventhough he is not medically trained, surely he could have asked for a closer inspection.
Phillnz
Guest
So what do we have here. World Rugby: "'should not have remained on the field of play” as the “World Rugby head injury protocol clearly states that a player should be immediately and permanently removed from the field of play where there are any visible symptoms or suspicion of a potential concussion”." WRU: “….World Rugby accepts the WRU’s explanation that neither the team medical staff nor the independent doctor had sight of the incident and understands that the medics acted within the framework of information they had at the time and would have taken a different course of action had they had direct pitch-side visibility or access to the same broadcast footage seen by those watching on television.” World Rugby:But the sport’s governing body exonerated the Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) of any blame in their handling of the player So they followed the protocols that World Rugby set , World rugby wasn't happy they might not of followed the protocol, but are satisfied they did. YEP WORLD RUGBY gone mad , maybe they have had a hit one too many?