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Australian rugby introduces blue card to combat concussion
By Jack Davies
Blue cards will be introduced to Australia's premier domestic rugby competition in 2018 in a bid to combat head injuries.
Referees will be able to show players the new card if they display signs of concussion, forcing them to leave the field to pass a head injury assessment before returning.
The changes have been trialled at country clubs in the Australian Capital Territory and Newcastle this year and will now be used in the NRC.
"Country rugby clubs have paved the way to make the game safer for everyone and soon our elite Super Rugby athletes will be following this protocol and setting the standards worldwide," Australian Rugby Union head of community rugby services Lachlan Clark said.
"Australian rugby will also assist in educating coaches, first aid personnel and match officials as well as provide a competition management system which logs all concussion cases."
England's Premiership and Championship are this season trialling the use of saliva samples to determine whether players are fit to continue following a head knock.
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It was like watching men play schoolboys
Go to commentsI'd rate the brothers Hendricks a point or two lower. Jaden has really not delivered on his early promise and Jordan's kicking at posts was quite erratic. Amongst other things.
I was really surprised that DuhDuh was replaced and not Jordan. DuhDuh had a great game and just underlined his class in a backline that was not firing on all cylinders.
Damian Willemse was missed. Hopefully he'll be back to full fitness and have an injury free 2025 (and '26 and '27 and so on until he decides to retire to spend time with his grandchildren).
RG was great. What an athlete.
Very happy that Hanekom made his debut at last. He gave a good account of himself and will hopefully grow into his role on the international stage.
All things considered, this was another frustrating Bok performance. Even though it was a comfortable win, it wasn't a commanding win. This Welsh team should've been put away by a far larger margin.
But I have faith in Dr Rassie. He knows more than I do. Bring on 2027 😁
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