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'Elephant in room' - Biggar's role in second Test questioned over latest HIA
By Ian Cameron
Dan Biggar's participation in the second Test of the British & Irish Lions series in Cape Town has been called into question by a concussion advocacy group.
The Lions secured a 22 - 17 victory over the Springboks but Biggar shipped a heavy knock and was removed for an HIA, from which he didn't return.
After an excellent game, the pressure is now on for Biggar to return to the cauldron but Progressive Rugby, an advocacy group for mitigating concussion in rugby, has called into question if he should return.
"So... Elephant in the room Dan Biggar. Great player. Ultimate warrior. Vital to Lions. Reportedly HIA 1st Test. Says he’s “fine and already buzzing” for 2nd.
"But problematic concussion history. Red hot topic after damming DCMS report. Will he pass return to play protocols in 6 days?"
Warren Gatland has issued an update on Biggar, saying: "Dan got a knock and he has to go through the HIA protocols, he’s passed his first one.
"He’d be non-contact early in the week and wouldn’t take part in contact until Thursday if he’s selected."
It won't be the Lions' first concussion drama on tour, with former England scrum-half Kyran Bracken lambasting management for allowing Exeter Chiefs' Luke Cowan-Dickie play a week after sustaining a brutal KO that left him unconscious for a minute in the Gallagher Premiership final.
As Progressive Rugby, who are championed by Bracken, point out, Biggar's issues come just days after a damning report by the DCMS into concussion in the sport.
It also comes after a new study that shows playing elite rugby could lead to changes in brain structure. Over one-fifth of elite players involved in Imperial College’s Drake Rugby Biomarker Study showed signs of abnormalities to the brain’s white matter.
Rugby Players’ Association chief executive Damian Hopley admitted the report’s findings “will scare certain players”.
Rugby Union, lead by World Rugby, is undertaking unprecedented and world-leading measures to reduce the impact of concussion on players but it's an issue that continues to dog the sport. A lawsuit is being taken in the UK by upwards of 175 players who suffered the ill effects of brain trauma as a result of playing the sport at an elite level.
The Lions team will be named on Tuesday at 10am BST.
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Go to commentsThat's it. No issue with England playing a pressure game and kicking a lot... But they do all the hard work to get to the right areas of the field and are then clueless how to convert. They leave so many points out there. As you say SA or England 2003 play that brutal, conservative game but they played heads up and knew when and how to attack. This England team haven't got a clue. All this talk of England being so close to a good side because they've narrowly lost 3 times to the ABs is a joke. England have no attacking identity and they haven't for years... As you've eluded, what is Wigglesworth even being paid for? There is a gaping void where any attacking intent should be. I imagine him stood in front of a giant whiteboard that says "box kicks" and "drop goals"
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