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'It was incredible, it proves that the system is still flawed'

Referee Aurelie Groizeleau (FedRugby via Getty)

Kyran Bracken thinks it’s high time rugby got its house in order. The former England scrum half believes concussions are not being dealt with properly and his frustrations were only compounded last weekend when head injuries were mishandled in two different England international fixtures.

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Italy was the setting for both incidents, the first involving England winger Jack Nowell at the Stadio Olimpico. After getting hit on the head in a tackle, Nowell was not immediately removed from the field for a HIA assessment. Instead, the referee rushed the initial medical examination which meant that Nowell remained on the turf. Minutes later the Exeter talisman was called in for an overdue assessment and subsequently failed his test, highlighting a huge oversight by the officials.

The other incident was not as widely televised but still left much to be desired. The England team in action this time were the U-20s and it was winger Deago Bailey who suffered the injury, landing on his head after being taken out in mid-air. He looked to be in serious pain after the topple and so independent doctors instructed the referee to send Bailey in for a HIA. The referee correctly adhered to the demands but the decision angered the English medical staff who disputed the call.

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      Luke Cowan-Dickie, Six Nations Review and Sinckler’s Sauna | RugbyPass Offload | Episode 21

      We’re joined by England’s Luke Cowan-Dickie this week as the Six Nations squads take a break after two rounds of action. We hear from the Exeter Hooker about his journey with England and the Lions, his relationship with Eddie Jones and of course that volleyball moment in Edinburgh during the Calcutta Cup. Max and Ryan give their thoughts on the weekend battles in Cardiff, Paris and Rome, pick their team of the week and look forward to the rest of the tournament.

      Since retiring from rugby, Bracken has joined Progressive Rugby, a lobbying group demanding better protection for players at all levels of the game. It comes as no surprise then that both events last weekend left Bracken incensed.

      “It was incredible, it proves that the system is still flawed,” Bracken told RugbyPass. “These were two different situations but both were very dangerous. The U-20s incident worries me because independent doctors were there. The referee should be applauded for how she dealt with it but the reaction from England’s doctors was dangerous.

      “What happened shouldn’t be called a concussion, it was a brain injury. The problem is the doctors were in combat mode, game mode. Any doctor I speak to says they would never let a player stay on with a head injury but it’s very different when you’re trying to win a game.

      “The pressure on medics and coaches to have the best players on the pitch is huge. Doctors employed by clubs know that the most important players in the side need to stay fit. That’s why we need the independent doctors. They don’t have skin in the game.”

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      Unfortunately, medical experts were not the only characters at fault for the mistakes made last weekend. Referees were too.

      “Nowell’s brain injury was bad in a different sense,” Bracken said. “The game was restarted and the referee let the player stay of the pitch. I sympathise with the referee in the sense that it took far too long to get on with the decision but he got the call wrong. He should have forced the player off regardless, straight away.

      Jack Nowell
      Jack Nowell /PA

      “We don’t want to delay the game but if the independent doctors aren’t happy, then a player needs to come off. If he’s alright and he passes his HIA, then he comes back on.”

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      Even though Nowell remained on the field for a short period of time after sustaining his head injury, he still could have suffered serious physical repercussions. To push this point, Bracken draws comparison with the case of Ben Robinson, a schoolboy rugby player who received multiple blows to the head in 2011. He stayed on the field and subsequently died as a result of these physical ailments.

      Luckily Nowell did not stay on the pitch long, but the oversight to even keep him on for a short while shows that rugby still has much to learn. And this does not just affect the professional game, but the amateur arena as well.

      England RWC departure
      Paul Grayson (right) with his bags packed for World Cup 2003 along with Dan Luger, Kyran Bracken, Julian White and Stuart Abbott (Photo by Warren Little/Getty Images)

      “How does a coach in the eighth division treat a head injury,” questions Bracken. “I coach at club rugby level and have seen so many instances where a player isn’t right and just carries on.”

      That is why Bracken wants law setters to introduce the blue card system. It would give referees the power to remove players from the field which they felt were suffering head injuries. The change which Bracken and his compatriots at Progressive Rugby want to implement does not stop there.

      Further suggestions include reducing the number of substitutions available – excluding the front row – introducing a database which tracks players with hits to the head and lowering the amount of contact drills exercised in training sessions.

      “I think we can do simple stuff that can make it safer,” Bracken said plainly. “It’s not difficult. We’re trying to point out the anomalies.”

      One of the big talking points around this subject at the moment is the class action lawsuit being raised by former league and union players against World Rugby and the RFU for gross negligence. Although Bracken suffered head injuries during his career, he has abstained from joining the suit, believing that the legal claims will delay the implementation of positive change in rugby.

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      “World Rugby are notoriously slow at decision making and will not want to change the laws too much,” he said. “And can they really change everything without admitting they have liability? That’s why I think the legal case is holding it back.”

      Bracken wants change now, especially as it seems to be so evasive at the moment. Only last year, Exeter hooker Luke Cowan-Dickie was knocked out cold in the Premiership final but then a week later returned to the field to play for the Lions. To highlight the lunacy of this, Bracken references the boxing bout between Amir Khan and Kell Brook this morning.

      “Imagine if Brook gets knocked out, is unconscious for fifty seconds and then turned around and says he was having a fight the next week. There would be an outcry. Why is it different in boxing? Well, it’s because they’ve had deaths in the ring.”

      Bracken’s point is a clear one – is rugby blindly waiting for the worst to happen?

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      P
      PM 32 minutes ago
      Why Henry Pollock's x-factor could earn him a Lions Test start

      I have been following Lions tours for the last 30 odd years and I can’t remember one feeling as flat as this one, so your damp squib comment is a fair one.


      I think there are a few reasons for this;


      1) The opposition isn’t that strong this tour and hasn’t generated the normal excitement and uncertainty for the tests, most people are expecting 0-3 (which has never happened in living memory before).


      2) The growing discontent within the fan base at the number of “outside BIL “ born players in the squad is a growing issue. The import issue has reached saturation point with some fans and is a bit negative element to this tour (will improve as nation switching becomes harder).


      3) The rugby so far hasn’t been great and the tactics to date are not very exciting. People expected more from Andy Farrell and his Lions team.


      4) Lions management have scored some own goals with the selection and subsequent call ups. It should have been the best 44 players from the start of the tour but the recent call ups have been underwhelming and damaged the Lions brand for some fans.


      5) This tour would have been better if they merged Australia with Argentina and the Lions played Fiji as a warm up game to give the Pacific Nations a better chance of exposure and glory to grow the game. This is the sort of innovative thinking they need to bring out the magic of the Lions brand and create an exciting experience for all.


      What’s become clear is the next tour needs to be an exciting one before people forget how magical a Lions tour can feel and the Lions brand is damaged to the point of questioning why it continues. The writing is on the wall, so lets hope the Lions see it and correct some of the above by the next tour.

      102 Go to comments
      P
      PM 1 hour ago
      Why Henry Pollock's x-factor could earn him a Lions Test start

      Nick,

      I am a long suffering England fan, who has had to endure watching 4 years of dull rugby, poor selections and painful defeats. Steve Borthwick talks about GPS and picks squads by numbers and then we put in a poor performance on the pitch - it’s been a consistent trend.


      Something changed in the Six Nations and we totally changed our style (literally overnight) and played some really good footie, which finally felt like positive rugby for a change.


      Genge has regained his pore-Covid form and is looking back to his best and is head and shoulders above Porter.


      Chessum has had a good year and hasn’t played a poor International game this season.


      Tom Curry was outstanding in the 6 Nations but they have been playing him at 6, wheras he is better at 7 and is lethal at the breakdown.


      Tom Willis was brought into the starting team at 8 and has been one of the best England players over the last year, who should have been on this Lions tour at 8. Earl had his best game since 2020 last week - not sure 1 game warrants Lions selection over a poor combination side and he is certainly second choice for his club 7 country behind Willis.


      Pollock will be a good player but like all young emerging players, he is inconsistent and can go quiet in games, which is why Curry should be the starter at 7. He brings energy to games, which is why he is good from the bench but there is an argument to say he is the 5th best England openside (Curry x2, Underhill & Earl are currently better) but will improve over the next 5 years. We just need to stop the media building him up for a fall, let him play and develop and you will see a sensational Henry Pollock for the Lions in 4 years time.


      Lions will be too powerful over 80 mins, so doesn’t really matter who they pick. Just please don’t put too much hype on Pollock. His 20 mins of International rugby going into this tour were positive but the media caused a frenzy and no other player would be selected on this basis.


      Let’s enjoy the rugby and give Pollock the space and time he requires.

      102 Go to comments
      LONG READ
      LONG READ Why Henry Pollock's x-factor could earn him a Lions Test start Why Henry Pollock's x-factor could earn him a Lions Test start