Northern Edition
Select Edition
Northern Northern
Southern Southern
Global Global
New Zealand New Zealand
France France

Two more players join concussion lawsuit against rugby authorities

By PA
Jason Hobson /Getty Images

Former England international Jason Hobson and retired Exeter Chiefs hooker Neil Clarke have joined the lawsuit against World Rugby, the Rugby Football Union and the Welsh Rugby Union.

ADVERTISEMENT

Hobson and Clarke are now among 175 former players who have started legal action against the governing bodies over their alleged failure to protect players from the risks of concussion.

Both men have been diagnosed with traumatic brain injury, early onset dementia and probable CTE (chronic traumatic encephalopathy) following their careers in the sport which ended in retirement in 2014.

Video Spacer

We predict the winner of the first Test:

Video Spacer

We predict the winner of the first Test:

They join the legal fight along with 2003 World Cup winner Steve Thompson, who says he has no memory of competing in that tournament for England, Michael Lipman, Alix Popham, Adam Hughes, Neil Spence, Dan Scarbrough, Lenny Woodard and many others who wish to remain anonymous.

Hobson said: “I don’t know what is around the corner and it does scare me. Your notepad wouldn’t be thick enough to list all the injuries I had.

“I knew there would be physical issues but not for one second did I think there would be a possible brain damage outcome of just playing and training.

“In 10 years I could be in a home. I could have full dementia, not just forgetting a few words here or there.”

ADVERTISEMENT

Clarke added: “I knew something wasn’t right [before the diagnosis]. My concentration levels, I was forgetting things, losing my train of thought, the constant ringing in my ears. All these little things would wind me up and I would lose my temper.

“This isn’t about a financial reward for getting brain damage by any means. But who knows how bad this is going to be? Who knows who’s going to be left on their own?”

ADVERTISEMENT

Toshiba Brave Lupus Tokyo vs Kubota Spears | Japan Rugby League One 2024/25 Final | Full Match Replay

Saitama Wild Knights vs Kobe Steelers | Japan Rugby League One 2024/25 Bronze Final | Full Match Replay

Boks Office | Episode 42 | Investec Champions Cup Final Review

Spain's Incredible Rugby Sevens Journey to the World Championship Final | HSBC SVNS Embedded | Episode 14

Australia vs USA | Pacific Four Series 2025 | Full Match Replay

New Zealand vs Canada | Pacific Four Series 2025 | Full Match Replay

South Africa vs New Zealand | The Rugby Championship U20's | Full Match Replay

The Game that Made Jonah Lomu

Trending on RugbyPass

Comments

0 Comments
Be the first to comment...

Join free and tell us what you really think!

Sign up for free
ADVERTISEMENT

Latest Features

Comments on RugbyPass

S
SK 14 minutes ago
The Reds' 'whimpering' exit shows Super Rugby scrums still matter

The Scrum remains a key platform in the game. There may be fewer set in SR Pacific and fewer penalties given but you cannot escape its importance and that is how it should be. The scrum cannot become an irrelevant thing in Rugby. It deserves its own space in the game however too much time is spent setting a scrum and thats where the refs need to be more strict. They need to demand effort from players and award 10metres or penalties if the scrums are not set fast enough by one team or the other. The sixty seconds to set will only help if its enforced strictly. The Refs in the Top 14, URC, Champs Cup and Prem have been too slack in adequately policing the times setting scrums. Too many teams simply dawdle at scrum time because they are on the back foot. Theres nothing more frustrating than watching a clock count down and players having a chat with the ref at scrum time or stand up because they packed in badly. Refs need to get serious on it. In 1995 scrums were set in seconds. The laws came in to make them safer but now its way too time consuming. I feel like too often refereeing is done according to feeling and not mandate. There needs to be consistent standards across the game. While SR referees will penalise a 9 for not using it in the 5 seconds it rarely happens in Europe. Andrew Brace did it this weekend to Embrose Papier but that was after like 10 seconds. The Refs need to get more assertive about time wasting and following the time limit guidelines and this needs to happen across all leagues at once. Only then will we have a game for all refereed at the same standard.

35 Go to comments
LONG READ
LONG READ Can Glasgow banish their Dublin ghosts? Can Glasgow banish their Dublin ghosts?
Search