IRFU should make brave call on Sexton and Ryan
Intense focus on brain injuries gives Irish rugby perfect opportunity to make a stand
JONATHANSEXTON’S health is now a recurring headache. As he currently proceeds through the benignly titled ‘return to play’ protocols which the Irish team management hope will free him to play against France this weekend, this much is fact, not fiction.
Sexton’s health is a concern ahead of the next international game because of injury.
This would not usually be such an extraordinary topic of conversation were this any ordinary player. Or, indeed, any ordinary injury.
But neither of these are the case. Jonathan Sexton is an Irish sporting legend and globally, at least in those far reaches where the oval ball game is popular, his name evokes a reverence that transcends ancient rivalries.
As a captain, what he says and does on the field matters. When he leads, others follow.
And what he says and does off the field matters too.
Showcase
This is why the IRFU’s significant salary is augmented by sponsorship deals with Aer Lingus, recruitment firm CPL, Laya insurance, Lexus and Mace, all combining to showcase the best of Irish sport on the field and the best of Irish life away from it.
We may personally decry the asinine appellation of “role model” but it is too late; for some time now, the Dubliner has been appointed an ambassador for positivity and only a cold-hearted, caustic cynic could deny his over-whelmingly positive inspiration to so many.
His influence is so far-reaching that it has also earned him the unconditional acceptance of his peers, despite manifold on-field battles, due to his invitation to the Council of the International Rugby Players’ Association.
Indeed, he is held in the highest possible esteem within those ranks.
“Spearheaded by our Council President Johnny Sexton (Ireland), we want to ensure that those making the important decisions put player needs front and centre,” their website says.
Now the president may have an important decision to make himself before taking to the field against France on Sunday. It is at once a decision which not merely relates to this match but all the others he has played and the ones he would still like to play in the future, too.
And, given the terrifying testimonies from some men who are only a few years retired from this increasingly physical pursuit, we must be reminded that such decisions can also have more profound consequences, too.
That we are still largely unaware of these consequences, or unable to precisely determine their cause, does not deflect from our anxiety; if anything, it heightens the sense of unease, specifically in relation to injuries of the head.
Even doctors differ on the topic, to which reams of theoretical dissertations on the subject can attest.
It is precisely the absence of certainty which makes every single concussive blow to a sports man or woman’s head so frighteningly unfathomable. Rugby persists with what it determines is best practice, encasing its laws with added player protection and its medical protocols with increased scrutiny.
Protect
Nothing is left to chance, it seems. And yet nothing can protect against mere chance, either.
Sexton will also be as keenly aware as anyone that a survey, conducted by his organisation, and published in Rugby World magazine, unearthed the worrying fact that nearly a third of players admitted they’ve hidden symptoms in order to progress through the ‘return to play’ protocols after suffering a concussion.
Some anonymous players surveyed reported that they felt under pressure from others to complete the process.
“These decisions need to be taken out of the hands of players,” said the International Rugby Players CEO Omar Hassanein at the time and World Rugby have continued to update their policies and procedures.
But sometimes the optics of a situation demands attention, rather than being distracted by mere words on a page.
Even if one momentarily disregards Sexton’s history, it does not look or feel right that either he – or fellow Leinster man James Ryan, for that matter – should be even considered
It is the absence of certainty which makes every concussive blow to a head so frighteningly unfathomable
for selection this weekend after what he experienced last Sunday.
In a brutally punishing game where five separate Head Injury Assessments were demanded, the two required by Wales ensured that their players did not return to the field and will also not do so this weekend.
What is the difference? A day, according to the Return to Play Protocols.
But even these are flawed, as the only thing we know about brain injuries and rugby is that there is so much that we don’t know about brain injuries and rugby
If some doctors claim that the brain does not return to normal until 30 days after a concussion, how can one possibly play a game of rugby in just seven days?
World Rugby’s best medical brains have designed this system, as well as the brief assessment periods during games where players who receive head knocks are assessed before a possible return.
And yet some of the world’s best medical brains virulently disagree with the manner in which concussion is currently dealt with at elite professional level.
Conflicting
Covid has taught us that not only Liveline listeners but esteemed medical practitioners can have conflicting solutions to serious issues. Doctors differ and patients comply. Meanwhile, a growing number of former professionals, slowly and literally losing their minds, are beginning a lengthy battle to make somebody in their sport accountable.
Which brings us back to the headaches facing Sexton and Ryan, one which extends far beyond the realm of an 80-minute match, but one which has much broader concerns.
Many deem it courageous for these soldiers to go into battle once more; others will be chilled at the prospect.
Perhaps the best course of action is for the IRFU to remove the responsibility from their shoulders and announce their withdrawal.
A bold call but perhaps the bravest one of all.
It won’t remove concussion from the sport but at least removing these concussed players from their game might present a more palatable image to the public than the frightening images witnessed last Sunday.