North decision panned by players
Players have crash-tackled English rugby’s decision not to sanction Northampton Saints for sending Welsh star George North back on to the field after concussion.
The decision has been widely criticised, with one former international branding it ‘‘a disgrace’’.
The rugby players’ union (RPA) and a brain injury charity also took issue with the conclusion of a three-man RFU panel that the club did not deserve punishment for wrongly allowing North to resume playing after being concussed in a premiership game against Leicester this month.
Their findings have prompted a fierce debate about player welfare, with former South Africa international Alistair Hargreaves, who was forced to retire earlier this season following concussion, expressing outrage.
‘‘Is that what we call player welfare? What a depressing day for rugby,’’ the former Saracens captain wrote on Twitter.
He said the decision made by CMRG (Concussion Management Review Group) ‘‘is a disgrace’’.
Former England flanker Lewis Moody also believed the RFU was wrong not to punish Saints.
’’For there to be an outcome saying he shouldn’t have been allowed back on the pitch, but for the club not to have been sanctioned - what message does that send to the other clubs?’’ he said.
Canada’s Jamie Cudmore, a veteran of four World Cups, tweeted: ‘‘Who is accountable in @Worldrugby and pro clubs when their players are put back on the field after suffering concussion?!’’
Cudmore has experience of being sent back on the field with concussion. He is taking legal action against French club Clermont Auvergne, claiming team doctors allowed him back on the field after he suffered a serious head injury against Saracens in the 2015 Champions Cup semifinal.
He played against Toulon in the final a fortnight later, was knocked unconscious two minutes into the game, vomited in the dressing room and was allowed to return to the field.
The CMRG, set up by England’s governing Rugby Football Union (RFU) and Premiership Rugby, made nine safety recommendations for new procedures to govern future incidents.
These were welcomed by the RPA but it also felt an opportunity had been missed to send out a clear statement about player welfare.