France’s use of HIA protocols under investigation

Six Nations rugby officials plan to investigate the use of head injury assessment protocols to see if France benefited during their tournament-opening loss to Ireland.

Questions will be asked after HIA protocols allowed France to replace first five-eighth Mathieu Jalibert and substitute halfback Antoine Dupont left the field in Paris on Sunday with what appeared to be knee injuries.

Six Nations Rugby Ltd confirmed an investigation would be held.

‘‘Depending on their findings, Six Nations Rugby Limited will be considering the next steps in respect of those incidents,’’ SNRL said in a statement.

France coach Jacques Brunel said the ‘‘players did have knee injuries, but the independent doctor decided on the HIA’’.

The Guardian newspaper said when Dupont went down in the 76th minute ‘‘it was clear he had hurt his right knee’’.

‘‘When [referee] Nigel Owens stopped the game he tapped his head to signal a suspected head injury. That appears to be the source of the confusion.

‘‘Later, Owens could be heard pedalling back on that assessment

and then, when the French medics tending to the player confirmed that the injury was to Dupont’s leg, Owens became embroiled in discussions with the fourth official and [Jonny] Sexton, Ireland’s captain, confirming the diagnosis of

the match doctor, who was never present on the field, that Dupont was going off for an HIA.’’

The Guardian writer, Michael Aylwin, said it was a significant because France were able to bring starting halfback Maxime

Machenaud back for the final minutes under the HIA protocols.

He noted 19-year-old Jalibert’s debut was cut short earlier ‘‘when he, too, hurt a knee in collision with Bundee Aki’s.

Again, the verdict from the match doctor was HIA.’’

France were investigated last year after props were changed late in their win over Wales.

They were reprimanded for not following HIA protocols, although the Untoward Incident Review Group found there was ‘‘no clear evidence’’ France had ‘‘tried to obtain a competitive advantage’’.

However, The Guardian noted that: ‘‘Unlike last year, France can be absolved from suspicion [in the Ireland match] because in both cases their medics in attendance could be heard confirming the obvious – that the players were suffering from leg injuries.

‘‘Jalibert’s head also collided with Aki’s hip, so that HIA call was plausible, but in neither case was the match doctor on the field or able to talk to Owens directly, a situation that will surely be investigated in the review.’’