A NAGGING HEADACHE

James Broadhurst is not the first rugby player prompted to retire by the effects of concussion, nor is he likely to be the last.

When the 29-year-old All Black opted for avocado fields ahead of rugby fields, those close to him might well have breathed a sigh of relief.

And some not so close too – people such as relatives of former All Black Nicky Allen, who died playing club rugby in Australia in 1984, when just 26.

One of the most talented of first fives, Allen died after a catastrophic head injury which followed a series of playing-related concussions.

All Blacks coach Steve Hansen last year likened star first-five Beauden Barrett to Allen, such is the mark the slick-running Aucklander left in a comet-like career.

An injury replacement on the 1980 tour to Australia, and then to the northern hemisphere, he looked set for a long international career.

Two tests – both in which he played well – was it.

Instead, Allen turned into a rugby globe trotter. He popped home to Auckland in 1983, got hurt and headed to Australia, where his life ended as a consequence of a heavy tackle.

It was a shock, a shocking loss to the game, and a message to rugby players the game they loved could be dangerous.

Here is a sample of players forced to quit their sport:

CUT SHORT

LEON MacDONALD: Former All Black MacDonald quit in 2010 after a serious concussion suffered playing for Kintetsu in a pre-season game in Japan. He played for Canterbury, the Crusaders and 56 tests for the All Blacks. His wife said she was relieved he had finished playing because she worried about him getting injured towards the end of his career. Now coaching.

SHONTAYNE HAPE: Played league for the Kiwis and 13 rugby tests for England. He estimated he was concussed 20 times in his professional league career, but it was rugby that hurt him most. He was knocked out twice in two weeks for his club London Irish. ‘‘Concussion on concussion. That was the big one for me, the worst I’ve ever felt.’’ Listening to music became unbearable for the some time DJ, sunlight gave him headaches, his tolerance of children evaporated, his marriage suffered. After further head blows in France, his brain function was found to be just over special needs.

STEVE DEVINE: A pugnacious 80kg halfback, Devine quit in 2007 aged 30, on medical advice. The 2002 All Black opted to spend time with his young family, rather than take more risks. ‘‘Headaches, fatigue and memory loss are ongoing problems for me and after several weeks of delayed recovery, tests and scans, the final decision was one I didn’t want to hear, but I realise it is for my own good,’’ the Blues half said at the time. KANE BARRETT: Brother of Beauden, Scott and Jordie, Barrett was fashioning a solid career at the

Blues when he took an elbow to the jaw at training in 2014. He has made brief appearances for his Coastal club and the Blues development side since but has ongoing problems, so has not been seen at top level since. ‘‘It’s the most frustrating thing I’ve come across because you just don’t know how long it’s going to be.’’

BEN AFEAKI: A former All Blacks prop, he quit in April 2015, after concussion playing for the Chiefs against the Crusaders. Afeaki, who played one test for the All Blacks in 2013, was hit by three concussions in as many years, rendering him dizzy and nauseous.

CRAIG CLARKE: Clarke captained Chiefs to the Super Rugby crown in 2012 and 2013. His career ended at Connacht in June 2014, following a reported 10 concussions over 22 months. He was just 15 games into a three-year contract in Ireland. He was 30. Clarke now farms in Taranaki.

SHANE CLEAVER: Former Taranaki and Chiefs prop who didn’t want to admit how serious his concussion problems were for fear of having to end his career. He forced to admit defeat aged 26 in 2013, after an Auckland specialist ‘‘told me to get out while I still can, especially if I want to have a good life.’’ Now farms in Taranaki.

DAVID BRIGGS: Still getting headaches 13 years after he retired as a Chiefs prop, and Tongan international. ‘‘I had heaps of concussions. I suffered depression big-time from those head knocks. I don’t think I will ever be right. I accept I will have depression for the rest of my life and a lot of memory loss. I go to the fridge and think, ‘Shit, what did I need?’’’. Lives in Hawke’s Bay.

OVERSEAS

JONATHAN THOMAS: A double Grand Slam-winner with Wales, he retired in September 2015, after epilepsy thought to be linked with multiple head injuries. He played 67 times for Wales, and quit the game on medical advice at the age of 32.

BUBBLING UNDER

KIERAN READ: All Blacks’ captain Read has accumulated concussions. He was sidelined for five Super Rugby rounds and two All Blacks tests in 2014. ‘‘I’d had concussions before and a week or so later you’re back to feeling normal. In that respect it was a lot different [this year]. Within that there’s different feelings that play on your mind around anxiousness, which can certainly play with your head. All those things together can make it pretty tough,’’ Read said when he returned that year.

RICHIE McCAW: All-time All Blacks great McCaw was concussed about six times in his long career, maintaining he was lucky to retire unscathed from long-term damage. If he felt unwell after a game he would regularly make himself unavailable. Medical professionals are less convinced he will have no permanent problems.