Smart move on mouthguards

– Super Rugby announced temporary changes to its “smart” mouthguard technology yesterday, with players no longer required to immediately leave the field for a concussion test if an alert is triggered.

Under a World Rugby rollout to be used in all elite competitions this year, players wear mouthguards fitted with sensors that measure “head acceleration events”.

Match-day medical staff monitor the mouthguards for alerts and can remove players from the game for head injury assessments, as occurred in the opening round of the Super Rugby season last weekend.

But the new mandatory safety initiative sparked criticism, with Canterbury Crusaders captain Scott Barrett describing it “a step too far” that could influence the outcome of a match when players are forced off the pitch.

Concerns were also raised by Scotland coach Gregor Townsend after briefly losing a second player in successive Six Nations matches as a result of a head injury assessment (HIA).

Super Rugby admitted to some “technical issues” in data being collected and transferred from the mouthguards.

In a statement, it said players would still need to wear them this weekend “but will not be required to immediately leave the field for an HIA when their mouthguard triggers an alert to pitch-side doctors”.

Instead, players will be checked by an on-field doctor and only leave for an HIA if there are concerns. If a player passes an onfield check, they will still be subject to a full HIA, either at halftime or full-time.

World Rugby will run further trials in round three. –