Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
DAWSON’S DEMENTIA FEARS FOR WORLD CUP WINNERS
Hero of 2003 triumph worried for health of team-mates after Bracken admits concerns
MATT DAWSON says he fears for the long-term health of more of England’s World Cupwinning squad after Kyran Bracken became the latest to admit concerns.
Bracken, who like Dawson played scrum-half during that victorious 2003 World Cup campaign, has admitted to suffering short-term memory problems.
Speaking to a parliamentary committee investigating links between sport and long-term brain injury, Bracken revealed he was concerned about the effects of repeated concussions during his playing days. His brave evidence follows a host of players from that era to raise concerns or worse with many, like Steve Thompson, diagnosed with early onset dementia or CTE (chronic traumatic encephalopathy).
“I haven’t been tested but I suspect that there will be more players like Kyran thinking I will just go and get checked because this doesn’t feel right,” said Dawson.
“And you know there may well be other cases too.
“I think a lot of rugby players of our generation, that early professional generation where the understanding of what contact and repeated contact in training was doing, will come forward.”
The onset of the professional era in 1995 saw training intensity race ahead of concussion protocols. Dawson believes it is that era who will suffer the most.
“It was such a significant change from Tuesday and Thursday night training for a couple of hours from seven till nine to then doing it every day,” he said. “That is where the spike will be.
“The RFU did improve the concussion reporting and protocols from
2000 with
Simon Kemp coming in as the doctor and filling out injury reports.
“Research that probably started goes back to 2000 but, of course, that takes time to filter through how you deal with training.”
Dawson also urged England rugby bosses to follow South Africa’s example and jettison Eddie Jones (below) to “supercharge” their World Cup campaign.
The RFU are conducting a debrief into England’s woeful Six Nations with Jones’s future at its heart.
But Dawson believes copying the Springbok’s strategy 18 months out from the next World Cup would be the most “progressive” step.
They made a late change, parachuting Rassie Erasmus in as coach after a string of bad results in March 2018, then charged to victory in Japan a year and a half later.
“I’m not sure even Eddie would see his removal as the nuclear option,” said Dawson.
“By his own admission a four-year cycle is probably right for a coach, so by now you should be bringing other coaches through. He should have a plan. We all know what a new manager or coach can do for a team.”
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