Leicester may face concussion review over Ryan
Leicester Tigers may yet face scrutiny from an independent concussion review group after the club did not subject flanker Dominic Ryan to a head injury assessment during their 24-11 defeat by Northampton on Saturday at Franklin’s Gardens.
The former Leinster flanker made a cover tackle on George North in the 52nd minute with Leicester trailing 17-13 and stayed down after his head appeared to collide with the Wales wing’s elbow. However, following an assessment from two Tigers medics with referee JP Doyle in close attendance, the 27-year-old joined the subsequent scrum and completed the match.
Ryan had come on for an injured Brendon O’connor in the opening seconds of the second half. Matters were complicated for Tigers because
Ryan was hurt while Mike Williams was serving 10 minutes in the sin-bin.
Williams was a temporary replacement for Graham Kitchener, who had left the field for a HIA and so options to cover for Ryan’s absence were limited. Should the RFU feel Ryan’s incident merits further action, Leicester would have 48 hours to respond.
Meanwhile, Harlequins have announced that fly-half Demetri Catrakilis, whom they signed from Montpellier this summer suffered a broken bone in his throat during Saturday’s win over Gloucester but will not require surgery.