>> North smokescreen bad for other players
NORTHAMPTON’S attempt to shroud the crucial issue of George North being knocked out against Leicester last weekend in a fog of claims over TV footage not being available to their medical staff, has backfired spectacularly.
Northampton seem to get their shorts in a twist on a regular basis on the communications front, and none more so than in their handling of the unfortunate aerial challenge that led to their Wales and Lions star wing being knocked unconscious.
The decision by the Saints medical staff to allow North to return to the field for the rest of the match after he was knocked out in a seventeenth minute high-ball fall after colliding with Leicester’s Adam Thompstone, could have been disastrous for the health of their player.
This is exacerbated because North has a history of concussion, including being allowed to play on for Wales after being knocked out in the 2014-15 season. It was one of four head injuries he sustained in a five month period.
The fact that North was allowed to return to the pitch after passing a head injury assessment (HIA) was, according to a Northampton statement, because the medical staff had not seen “evidence of a loss of consciousness”.
By Wednesday, BT Sport, the broadcasters of the Leicester v Northampton East Midlands derby – who paid Premiership Rugby £152 million for a six-year TV rights deal last year – savaged Northampton’s claims.
They revealed that they provide live coverage to the medical staff of both clubs so that no cases of concussion are missed. BT Sport also pointed to the numerous replays of the incident shown on the big screens at Welford Road. To my knowledge there are also televisions in the Press room and in the lounges around the ground at Leicester that could have been accessed easily by Saints medical staff in the event that there was a problem with their TV footage.
The upshot is that most people, apart from the Northampton medical staff, and the Saints coaches and analysts, saw that North had been knocked unconscious in the collision. This has prompted a joint Premiership/RFU ‘Untoward Incident Review’ which could result in a charge of misconduct, or bringing the game into disrepute, if Northampton are found culpable.
The latest twist in the tale is the suggestion that a Saints pitch side video reviewer clipped 30 seconds from the live footage, which resulted in their medical staff being unaware of North being knocked out. The Untoward Incident panel is due to report this week. Those having to pick their way through the Northampton fog are Dr Julian Morris, a lawyer and concussion expert, Nigel Melville, the RFU’s professional rugby director, and Phil Winstanley, the Premiership’s professional rugby director.
However, what is already clear is that the medical protocols regarding concussion that the Premiership/RFU thought were in place are all over the shop. For the sake of the health of North, and other players, that must be remedied as a matter of urgency.