NORTH IS OUT OF FIRING LINE
NORTHAMPTON yesterday ruled George North out of their game against Clermont Auvergne on Saturday and sent him to see a neurosurgeon.
The Wales and Lions wing has been removed from the firing line by his club ahead of the biggest game of their season to date following his third alarming head injury in the space of two months.
The 22-year- old was knocked unconscious when struck by Wasps No 8 Nathan Hughes’s knee as he was scoring a try at Franklin’s Gardens last Friday night.
Having opted to act in the best interests of their marquee player — despite the importance of a Champions Cup quarter-final in France — the Saints have taken an encouraging step in response to fears about North’s long- term health.
Instead of merely abiding by the minimum, six-day return-to-play protocols, the Aviva Premiership champions have erred on the side of caution.
‘ In theory we could consider him,’ said Jim Mallinder, Northampton’s director of rugby.
‘If it was his first one (head knock), then we would be considering him if he passed all the protocols and was available. Seeing as it’s not his first, then it’s the sensible thing to take specialist opinion.
‘We won’t play him at the weekend. Clearly he had a nasty knock. It was unfortunate. He did get knocked unconscious for a very short period of time. We’ll listen to what the neurologist says. He’s the expert. As always we’ll listen to his advice.’
In Tuesday’s Sportsmail, former Scotland full back Rory Lamont — who has suffered the after-effects of concussion injuries — called for the Welsh icon (left) to be rested for six months, saying: ‘It’s a complete disgrace that it has got to this stage. George has been let down.’ He was not the only voice raising the alarm, but the Saints are aggrieved that distant observers are weighing in with comments without being completely aware of the specifics. Mallinder called for a calm, meas- ured assessment of the situation.
‘There’s been lots of opinion over the last few days in particular,’ he said. ‘We’ve got to be careful that we don’t blow anything out of proportion.
‘It’s a tough game. George has said that himself. We’re always going to have incidents, but player welfare will always come first. There’s a balance to it. We’ve got to make sure we don’t get hysterical about it, but we are sensible. Clearly there are players who, if they’ve had a knock, need time off to make sure that their bodies recover. A head injury is no different to any other type of injury.
‘You can’t just stop people playing rugby. People who play the game understand that there are inherent dangers.
‘Players are now very well looked after and I think it’s probably not at the senior level where you need to worry. It’s probably a little bit lower down, maybe schoolboys and junior rugby, where players don’t get as well looked after as ours.’
In reference to last Friday night’s incident, Mallinder stressed that North had considerable medical support, in contrast to how it used to be in rugby — when attitudes were very different.
‘It’s something now in the game which has improved,’ he added. ‘It’s brilliant. Straight after the incident the players recognised it (the severity of the injury).
‘We’ve got two doctors available, physios available — and they know exactly what to do.
‘It’s not right, but I remember playing 30 years ago and your touch judge was the man who looked after you and basically you got a sponge on your head and you were back out if you could walk.
‘ Clearly the game is much improved for what we’ve got now. I’m not concerned for him (North). We’ve got to look after him.’
On Tuesday night, Hughes was banned until April 28 for his ‘reckless’ actions — colliding with North when the try scorer was on the ground, unable to protect his head.
The sanction has divided opinion, with Wasps players incensed by what they regard as an unduly heavy-handed punishment for an offence which the disciplinary panel accepted was not malicious.
Asked if he had any sympathy with Hughes, Mallinder initially refused to comment, but added: ‘I said at the time I think it was a redcard offence. I still do.
‘Therefore the disciplinary process has taken place and that’s what he’s got.
Meanwhile, Wasps will make a statement this morning over whether they will appeal Hughes’ ban. After receiving the full written judgement explaining the decision yesterday, the club last night stated: ‘We’ll consider our options and make a decision in the morning.’