THE FEAR FACTOR
‘I worry young players are ignoring the risk of head knocks when they’re trying to win a contract,’ Barclay tells Sportsmail. ‘It should not be left to the players to decide if they are fit’
Proudly framed and displayed on the wall of John Barclay’s Edinburgh home is an array of his Scotland caps. His first and 50th, three from World Cup matches. There is also one specially created in honour of him playing a half century of European games.
They are a reminder of his incredible career that includes captaining his country, winning the Pro14 title with Scarlets and being part of the Killer Bs — Barclay, Kelly Brown and Johnnie Beattie — one of the greatest backs rows in recent Scottish history.
But as Barclay recalls his career highlights, he admits he sometimes asks himself what price will he have to pay for a lifetime of bumps, bruises, aches and pains.
Roy laidlaw’s revelations in Sportsmail that he had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s struck a chord with him, just as they did with many of the rugby brotherhood.
‘I am absolutely fine just now but I have had my share of head knocks and concussions in the past and you wonder what lies ahead,’ says Barclay, the father of three rumbustious boys.
‘You hear stories like roy’s and others I have heard about, like Bobby Charlton in the England World Cup team from 1966 getting dementia in football — and you wonder.
‘It is something I think about when it comes to my career. In fact, it is maybe the one thing on my mind above all other things rugby-wise regarding injuries.
‘ I don’t really think about whether my Achilles is killing me, if my shoulder is sore, my wrist, whether my whole body is sore. The one thing I do wonder about, however, is my head. It doesn’t take up every thought, far from it, but it is there.
‘ You can deal with knee replacements, but it is much trickier when it’s terrible illnesses like Alzheimer’s or dementia.’
Barclay first experienced concussion as a 20-year-old.
‘ I was playing for Scotland under-21s and was unconscious for four or five minutes,’ adds the former Scotland captain, who retired from rugby two months ago at the age of 33.
‘I felt dreadful for weeks, months afterwards but was told that, after three weeks, I could play.
‘did I do that despite not feeling great? of course I did. Would I have done it differently looking back? Probably not because I was a young player back then.
‘I know many players who have felt like I did and played, so I can understand that. you have young guys playing for contracts, guys out of contract, guys who want to get picked for the national team.
‘You will get an opportunity because somebody else is injured. you live in that echo chamber and you don’t want to miss those opportunities but it is a very tricky thing to balance up and be objective about.’
Fast-forward to when he picked up a serious head injury playing for Scarlets when he went low to tackle Magnus Bradbury in a game against Edinburgh in September 2017. His reaction to passing all the return-to-play protocols was very different to the one from when he was a callow youngster.
‘ When I was at Scarlets, that was a tricky one because I passed all the tests,’ says Barclay ( right). ‘ I could have played but I was a bit older and a bit wiser, so I knew it was not the smartest thing to do — so I didn’t. ‘A 20-year- old version of me would probably have returned to play. That is where it gets tricky, as I know players who have felt like that and have played, but I knew I was still suffering. ‘ But, and I don’t say this l i ghtly, I would probably break the rules I have just stated if I was a young player. That’s because rugby is the most important thing in your life as a young man. yo u do feel invincible. ‘I f elt much different on the subject as a young player compared to when I was a 30-year-old. My mindset towards rugby and head knocks over a decade or so had changed. you realise you are not invincible as you get older.
‘I was single then and now have a wife and family. My priorities changed.’
Barclay believes the rugby authorities should always be striving to improve the way head knocks are dealt with but also feels players have to be true to themselves on the subject.
‘My 100-per- cent message to players still involved in the game is: “If you don’t feel right, don’t play”, he insists. ‘don’t lie and say you are okay even if you pass the return-to-play protocols. you must always take the power out of players’ hands when it c o mes to return to play in these situations. There should be no decision-making by the player. He should be told you are able to play or you are not.
‘I am not saying I know how you do that but it would be the perfect scenario. rugby is doing a lot to deal with head knocks and there has to be something or someone that tells you to stop after concussions even if you pass the tests.
‘Be honest with yourself. until we get to that point, we will continue to be in the situation where people can cheat the system to the possible detriment of their own future mental state.’
Barclay is enjoying his new life as one of the most eloquent new media pundits around and has been hand-picked by the bosses at Amazon to provide analysis on all of Scotland’s games during the Autumn Nations Cup.
‘I am really looking forward to it. Scotland are in a very good spot just now but, as a player, I had been in a number of pretty good spots with Scotland in the past and it is important they kick on from this,’ he declares.
‘The Scotland defence was so frustrating to be part of because it was not that good for a year or two. Now it is great to see that defence frustrating other teams.
‘I look at the pack and Zander Fagerson is developing really nicely. He could be very special. Scott Cummings has come on to a game in the second row and the flankers, Hamish Watson and Jamie ritchie, are great. The foundations look really solid.
‘I don’t think we will learn much about the strength of the Scots pack against Italy as they should be too strong against them. The next weekend against France, we will learn a lot about how good it really is. That will be a real test.’
Autumn Nations Cup Rugby Union is coming to Amazon Prime Video, exclusively broadcasting 13 out of 16 matches from today, including the tournament finals. John Barclay will give expert analysis on Scotland’s away game against Italy live and exclusive on Amazon Prime Video today.