Rugby evening headlines as inquiry into Wales match slammed as whitewash

Your rugby evening headlines for Friday, February 25.

The enquiry into the handling of Tomas Francis' head injury during Wales' defeat to England last month has been panned by lobby group Progressive Rugby.

During the game at Twickenham, the tight-head prop clashed heads during a tackle and was removed from the field for a head injury assessment and later returned to the having passed it.

The incident provoked a fierce reaction, with many feeling that Francis displayed symptoms that should have warranted his immediate and permanent removal.

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A review into the incident was conducted by a panel of experts, which included the Welsh Rugby Union's own doctor, Prav Mathema.

The review found that Francis should have been immediately and permanently removed from the field, rather than being subjected to a HIA.

The published report, which you can read more about here, states 'a number of factors' contributed to Francis' immediate symptoms being missed and, as such, no disciplinary action was taken.

“That Tomas Francis should have been removed permanently was never in doubt," a spokesperson for Progressive Rugby said.

“However, despite acknowledging Francis did suffer a concussion the panel have failed to address the fact Francis then passed a HIA and was allowed to return to the field of play.

“These potentially catastrophic errors clearly demonstrate the HIA process cannot be used to exclude concussion and therefore cannot be considered a suitable protocol for protecting players.

“Sadly, the focus of this enquiry would seem to be an exercise in the avoidance of apportioning blame rather than on the wellbeing of the players.”

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