Rugby’s head injury protocols in spotlight after England’s win over Wales

Rugby’s head injury protocols have come in for renewed criticism after England’s 23-19 Six Nations victory over Wales on Saturday, with the player welfare group Progressive Rugby highlighting what it calls “systematic failures” in the process.

In the 19th minute at Twickenham two Welsh players, Tomas Francis and Owen Watkin, were involved with a collision with England’s Charlie Ewels as he charged for the try-line. The contact left Francis in particular showing signs of concussion. He was clearly dazed, and suffering with ataxia, symptoms that, according to World Rugby’s protocol, require a player to be immediately and permanently, removed from the game. But he played on.

The lobby group Progressive Rugby, a group of current and former players, medics, coaches, and researchers who are campaigning for improvements in player welfare, have sent an open letter to World Rugby, the Wales Rugby Union, and the Six Nations about the incident.

“Progressive Rugby have contacted the WRU, WR and Six Nations in relation to what we regard as systematic failures in dealing with the welfare of Welsh prop Tomas Francis during England v Wales,” said a spokesman for the group. “In our view, Francis clearly presented symptoms that required his immediate and permanent removal, and that employing the Head Injury Assessment process, from which the player subsequently returned, was a clear breach of World Rugby’s HIA protocol.”

Watkin, who was left bleeding heavily from a cut on his brow, went off to have the wound treated, and came back on 10 minutes later. A player requiring a head injury assessment (HIA) is meant to be off for a minimum of 12 minutes. Francis initially stayed on, and was about to take his place in the front row of the ensuing