SA Rugby to adopt Blue Card concussion system

In an attempt to adopt a zero-tolerance stance towards head injuries, SA Rugby will introduce a Blue Card concussion system in domestic matches.

This will be applicable for all domestic tournaments, including the Currie Cup, where the head injury assessment (HIA) is not in play. 

The HIA is only applicable to World Rugby approved tournaments and at elite professional level, in competitions such as Test matches, the United Rugby Championship, Champions Cup and Challenge Cups, and the World Rugby Sevens Series.

Locally, the HIA is not applicable at any other matches played, even at provincial level. Local tournaments are not World Rugby approved which means they don't meet the medical standards set for the HIA to be utilised.

In order to assure safety, SA Rugby has therefore adopted Laws 3.24 and 3.22 (c) or the 'Recognise and Remove' Law. 

It will be done in the form of a Blue Card system.

In situations where the Blue Card is applied, the referee will be required to physically show the card and the injured player will be required to leave the field, after which the case must be logged onto SA Rugby's online Blue Card portal.

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SA Rugby shows #concussion the blue card - more here: https://t.co/mk5wQuv4s0 ??@BokSmart pic.twitter.com/blqhPaXPRe

"Reporting these incidents is very important and must be done so that we can monitor concussions recorded at these levels across South Africa," Clint Readhead, SA Rugby's Senior Manager: Medical, said in a statement.

"If we don't know the true picture, we cannot know the true risk. So, this process is critical for continually improving our understanding of concussion events in the amateur game within South Africa. It is also