Today's rugby headlines amid questions over worrying Tomas Francis scenes and Mike Brown 'eats humble pie'

Here are this morning's rugby headlines following Wales' narrow 23-19 defeat to England

Wales have explained the decision to allow Tomas Francis and Owen Watkin to return to the field at Twickenham after a severe head collision in the first half.

Watkin was left bloodied and dazed, while Francis appeared to wobble on his feet, leaning against the posts after the incident. Both players left the field soon after, but returned having passed HIAs.

It surprised many, particularly with Francis having looked to be so troubled in the immediate aftermath.

Asked about what happened, Wayne Pivac said: “They go through some testing behind the scenes. They both passed the testing so they’re allowed to play on. They’ll go through more testing after and if they clear that, they’ll be allowed to train.”

Progressive Rugby, a new lobby group formed to ask for more to be done to protect the well-being of players, are among those to express surprise on social media at Francis' return.

Alix Popham, the Wales international suffering with early onset dementia as a result of rugby head injuries, has also expressed his concern.

Progressive Rugby is led by former Canadian international Jamie Cudmore, ex-England back-rower James Haskell, former Wales flanker Popham and senior medical figures from the game.

World Rugby rules state a player who shows signs of struggling to keep their balance after a head injury should be removed from the pitch immediately and not allowed to return. Francis initially stayed on the field before going for the HIA and then returning 10 minutes later.

Former England international Mike Brown admits he has to "eat a bit of humble pie" after he claimed not one Wales player would get into the England team.

Brown's comment