World Rugby extends sit-out period for players with concussion

LONDON : World Rugby has changed its Graduated Return to Play (GRTP) protocols which will now require elite players with concussion symptoms to avoid playing for a minimum of 12 days, the sport's governing body said on Monday.

World Rugby added that no player will return earlier than the seventh day after their injury, even if they show no symptoms, and their return will have to be approved by an independent concussion consultant.

In most cases the new protocols, which will come into effect form July 1, are likely to prevent players from returning to action for their team's next game the following weekend.

The protocols were amended following the latest review of scientific evidence and research by World Rugby's independent Concussion Working Group, and officials said the changes were not in response to "external criticism" of some recent high-profile cases where seemingly concussed players returned to action within a week.

"It's not just a new protocol, it's going to be a new mindset for coaches and players," World Rugby's chief medical officer Dr Eanna Falvey said in a statement.

"We recognise that there are differences in concussion symptoms and concussion history and this process enables us to further protect elite players by individualising their rehabilitation."

In 2020, a group of former rugby players filed a class-action legal case against World Rugby and other governing bodies, alleging that their failure to protect them led to early onset of dementia.

The latest move on the recognition and treatment of concussion goes hand-in-hand with the game's attempt to cut down the frequency of incidents that cause it.

In recent seasons there has been a radical shift in what is now deemed dangerous on the pitch, with yellow and