https://www.progressiverugby.com/media daily 0.75 2024-09-06 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/1629386014037-SOE6ODRSRJ4Z6VU8SAX1/jpr-williams-1978-pic-getty-image-1-852993295.jpg Media https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/1629386133040-M8PH0AAT27QQAG8CCR6V/skysports-sam-warburton-wales_4366010.jpg Media https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/1629386211952-YCIYOSUXM4GLW7X69OU3/1200px-MichaelGreenPhoto.jpg Media https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/1629386303637-1D8I6PP7CE2PAUN92JCG/Matt_Dickinson.jpg Media https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/1629386616529-YKUZ6T1V3IZO7GWWZT8T/Eddie-Jones-UMBRO-2_trans_NvBQzQNjv4BqK0mYf2VwxQYstt3cSxB0aHfpnWbeOL36ilAGv1Rc-VI.jpg Media https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/1629386679157-RA7VION2RWR6YC7F5O3S/john-fairclough-155516844.jpg Media https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/1629386899425-CPKUYARBOK847ZDAS1DU/Edwards_72_Scotland_rdax_80.jpg Media https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/1629387009799-1A9VZVGYX5O189WS1SPC/1022.6666666666666x767__origin__0x0_Warren_Gatland_Wales_v_Ireland_Six_Nations_2016.jpg Media https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/1629387225795-4QHBVZOI3V4E4QX50GPS/Stuart-Barnes.jpg Media https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/1629387306874-X894LZ607H0II3GDFMD2/_90985967_longstaff_diff_getty.jpg Media https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/1629387452110-WT438AAN5F1WCJLY93JB/Philippe-SA.jpg Media https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/1629387621468-PUCRESHA7RJGWCAK1EP1/article-1203822-03388969000005DC-462_306x385.jpg Media https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/1629387728731-32MK8Z0C9BDEUEP2YFW4/_methode_times_prod_web_bin_14ba04bc-fc1a-11e9-837f-79f312a00fbd.jpg Media https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/1629387813983-OFOV5NZJTVIJ7MP0Y3XU/image.jpg Media https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/1629388073972-9OOZ8RDB7Y2D049527WG/XH3UDALNH4JNCV75NXMYCY7GDE.jpg Media https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/1629386133040-M8PH0AAT27QQAG8CCR6V/skysports-sam-warburton-wales_4366010.jpg Media https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/1631428882709-UH3SBK7EO5F1RR3KPIZ4/stefan-lehner-fqrzserMsX4-unsplash.jpg Media https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/1634063775111-VJLPRP3LME4GA15HG07B/CF.jpg Media https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/1634064365695-5BIFGHP32P41WHX2OEAJ/Gareth-Davies-WRU-chairman-PA.jpg Media https://www.progressiverugby.com/media/josh-jones-former-great-britain-forward-diagnosed-with-probable-cte monthly 0.5 2025-06-25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/0b7b89e7-b54c-44b3-a3c5-c8d1eb77f93b/skysports-josh-jones-huddersfield-giants_6643742.jpg Media - Josh Jones: Former Great Britain forward diagnosed with probable CTE - Make it stand out Jones, 31, retired last year due to concussion-related issues shortly after being released by Betfred Super League side Huddersfield. He had previously played for St Helens - with whom he won the Grand Final in 2014 - Salford and Hull. CTE, which is thought to be linked to repeated head injuries and blows to the head, slowly gets worse over time and leads to dementia. Jones posted on X: "My friends and family, after a challenging few months I wanted to share that I have been diagnosed with stage 2 chronic traumatic encephalopathy. "The news has come as a shock for me and my family and has brought significant changes to my life and the lives of those closest to me. "My family and I appreciate your support through this difficult period. Much love, Josh." Leyland-born Jones, who toured New Zealand and Papua New Guinea with Great Britain in 2019, made 283 appearances in his senior rugby league career. He also had a short spell in union with Exeter. He played just four games for the Giants in 2023 due to injury and stepped away from the game at the end of the season, beginning a new career as a financial adviser. https://www.progressiverugby.com/media/england-centre-guy-porter-retires-aged-27-due-to-concussion monthly 0.5 2025-06-25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/1a3a67fe-95dc-4f37-9dcd-319be698d802/Guy+Porter.jpg Media - England centre Guy Porter retires aged 27 due to concussion - Make it stand out Porter left Leicester at the end of last season, having last played for the club against Northampton in the Premiership back in November. He was last capped by England against Wales in a warm-up match ahead of the Rugby World Cup last year, but was not selected as part of Steve Borthwick’s squad for the tournament in France. Porter told rugbydump.com: “I had a particularly long-term injury from November which I struggled to get back from. I spoke to a few doctors and neurologists along the recovery journey and tried to work it out in my head, but ultimately, I’d decided that I’d pushed it as far as I’d like to. It was bound to have an impact on my approach to the game, and I only really enjoyed it if I was willing to put my head in the spokes. As soon as I felt like I didn’t have the desire to do that I realised it was probably time to move on while I was still feeling positive about it. “I finished my contract and in the context of all that, I just decided not to look for anything else because I felt like the ongoing risk outweighed my desire to continue.” https://www.progressiverugby.com/media/hobsons-life-fell-apart-before-dementia-diagnosis monthly 0.5 2025-06-25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/07182239-666f-4e68-a5ad-3ea6a6b06273/Hobson.jpg Media - Hobson's 'life fell apart' before dementia diagnosis - Make it stand out The 41-year-old retired from rugby in 2014 before undergoing cognitive tests and brain scans years later that showed damage. Hobson is among the lawsuit brought by hundreds of former players against rugby's governing bodies for negligence, and failing to protect them from injury, claiming that the sport caused them brain damage. "My life literally started falling apart, everyone thought it was just post-rugby but I was four, five years retired so for it to come out then seemed a bit strange," Hobson told BBC Radio Bristol. "I went off the rails in certain ways." Hobson made more than 100 appearances for Bristol across two spells during his career. The front-rower began his career with Exeter and also spent two years with Wasps. He received his only international cap with England in 2008. Hobson initially was not aware of the lawsuit until he spoke to a solicitor and went and had tests in 2021. Hobson said "a lot of the damage was all done" by the time he received his diagnosis, following his separation from his former partner. "To get diagnosed after was a bit of a relief because you kind of know it wasn't just you being an idiot, there was an actual reason to it," Hobson said. "And then you can work towards a common goal, to keep your health and wellbeing." He added: "I'm not going to live in the past. [I will] keep moving forward and live it as far as I can with my boys." Hobson believes his era in rugby was "quite brutal" and says that training was relentless. Three years ago, when Hobson confirmed he was joining the lawsuit, he said a notebook "would not be thick enough to list all the injuries I had". He said he feels rugby is becoming safer today, although there is still work to be done. "I think they are working towards it but that's why I'm banging that drum," Hobson said. "To try to make parents and schools and teachers and coaches and those age groups - and senior players - to look after their children and players and be an advocate for the unfortunate consequences of having too many brain collisions." BBC Sport has contacted the Rugby Football Union for comment. World Rugby, the RFU and Welsh Rugby Union previously said in a joint statement that "player welfare is rugby's top priority and will continue to be so". The governing bodies added rugby is committed to "leading the welfare agenda" in sport and is driven by "evolving science and research to protect and support players at all levels". https://www.progressiverugby.com/media/the-worrying-biological-changes-found-in-rugby-players-who-suffered-several-concussions monthly 0.5 2025-06-25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/838c1830-313d-4546-bf75-6bf42590b93d/Joost_Twitter_tribute_620_395_s_c1_top_top.jpg Media - The worrying biological changes found in rugby players who suffered several concussions - Make it stand out Researchers discovered that players who have had five or more concussions during their careers have higher levels of certain proteins in their blood that are linked to conditions including MND and Alzheimer’s disease. Scientists hope the discovery could one day lead to a “toolkit” to monitor former players. The study comes after it emerged that former All Blacks player Norm Hewitt died aged 55 with MND. Leeds Rhinos star Rob Burrow died last month at the age of 41 after a four-and-a-half-year battle with the disease. The new research set out to examine differences in specific biomarkers between UK-based retired rugby players with a history of concussion and a group of athletes who had not suffered head trauma around seven years after they had retired from sport. Researchers, led by academics from Durham University, looked for biomarkers in the blood linked to MND, Alzheimer’s disease and chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). Information on 30 retired male athletes – including both rugby league and rugby union players – who suffered more than five concussions during their careers was compared to data on 26 retired sportsmen who had no history of concussion. All of the sportsmen were taking part in the UK Rugby Health project. Significantly higher levels of specific proteins called serum t-tau and tau-p181, which play a role in the development of Alzheimer’s and MND, were found in the group who had suffered concussions compared to the healthy control group, according to the study, which has been published in the International Journal of Molecular Sciences. Rugby players who had been concussed in their career also had lower levels of a so-called retinoid transport protein called RBP-4, which plays a role in the development and functioning of the brain. Academics said that if blood can be tested and monitored for these specific proteins, it may be possible to diagnose athletes early for neurodegenerative diseases and provide early interventions. The researchers are trying to secure funding to carry out a follow up study with the players. Senior author on the study, Professor Paul Chazot, from Durham University’s department of biosciences, said: “The long-term effects of concussions on rugby players, football players, boxers as well as retired military personnel is a major concern, because of the link to neurodegenerative diseases. “This study gives us the beginnings of a biomarker toolbox to periodically monitor the brain health of retired contact sportspeople, particularly those with a history of concussion during their career. “It will also pave the way for the introduction of the necessary interventions to minimise the development of future neurodegenerative disease. We have a range of interventions currently in advanced stages of development.” Co-author, Dr Karen Hind, honorary fellow at the Wolfson Research Institute for Health and Wellbeing at Durham University, initiated the UK Rugby Health study. She added: “This is a crucial development in the field and we’re calling for sustained efforts to define the pathways leading to concussion-induced neurodegenerative diseases. “Thanks to the research team and all who took part in this important study. Despite the lack of external funding, the UK Rugby Health project continues to make significant contributions to the field.” Commenting on the study, former Welsh international rugby player Alix Popham, who has been diagnosed with probable chronic traumatic encephalopathy and early onset dementia, called for more to be done to protect rugby players. Popham, co-founder of charity Head For Change, said: “This is more evidence that big changes need to happen to protect current rugby players.” Jessica Lee, director of research at My Name’5 Doddie Foundation, added: “The Durham University study has identified potential biomarkers (measurable proteins in blood) elevated in rugby players who suffered concussions. “These results are preliminary, and the sample size is small, so it’s important to approach results with caution. However, it will be interesting, with further research, to understand if these biomarkers correlate with disease outcomes. “As part of our Catalysing a Cure research strategy, My Name’5 Doddie Foundation funds numerous research projects with the hope of identifying new targets for future MND treatments – including the investigation of links between sport and MND – and ongoing support from the public in funding this research is essential in our efforts to one day find a cure for this devastating disease.” Dr Amanda Heslegrave, senior research fellow at UCL’s UKDRI Fluid Biomarker Laboratory, said: “The long-term effects of repeated concussions like those that can be suffered during a sporting career are an area of important research for public health. “This paper aims to further this research by measuring proteins that are indicative of brain health or injury in blood in retired sportsmen who suffered repeated concussions during their career. “The sample sizes here are very small – and made smaller when you look at the sub analyses so I do think we need to exercise caution when interpreting results and I would want to see a much bigger study before I would want to draw any conclusions.” Dr Brian Dickie, from the MND Association, said: “This is a small but intriguing study which raises very pertinent questions about whether there are long-lasting effects associated with repeated concussion, but these preliminary findings will need to be followed up with larger studies in more representative populations.” https://www.progressiverugby.com/media/south-africa-agree-player-welfare-plan-to-secure-currie-cup-can-go-ahead monthly 0.5 2025-06-25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/0eefe7d2-ee15-4d28-88b4-81252fc6b5bc/currie-cup-player-welfare.jpg Media - South Africa agree player welfare plan to secure Currie Cup can go ahead - Make it stand out This follows protracted negotiations between SA Rugby, the SA Rugby Employers Association (Sareo) and the professional players organisation (MyPlayers) and the acknowledgement that it is impossible to accommodate a simultaneous eight-week rest period for professional players in South Africa. This is due to South Africa’s players featuring in a number of different competitions, in the northern and southern hemisphere, for 12 months of the year. Sareo and MyPlayers have accepted that a 12-month season exists and that more individualised, player-specific rest periods should be adopted to ensure player welfare. The new deal provides for: • Structured, individualised eight-week rest periods for all players with formal notice periods when such breaks are to be taken; • Adoption of World Rugby player load guidelines which are in finalisation; • Maintenance of a strict, individual player load monitoring programme; • Broadened scope for the Joint Committee on Contracted Players’ Safety and Welfare and utilisation of the Emergency Committee to ensure effective implementation of the new arrangements and; • Adjusted travel arrangements for Vodacom URC/EPCR teams from 1 July 2025. The original award cast doubt on the possibility of accommodating the Currie Cup in the current season so as not overlap with the United Rugby Championship. However, the Currie Cup Premier Division will kick off as scheduled in the first weekend of July (in a revamped format agreed by the General Council in December), while the First Division will spring into action this weekend with three matches scheduled for Saturday. “This has been a very fruitful process, and the outcome is that we have collectively faced up to the realities of our post-COVID calendar and come up with a solution for a problem unlike any other sport that I am aware of,” said Rian Oberholzer, CEO of SA Rugby. “Every sport, everywhere has an off-season, but we have found a way to balance the equation of maintaining our competition schedule to drive revenues for 12 months of the year, while securing player welfare. We might have had to go through an arbitration to help concentrate minds, but the result is a good one. “The importance of player welfare was never in doubt. The challenge was to find ways to accommodate all needs. I’d like to thank MyPlayers and Sareo for constructively working their way towards this solution.” https://www.progressiverugby.com/media/rugby-league-legend-rob-burrow-dies-aged-41 monthly 0.5 2025-06-25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/67b04642-020d-498c-a836-55bbb05e4a13/_129712921_robburrowpa.jpg Media - Rugby league legend Rob Burrow dies aged 41 - Make it stand out Burrow, who was 41, had lived with motor neurone disease (MND) since being diagnosed in late 2019. The diagnosis came just two years after he retired from playing, following a stellar 17-year career that included winning eight Super League Grand Finals, three World Club Challenges and two Challenge Cups. Burrow's death was announced by Leeds Rhinos, who called their former scrum-half "a true inspiration throughout his life whether that was on the rugby league field or during his battle with MND". In 2022, Burrow was presented with the Helen Rollason Award at the BBC's Sports Personality of the Year ceremony, with his ex-Leeds team-mate Kevin Sinfield also recognised. Burrow was given the award for relentless fundraising and raising awareness of MND while battling the illness himself. Burrow spent his entire club career with Leeds and made more than 400 appearances between 2001 and 2017. One of the most successful rugby league players in history, Burrow was made an MBE in the 2021 New Year Honours for his services to the sport and for his work in the MND community. Burrow and his great friend Sinfield were both made CBEs in the 2024 New Year Honours. The pair have helped to raise more than £15m for MND charities since Burrow's diagnosis. Burrow struck a defiant tone on learning he had MND. "The worst thing for me is people pitying me," he said. "I know it's going to come, but I want to be as normal as ever. "While I am able-bodied and feel fit and strong and healthy, I want to do normal things and not be treated any differently." In announcing his death on Sunday, Leeds said of Burrow: "He never allowed others to define what he could achieve and believed in his own ability to do more. "The outpouring of love and support that Rob and the whole Burrow family have received over the last four and a half years meant so much to Rob. "In particular, the rugby league family and MND community have rallied around Rob to inspire him, thank you for your support. "For those who knew Rob throughout his life, his determination and spirit in the face of MND over the last four and a half years came as no surprise. "Rob never accepted that he couldn't do something. He just found his way of doing it better than anyone else. "He will continue to inspire us all every day. In a world full of adversity. We must dare to dream." https://www.progressiverugby.com/media/billy-guyton-becomes-posthumous-member-of-progressive-rugby monthly 0.5 2025-06-25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/9e6574e4-b75e-455b-91d5-9587382706ed/Bill2.jpg Media - Billy Guyton becomes posthumous member of Progressive Rugby - Make it stand out Billy, who retired due to concussion in 2018, tragically took his own life aged just 33 in May 2023, after suffering with ongoing issues that affected his mental health. The former Hurricanes, Crusaders and Blues and Māori All Black scrum half had suffered with numerous symptoms, and had been particularly crippled with anxiety, depression, mental confusion, light aversion and serious memory lapses. Billy’s dad John and mum Stacey, said they believed Billy would have wanted to support anyone looking to better protect players against the potential long-term consequences of repetitive brain injuries. “Billy loved the game and we know he would have been proud and excited to have represented a group striving to ensure both the players and the game can have a long and healthy future,” John said. Having the foresight to donate his brain to science, pathologists examining Billy’s brain following his death found Stage 2 Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE), a degenerative brain disease neuroscientists believe is linked to repetitive brain injury and contact sports. The revelation made Billy the first New Zealand professional rugby player to be diagnosed with CTE and sent shockwaves through the rugby community. Professor John Fairclough at Progressive Rugby said: “We set up Progressive Rugby because of growing concerns for the brain health of players following their career. It’s stories like Billy’s that fuel our drive to keep lobbying governing bodies for the off-field changes that can mitigate the risk to players at all levels of this wonderful game.” https://www.progressiverugby.com/media/father-of-three-dies-from-head-injury-sustained-in-auckland-club-rugby-game monthly 0.5 2025-06-25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/e45f9e9c-7531-448a-bdad-15abdfd8745a/Cory+Heather+2.jpg Media - Father-of-three dies from head injury sustained in Auckland club rugby game - Make it stand out Cory Heather, 33, was airlifted from Te Puru Park in Beachlands to Auckland City Hospital in a critical condition, the Auckland Rescue Helicopter Trust said. He died on Sunday evening, the day after he was injured, according to a Givealittle page set up to support his wife, Rachel Hurcombe, and children Stevie, 5, Benji, 4, and Louie, 1. The Givealittle page called Heather a “much-loved partner... hands-on father... and a cherished friend to so many. A bright spark who lead an exceptional life and will be so dearly missed.” It can be accessed at: Support for Rachel Hurcombe and her family - Givealittle Beachlands Maraetai Rugby Club said in a Facebook post that Heather had “passed away as a result of an accident” at Te Puru Park. “Cory was a much-loved member of the Senior Under 85kg team, the Club and wider community,” said club president James Gemmell. “The club is heartbroken by Cory’s passing. His family, friends and teammates, all have our love and support. We understand the accident will have been traumatic for many involved, including the opposition, match officials and spectators.” In a statement, New Zealand Rugby CEO Mark Robinson said: “On behalf of New Zealand Rugby, I would like to share our deepest condolences and love to Cory’s family. Our thoughts are also with the Beachlands Maraetai Rugby Club and the local region who will be feeling the immense loss of a much-loved member of their community. “Please know that all of New Zealand rugby is with you. NZR is providing support alongside Counties Manukau Rugby Union and the New Zealand Rugby Foundation.” https://www.progressiverugby.com/media/concussion-forces-ex-mori-all-black-player-teihorangi-walden-to-retire monthly 0.5 2025-06-25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/6c8e7cf8-87e6-447e-bc66-cc98448e2789/teihorangi+walden.jpg Media - Concussion forces ex-Māori All Black player Teihorangi Walden to retire - Make it stand out “The end of an era – all good things must come to an end,” Sports News Taranaki reported. The most recent concussion happened at a Taranaki training earlier this year. “My decision to hang up the boots has not come easily but it is one that I know is right for me and my whānau,’’ Walden stated. “Concussions have been a recurring theme throughout my career and is definitely not something to take lightly.” Walden had also suffered a Achilles injury when playing for Taranaki, which resulted in him being sidelined for a long period. He began his career for Otago while studying at university and went on to play 46 games between 2013 and 2017. He returned to Taranaki in 2018 and is one game short of 50 caps. During his stint for Taranaki, Walden lifted the Ranfurly Shield off Canterbury in 2020 and the championship division trophy a year later against Otago. He also played six matches for the Māori All Blacks from 2017 to 2019 and made 39 appearances for the Highlanders between 2016 and 2020. While he was named in the squad in 2015, the year the Highlanders lifted the Super Rugby trophy for the first time, he spent the season on the sidelines with Malakai Fekitoa, Richard Buckman, Jason Emery and Shaun Treeby the midfield options at the time. He also played three matches for the Hurricanes in 2022. Last season, he played a season for the New York Ironworkers in the Major League Rugby competition. “I have never been fortunate enough to represent some epic provinces, my whānau and my country and each time I wore those jerseys, it was an honour and a privilege,” Walden said. “The memories I have made on and off the field will stay with me forever – the victories, the defeats, the brutal battles, and the moments of joy.” He thanked those who have been a part of his rugby journey including team-mates, coaches, supporters and family. “You guys are a massive reason why I played the game.” https://www.progressiverugby.com/media/thompson-rugby-is-still-flogging-the-players-until-they-fall-apart monthly 0.5 2025-06-25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/8fab2b88-2945-4f0c-a2c0-1478eac8298c/steve-thompson-dr-hilary-jones-440nw-14438825ad.jpg Media - Thompson: Rugby is still “flogging the players until they fall apart” - Make it stand out The Progressive Rugby member said while it’s accepted rugby will never be safe, the failure to reduce the playing and training load on the players demonstrated that claims player welfare was the number one priority was lip service. Thompson, 45, who has no memory of the RWC2003 and has been diagnosed with early onset dementia and probable chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a brain disease thought to be caused by repetitive brain rattling from impacts to the head and body. The father-of-four made the comments on ITV’s Good Morning Britain, when asked whether rugby could ever be a safe sport. “It [rugby] is not gonna be a safe sport,” he said. “But when it comes to the CTE aspect of it and the repetitive head injuries, they are coming from the training as well,” and pointed out the introduction of a new World Club Cup will stretch an already congested calendar to breaking point. “They say that looking after the players is their number one priority, but they are just about putting another world tournament [together] for clubs,” he said. “Players are going to be playing all year round, they are going to be training all year round and that's where it [the damage] happens.” Thompson, who won 73 England caps (2002-2011), noted rugby's current schedule was significantly longer than that of the NFL which stretches over 17 weeks plus up to four weeks in the play-offs and where coaches are only permitted to schedule 16 contact sessions each year. “American football is on for three to four months and they are resting for the rest of the year,' Thompson said. “That doesn't happen in rugby, they are just literally flogging the players until they fall apart.” Thompson is one of 328 ex-players taking legal action against World Rugby, the RFU and Wales Rugby Union after suffering dementia symptoms in a group that includes his former international team-mates Phil Vickery and Mark Regan. Ex-Wales stars Gavin Henson, Lenny Woodard and Ryan Jones have also joined the legal action. The claimants are seeking damages as they argue World Rugby, the RFU and WRU were negligent and failed in their duty of care by not putting in place any reasonable measures to protect their health and safety. The legal claimants are seeking damages but also change in the sport they played to protect the players of today. https://www.progressiverugby.com/media/legendary-rugby-league-star-wally-lewis-appeals-for-concussion-and-cte-awareness-support monthly 0.5 2025-06-25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/312b08fd-2cba-4074-a7c8-c270900a7c34/wally-Lewis.jpg Media - Legendary rugby league star Wally Lewis appeals for concussion and CTE awareness support - Make it stand out Wally Lewis, dubbed “The King” when he played rugby league for Queensland state and Australia in the 1980s, made an appeal on behalf of the Concussion and CTE Coalition for millions of dollars in funding during a National Press Club address Tuesday. The 64-year-old Lewis said he’s living with probable CTE, which he described as a type of dementia associated with repeated concussive and sub-concussive blows to the head. Lewis, who worked for decades as a television sports anchor after retiring as a player in the early 1990s, relayed his own experience to get his message across. “The fear is real. I don’t want anyone to have to live with the fear and anxiety that I live with every day, worried about what I’ve forgotten ... the fear of what my future will look like,” Lewis said. “And living with the constant fear and anxiety that I’ll let people down – the people who all my life have been able to rely on me and looked to me for my strength and leadership.” Lewis led Australia’s Kangaroos in 24 international matches, was among the original players to popularize the annual State-of-Origin series, and was included in Australia’s Rugby League Team of the Century in 2008. The National Rugby League has honored him as a so-called “Immortal” of the game. Yet his memories of it aren’t clear. He started playing rugby league as a young boy and also played rugby union at an elite level before embarking on a professional career in rugby league. “It’s a journey marked by the twin shadows of fear and embarrassment, a journey through the fog of dementia and the erosion of my memory,” he said. “I once had the confidence in myself to succeed, lead a team to victory, captain my country, remember the strengths and weaknesses of opposition teams, organize myself each and every day and feel well and truly in control of my life. “Now, much of that confidence has been taken away from me by the effects of probable CTE dementia.” Lewis said better community awareness on concussion was needed and prevention programs, including a sharper focus on tackling techniques from young players through to professionals. Awareness of CTE and concussion has grown since players in contact football sports, including the National Football League in the United States and rugby union in Britain, launched concussion lawsuits. The Rugby World Cup took place last year against the backdrop of a concussion lawsuit in Britain that had similarities to one settled by the NFL in 2013 at a likely cost of more than $1 billion. CTE, a degenerative brain disease known to cause violent moods, depression, dementia and other cognitive difficulties, can only be diagnosed posthumously. It has been linked to repeated hits to the head endured by football, rugby and hockey players, boxers and members of the military. “As Wally Lewis I have influence – I have a platform – and I intend to use it at every opportunity to bring about change for all Australians like me who are impacted by CTE,” Lewis said, “and to do whatever I can to protect the brains of Australian children from CTE.” https://www.progressiverugby.com/media/wales-rugby-launch-trailblazing-technology-to-track-impact-of-menstrual-cycle-on-concussion monthly 0.5 2025-06-25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/1253a044-789d-4704-b926-9c791b3e52e7/Vodafone.jpg Media - Wales Rugby launch trailblazing technology to track impact of menstrual cycle on concussion - Make it stand out It is the first time ever that data on head injuries and menstrual cycles has been viewed side-by-side, with the hope it will improve the way players are treated. The technique, which is being used by the union's strength and conditioning team, has never been used before outside of research studies. It also allows concussion data to be captured more frequently and analysed faster, according to the WRU. Previous research has suggested hormone variation may lead women to suffer a higher rate of concussions, as well as having more severe and prolonged symptoms than men. The University of Birmingham said changes in hormone levels during the menstrual cycle play a key role. Jo Perkins, Head Physio of the WRU women's squad, said: "Through a menstrual cycle there's a fluctuation of Estrogen and Progesterone and with that can give a variety of symptoms throughout a cycle. "In terms of concussion, there's potentially some research that suggests if a player is concussed in the luteal phase, the later phase after ovulation, that symptoms may be more prolonged, and more severe in some athletes." She added: "There's also some evidence that suggests it can disrupt a cycle, cause an irregular cycle or miss a cycle. I think it's important that we as a medical team understand that." Over the past year, players have been using the application PLAYER.Connect to track their wellbeing. A new feature on the app will also allow them to track concussion symptoms. John Mulcahy, PLAYER.Connect Performance Consultant said: "We're tracking twenty-four symptoms here, as well as then asking them to give an overview on how they feel. "Think about a players life day to day, it's very cognitive, so if mentally we can make sure that their recovery is tracked, it can make that part easier." Wales Women's Captain, Hannah Jones, has been using the app to log her menstrual cycle. She said: "Once you gather up that information, you understand the different phases. In phase two, for myself, I can really push myself in the gym and I feel good. During phase three, I pick up illness and I don't sleep very well." By logging her symptoms, Hannah says they have now been able to put a plan in place which best suits her cycle. "During phase three, I increase my carbs, maybe in the gym I'll ease off a little bit and make sure rest and recovery is key so I don't pick up colds and flus." Head coach, Ioan Cunningham, said the information gathered every day through this technology has allowed them as a team to adapt players' training plans. He said: "The players' health is far more important than a single game, so if a player needs an extra week, they will have an extra week." https://www.progressiverugby.com/media/i-had-no-idea-i-was-leading-my-little-boy-to-an-early-death monthly 0.5 2025-06-25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/97b9cc03-02f3-40fd-8a58-4439ce87e52b/Billy+guyton.png Media - “I had no idea I was leading my little boy to an early death” - Make it stand out The clock started ticking as soon as Billy Guyton died. “The faster we can get the brain the better,” says Professor Maurice Curtis, the deputy director of the Neurological Foundation’s Brain Bank. Five years earlier Billy Guyton, a professional rugby player, had pledged to donate his brain after too many concussions forced him to retire from the game he loved. “We aim to have the brain in the brain bank or preserved in some way within 24 hours,” says Curtis. “We want to get the brain set and to study the brain cells in exactly the way that they were when the person died.” Billy Guyton died of a suspected suicide in his Nelson home in May 2023. He was 33 years old. “His lowest point would be probably in the last months of his life,” says his dad, John Guyton. His oldest son was crippled with anxiety, depression, mental confusion and serious memory lapses. “He had a wall cavity in his wardrobe where he had a hole cut out of the wall. And he’d sit in there, it was about three foot wide,” says John. “He just couldn't handle the light, couldn't handle life. And just used to sit in there until he could try and pull himself together to come out.” Ten months later, Professor Curtis told John and the rest of the whanau that they’d found Stage 2 Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy or CTE, a degenerative brain disease neuroscientists believe is linked to head knocks and contact sports. It was a diagnosis that shocked Curtis. “To see even low-stage CTE in a young person is significant because we know it's progressive, it will lead to dementia. And so that's impacting on a young person's life, when they are dreaming and aspiring to do the next thing.” Billy grew up in Waimate, South Canterbury, and you can see why there was no way he was ever not going to play rugby. “This is Nana Stelle,” says John, standing in front of a large mural of a grey-haired woman pinning sky blue Waimate rugby jerseys to a washing line. “She washed the Waimate rugby jerseys for 35 years. She’s Billy’s great grandmother.” Guyton blood and bone is part of the soil and green grass of Manchester Park, the local rugby ground. “We’re on our sixth generation of rugby players, the young ones now,” says John. "So yeah, we’ve been here for a long time.” He had Billy down at the park as soon as he could, at four years old. “You could barely see his legs, his big, long socks, baggy shorts,” says John. "An incredibly proud day, to me that was my little All Black, he was coming and that was my son.” John has the long lean body of a man who once sheared 500 ewes in one day. He’s lived a life, but his voice breaks often when he talks of his son. “That day was incredible, but in saying that I had no idea I was leading my little boy to an early death.” https://www.progressiverugby.com/media/launch-of-irish-brain-health-service-with-world-rugby monthly 0.5 2025-06-25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/0f479675-7dfc-4efa-85f1-d93cafb37c97/bhs.png Media - Launch of Irish brain health service with World Rugby - Make it stand out Ireland is the first country in the world to launch the new initiative which is available free of charge. The first of its kind, the service includes an awareness and education component, an online questionnaire and tele-health delivered cognitive assessment with a trained brain health practitioner. This service assesses players for any brain health warning signs, provide advice on managing risk factors and signpost anyone in need of specialist care. In 2021, World Rugby launched its six-point plan to become the most progressive sport in the world on player welfare. A key pillar of that strategic direction was a commitment to support former players. The Brain Health Service is therefore a big step towards fulfilling that ambition. It sits alongside the use of new technology for current elite players such as smart mouthguards and trials of a lower tackle height in community rugby across Ireland and around the world. Funded by World Rugby, the Brain Health Service, has been developed using independent and scientifically proven examination techniques. Participants are required to fill out an initial questionnaire before proceeding to an online consultation with a trained brain health practitioner. Players who do not display any warning signs are supported with the most up-to-date advice on keeping their brain health in-check and will also be advised of Rugby Players Ireland’s broad range of services which are available to past players. These include mental wellbeing support, personal development initiatives, career guidance and community engagement opportunities. Chief Executive Officer of the IRFU Kevin Potts said: “The IRFU is pleased to see the collaboration between World Rugby and Rugby Players Ireland in offering this service to former players. Player welfare is central in all that we do, and this initiative underscores the commitment to supporting those who have dedicated themselves to the sport, ensuring their continued wellbeing long after their playing days.” https://www.progressiverugby.com/media/world-rugby-reveal-plans-to-improve-tech-for-identifying-concussion monthly 0.5 2025-06-25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/d8ed4ac5-d52a-49ca-922e-ba1170ecfc6d/skysports-mouthguard-kevin-naiqama_5281728.jpg Media - World Rugby reveal plans to improve tech for identifying concussion - Make it stand out The technology that measures head acceleration events and informs the matchday doctor if a player should depart for a head injury assessment is being phased into elite level rugby. The men’s Six Nations was the first competition to use the mouth guards followed by the women’s championship and they will be adopted by each professional league and tournament as they start. “So we’d have a scenario where, if an impact threshold is exceeded for a player, the mouth guard will light up and other players and the referee will be able to see that. “That’s a futuristic approach to this, but it could be a direction that has a lot of promising scope for the community game, helping to identify those players who need an assessment and/or to be removed from play.” Another barrier to the technology being used more widely is cost, but this could effectively be driven down to the cost of replacing gum shields when required. “The company that we are working with at the moment, Prevent, will probably have the ability to recycle the circuit boards in the mouth guard,” Falvey said. “This means that if you have a kid who is playing and who has a mouth guard, there’s a possibility of using the same circuit board in a new mouth guard each year. “That would significantly reduce the cost of replacing it. So essentially you would be reducing it to the cost of the mouth guard, not the technology itself. “That creates the scope for this to be a very affordable piece of technology, more so than it is already.” Figures released on Tuesday by World Rugby show that in the recent men’s Six Nations the mouth guards produced 13 alerts for a possible concussion, of which three players failed the subsequent head injury assessments. An additional benefit of the mouth guards is that they enable data to be collected from every single head acceleration event, whereas previously it was only possible to measure when a player was withdrawn because of concussion at a rate of roughly one in 1,300 match contact events. Over time this data will be accumulated to provide guidance on playing and training loads, as well as providing patterns across playing positions and styles of play. https://www.progressiverugby.com/media/university-rugby-welfare-can-thrive-by-teams-creating-culture-of-care monthly 0.5 2025-06-25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/907a3b97-92d5-41fd-ade6-ff926e0860c3/Milo.jpg Media - University rugby welfare can thrive by teams creating culture of care - Make it stand out “When you’re our age you feel invincible, and sadly it can take something like this to realise that you’re not,” said UAE U19 international flanker Milo Bly, 22. “We also have to acknowledge that at university we often don’t have the medical support required at the game, so we need to create that culture of care ourselves. “That means, irrespective of how big we think a game is, looking after each other even down to simple things like considering whether your teammate should be driving and going on the beers after the game. “We had a nasty concussion in our last game and I’m proud to say after being diagnosed he took the decision to come off the beer while he recovers.” Milo, who has suffered three diagnosed and seven suspected concussions, is currently taking a degree in management and innovation at the University of Bristol. His brain health issues started last season when he returned to the field after taking a blow to the head and was then involved in a head-on-head collision in a tackle. “I’ve got zero memory of it, but apparently I was demanding I go back on the field,” said Milo, who captains the university’s DUHB team. “Weirdly I do remember the second collision, lying on the floor and staring up but it didn’t feel real. The next thing I knew I was in a car going to hospital.” Milo, who hails from Dublin, says the following week, which included a much-anticipated trip to London for an event with friends, is a blur. “It was weird. I wasn’t drinking but I couldn’t keep up with what was going on and they couldn’t understand anything I tried to say. It was frustrating and confusing.” In fact, it was more than weird. As well as suffering with headaches for four weeks, it was the start of an increasing anxiety that almost saw him leave higher education. “I hadn’t experienced it before and it definitely damaged my relationships with my girlfriend at the time and my friends,” Milo remembers. “I started to feel very isolated, and it took a very good friend to convince me that I should come back the next year and I’m glad that they did.” Milo had actually fallen in love with the sport in Abu Dhabi where his father had been given a job. “I was the fat, ginger-haired kid with a funny accent which nobody really knew what to do with,” he remembers. “But with rugby I loved it from the off. As long as you showed heart and effort it loved you back and I made a lot of brothers who I’m still in contact with today.” Milo’s aptitude for rugby was quickly apparent, and like so many he enjoyed the physical element of the game, tackling especially. He quickly progressed, enjoying 7s to, and while still 17 earned two U19 caps for UAE against Malaysia. “Japan absolutely thrashed us but it was a great experience to be part of it,” he said. “There’s no question in my mind that rugby offers incredible opportunities and I’d still recommend it to anyone. But it’s about being aware of the importance of our brain health and looking after each other. “I’m in the fortunate position of being captain and I won’t hesitate to tell a player to go off if I suspect they have been concussed. It’s just not worth it.” https://www.progressiverugby.com/media/australia-follow-uk-and-nz-by-introducing-3-week-stand-down-for-community-rugby-concussion monthly 0.5 2025-06-25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/a1999a17-3b7d-42dc-923b-7862dc46ce67/Oz+kids.jpg Media - Australia follow UK and NZ by introducing 3-week stand down for community rugby concussion - Make it stand out The updated Youth and Community Sport Guidelines bring Australia's approach to concussion in kids' sport into line with that of New Zealand and the UK amid growing concerns about the impact of head injuries. They state children and adults playing community sport should face a mandatory three-weak break if they suffer a concussion, and should be symptom-free for at least two weeks before making their return. The document also calls for clubs and schools to appoint concussion officers to manage the issue – not to provide medical diagnoses, but to instead ensure head injury protocols are followed. The AIS said the new stand-down periods are longer than those required by professional sporting bodies due to the comparative lack of access to medical care in schools and clubs, as well as the greater care required for young people whose brains are still developing. "It's important to manage all instances of concussion with an abundance of caution," AIS chief medical officer Dr David Hughes said. "A conservative management approach is needed for people aged under 19 who have growing brains and are at risk of prolonged recovery times, as well as for community sport where advanced health care support is often not available." https://www.progressiverugby.com/media/rfu-claim-england-player-welfare-at-heart-of-enhanced-hybrid-contract-plan monthly 0.5 2025-06-25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/29ea9d5c-d9e4-457d-9e09-60ca87ae9621/Owen.jpg Media - RFU claim England player welfare at heart of enhanced ‘hybrid’ contract plan - Make it stand out Outlining details of the enhanced “hybrid” contracts set to be offered to up to 25 players as part of the RFU’s effort to relaunch professional rugby in England next season, the director of performance, Conor O’Shea, revealed the union is examining ways to be “best in class” at supporting its players. Farrell has ruled himself out of contention for next year’s Six Nations, citing his mental wellbeing and that of his family, and it remains to be seen if he will play for his country again. Following that bombshell announcement, Kyle Sinckler predicted more England internationals would follow, adding: “I just think the support for the players, in general, if I am being blunt and brutally honest, could be a lot better. The support system could 100% [be better], from all over.” Farrell is still expected to be offered one of the hybrid contracts, which begin next season, and will enhance Steve Borthwick’s control over a core group of 25 players. Their club contracts will be supplemented by a fixed fee of about £160,000 per player from the RFU, enabling the England coach to have more of a say over things such as medical and conditioning programmes. The 25 players make up an “enhanced elite player squad” and will have their individual development plans reviewed monthly. O’Shea said: “We just want to support [Owen] and all the time are looking to improve the wraparound care for players. That is the most important thing. It is getting more and more difficult and febrile to operate in some of these environments, so it is something we need to look at really carefully to make sure we are best in class when it comes to that.” The enhanced contracts are the most significant aspect of the new professional game partnership (PGP) between the RFU and Premiership Rugby, which is set to be finalised in the new year before coming into force next summer. Players will be offered enhanced contracts ranging from one to three years and, while Henry Arundell dealt the flagship scheme a blow by snubbing an offer in order to extend his stay with Racing 92, Maro Itoje and Jamie George are set to be the first senior England internationals to sign up. O’Shea was at pains to stress that an enhanced contract does not guarantee England selection. The players, for their part, previously had the potential to earn more via the £23,000 England match fees – assuming they were fit and ever-present for the national side – but crucially the enhanced contracts provide security in the event of injury. The group of 25 will sit inside a wider elite player squad of 50 – those without enhanced contracts will still receive one-off match fees if they play for England – while there will also be an “A” squad of 35, made up of the bottom end of the wider EPS and from recent under-20s graduates. England A play Portugal during next year’s Six Nations and the intention is to bring back regular fixtures for what was previously known as the Saxons side. A remodelled second tier, in place of the Championship, is also a key part of the PGP. The RFU wants a revamped league of up to 14 sides, allowing for the returns of Wasps, London Irish and Worcester, and is set to launch a tender process early next year. The current Championship clubs are invited to express their interest but have reservations over how much funding they would receive, the promotion and relegation mechanism to the Premiership and allowing three clubs that went bust to be fast-tracked back to the second tier. “What we have said is that we believe it should be an expression of interest which is open to all, to make it the best and most sustainable league with the best teams,” said O’Shea. “[The Championship clubs] are saying that if there are additional teams, it should be first past the post and second past the post from the National Leagues. We’ve said we will wait, get the report back then decide what is best for the game.” https://www.progressiverugby.com/media/rl-legend-denis-betts-backs-the-sports-new-concussion-measures-amid-backlash monthly 0.5 2025-06-25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/bb85e95c-ee6b-49a1-9e9a-e20aa81fbadd/Betts.jpg Media - RL legend Denis Betts backs the sport’s new concussion measures amid backlash - Make it stand out The 13-a-side code is introducing a raft of changes from under-6 level to Super League to try and reduce the chances of sustaining what is a brain injury. Limits on the amount of time players can spend on a field in a 12-month period, reducing tackle height to the armpit and below and independent concussion spotters at top flight games are some of the more drastic of the 44 adaptations. But Betts, who played through Wigan’s golden era when smelling salts were often used after a head knock, believes the long-term benefits far outweigh any short-term moans. He said: “Some players may say, ‘I don’t care, I just want to carry on playing.’ That’s because they don’t really understand it as they may be 17, 18 or 19 years of age and their only dream is to play rugby league. “But our dream for them is they play rugby league and then they can remember it. Knowledge is power if you use it properly and understand it. “I came with a gladiatorial concept. I thought more concussions were caused by people carrying the ball and being tackled by people hitting the hip or knee. “The research showed me I was wrong. It also showed me there’s a responsibility in the game we have to be aware of and there has to be someone responsible when that collision happens. “You can’t recklessly now just go diving into somebody and players are not going to be picked up and sent back out, they’re not going to be brought around with smelling salts and sent back out. “This game’s built on change. We have to support that. It can’t be about calling people out and saying the game’s going soft. “Defence can’t all be led by emotion or ‘Just get off the line and hit things.’ There’s got to be control in that. I played under the five-metre rule and I got whacked in the head quite a lot. That was the game then but our understanding is our power.” Betts is joined by fellow former player Jamie Jones-Buchanan, along with scientists like Professor Chris Brookes, Professor Ben Jones and Dr Gemma Phillips on rugby league’s brain health group, which tabled the recommendations after data. All kinds of things, including a new concept for men who find the traditional sport too taxing on their bodies, a mandated off season of four weeks - two without contact and mouthguards containing sensors that monitor head impacts and movements being mandatory both in training and matches in the professional men’s and women’s games, were voted through. And ex-Leeds star Jones-Buchanan believes rugby league has had to change. He said: “I looked at the metrics regarding concussion exposure and thought, ‘Wow, my gift was all about volume.’ “I wasn’t about doing what Ryan Hall, Danny McGuire or Kevin Sinfield did, my game was all about making more tackles and getting through more than anyone else. “It was a badge of honour. We had quality stats on a Monday and even though I’d not scored a hat-trick like Danny did, I could say I made three times more tackles and my quality stats equalled his. “But I listened to other former players talk at a rookie camp about badges of honour from their days, like playing while injured or having a jab before they played. “I watched videos showing things like punch ups. Back then, it was virtuous and entertaining and we still lean on that a bit when we sit around telling stories but those badges have died and gone away. “What we’re faced with is unravelling 10 years’ worth of coaching to players who’ve adopted a technique. We’ll just have to get bending our backs and tackling people properly. “If everybody’s on board with this, they’ll accept it and my hope is that if we all buy into it, when players pick up that baton on an international stage, they’ve got that level of safety, mastery and craft that makes the game safe, accessible and marketable. “It ushers in a new dawn.” https://www.progressiverugby.com/media/rfls-major-player-welfare-changes-leave-world-rugby-floundering monthly 0.5 2025-06-25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/4f0ad36e-b038-4185-9d66-f3f4897ab907/skysports-liam-hood-rugby-league_6222510.jpg Media - RFL’s proactive player welfare changes leave World Rugby floundering - Make it stand out The announcement has been welcomed by rugby union group Progressive Rugby who have been campaigning for similar measures in the 15-a-side game for more than two years. The organisation's Professor John Fairclough said: "It is bitterly disappointing that World Rugby have been left floundering in terms of player welfare initiatives by the RFL whom should be congratulated," Fairclough said. "For more than two years Progressive Rugby has consistently highlighted the absolute importance of protected rest periods and match limits for elite players to reduce their exposure to sub-concussions and risk of neurodegenerative disease. The continued inertia is inexcusable." A reduction in the tackle height at community and age-grade level, annual match limits for professional players and a mandatory winter break from contact training are among major changes being introduced to rugby league from 2024. The RFL announced on Friday a total of 44 recommendations will be implemented across the professional and community games in an effort to make the sport safer and more accessible following three years of research conducted into head injuries and collisions in partnership with Leeds Beckett University as part of the governing body's TaCKLE project. RFL chair Tony Sutton, who chairs the governing body's brain heath sub-committee as well, acknowledged there will be challenges at all levels, but insisted the changes had to be made to ensure rugby league is safer for participants at all levels. "In stressing the significance of these recommendations which have now been ratified by the RFL's independent board of directors, we acknowledge the challenges they will pose for those at all levels of the sport," Sutton said. "We believe they are essential, as rugby league must respond to developments in medical and scientific knowledge to prioritise the safety of those that play; and also that they offer exciting opportunities to increase the appeal and accessibility of rugby league, especially at junior and community levels." The biggest changes to the professional game will see match limits over a 12-month period placed on players, with separate figures for forwards and backs to reflect the differences in contact levels faced during games. Players in the Betfred Super League and Betfred Women's Super League will be mandated to wear instrumented mouthguards which measure head contact and collisions, while a mandated minimum off-season of four weeks plus an additional minimum two-week pre-season period without contact training will be implemented as well. In addition, independent concussion spotters will be trialled in 2024 following their use at the Rugby League World Cup, while changes to on-field and off-field sanctions relating to head contact, and to the use of 18th player interchanges following head injury assessments have been updated. In the community game and age-grade rugby, the tackle height limit will be lowered from the shoulder to armpit following a trial in rugby league's U18 Academy competition, with the recommendation this be extended to the professional game from 2025. Of the 44 changes being adopted, 12 of them apply to youth rugby, where contact rugby will be replaced by touch or tag for the U6 and U7 age groups from next year, U8 from 2025, and U9 from 2026. Furthermore, all U10 matches will be a maximum of nine players per team with a five-metre retreat by the defensive line, while U11s will be a maximum of 11 players per team with a metre-retreat. At least one member league will trial reducing the retreat by the defensive line from 10 to seven metres at U12 to U18 level, and to minimise knock-out cup fixtures. In addition, no rugby league will be played in the month of December outside of current offerings such as school, college and student competitions. For all other competitions, no contact activity is to take place between the third weekend in November until a graduated return the following January. "Rugby league will remain a tough, gladiatorial and character-building team sport, but we believe the mandating of tag/touch at the introductory levels… and the reduction in the legal tackle height at all levels from 2025 will place a new emphasis on skill and attacking play, further increasing the appeal of rugby league both to parents, and to open-age community players," Sutton said. "Stakeholders have been kept informed throughout of the direction of travel, and a number of recent meetings have been held, including with professional clubs and coaches, the community board and leagues. Those discussions and explanations will continue throughout the winter ahead of the start of the 2024 season. "My plea to all involved in the sport would be to recognise the fundamental importance of our match officials in introducing these changes. That was reinforced by the challenges faced by the group who were involved in the Academy Laws Trials last summer, to which they responded admirably. Next year more than ever, they will all need and deserve our support." https://www.progressiverugby.com/media/if-i-had-a-tough-day-at-work-it-felt-like-id-been-hit-by-a-car monthly 0.5 2025-06-25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/90d7e3e2-3778-4796-9941-463aa4b57eb0/Nic+O%27leary+2.jpg Media - “If I had a tough day at work, it felt like I’d been hit by a car” - Make it stand out It was a hike for Nic to get to training for Welsh Exiles and the coaches had been kind enough to let him know he’d made the team. but hey - succeeding’s all about commitment right? So, his dad duly drove him on the two-hour journey from Bognor Regis to Old Deer Park so his son could follow his dream of pulling on the red of Wales. Not long into the session. Nic took a blow to the head during a mauling drill where an over enthusiastic teammate flew in, his head connecting flush with Nic’s temple. “I had 5 minutes out but me being me I was never going to sit it out, I genuinely had no idea how serious it could be,” Nic, a gifted utility back, said. The tragedy is, had Nic sat out and not returned to the fray on that chilly October evening in 2009 and managed his return he would almost certainly have been absolutely fine. But a second innocuous blow left him sprawled on the turf. By the time his father had got him to the car he was unconscious and had stopped breathing. His brain injury resulted in this bright student having his life blighted by poor cognitive function, reduced motivation and a troubling personality change. He couldn’t keep his emotions in check and would often end up in fights and in trouble with the police as he could not suppress his anger. “My short-term memory is awful, I’d be asked to get something from the shop and by the time I had my shoes on I’d forgotten and it would wind me up,” Nic said. “If I had a busy day at work, it felt like I’d been hit by a car. It would take me a few days to recover and holding down a full-time job became impossible because - as I didn’t look any different - people would assume I was lazy. That was probably the toughest thing to deal with.” He believes his issues were exacerbated by medics misdiagnosing his condition as depression until 2015 when he got the help he needed. It’s meant far later than intended Nic, 31, qualified as a sports journalist and has started a successful agency called AllSports Media supporting companies with social media, writing, videography, public relations and brand guidance. “I know the value of managing my workload so working for myself was the obvious option and I’ve been lucky enough to work with some high-profile clients,” Nic said. And his thoughts on rugby now? “Before my head injury I would eat, sleep and breathe rugby," said Nic. "I love the sport and don't want people to be discouraged from playing. “But it is important to establish effective regulations and procedures to identify and treat concussion effectively while breaking down the ‘macho’ stigma of playing on when you are hurt. “Clubs at every level have a duty of care to protect their players and take a responsible attitude to ensuring concussions do not go unnoticed and that injured players are supported.” “If what Progressive Rugby are doing stops just one person from having to deal with what I go through every day then it’s worth the effort.” https://www.progressiverugby.com/media/exclusive-i-know-how-he-felt-the-darkness-eats-away-at-you monthly 0.5 2025-06-25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/7ccdd814-d904-4f91-a3b5-259b590987d0/_115869293_stevethompson.jpg Media - Steve Thompson: “I know how he felt. The darkness eats away at you.” - Make it stand out It’s hard to ignore the parallels between Steve Thompson and Dave Duerson. Famous elite athletes, major trophies, fathers-of four, basketball-lovers, but most pertinently two men who lives are undeniably affected by the brutality of collision sport. Does Thompson think they could have chewed the cud over a few beers? “Yeah, I reckon so. We’d probably ended up talking about basketball,” says Thompson who loved the game as a youngster. Sadly in 2011, Duerson, a two-time Super Bowl winner with Chicago Bears (1985) and New York Giants (1990) respectively, aged just 50, shot himself in the heart leaving a note that simply read: ‘Please, see that my brain is given to the NFL's brain bank.’ There’s another one of those parallels. Thompson was announced in September 2021 as the first professional athlete to pledge his brain to the Concussion Legacy Project for research on Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) and other consequences of brain trauma. There are the symptoms too of course. Thompson relates to Duerson’s desperately faltering memory and mood swings, to the feelings of despair. But does he understand Duerson, whose brain was found to have advanced CTE, succumbing to the demons in his head? “God yes, I have great sympathy for Dave Duerson,” Thompson, who played 73 games for England and almost 200 for Northampton Saints, said. “I know how he felt. The darkness eats away at you. The thought that you could become a burden to your family can become all consuming. “I’ve been open about having suicidal thoughts and come close a few times because when you are in that place it feels like the best thing for everyone. “The brutal truth is that without the unwavering support of my wife Steph and Consultant Clinical Neuropsychologist Dr Gavin Newby, I wonder if I’d still be here, and that something that breaks my heart when I think of my kids.” Thompson, who was diagnosed with early onset dementia and probable CTE back aged 42, has learnt how to best manage his condition and each day sets out to be the best father and husband he can be. But ultimately it’s one day at a time. One drive for him is to do all he can through organisations like Progressive Rugby to make sure the game learns the lessons of the past to protect those in the future. Changes demanded include fewer games for players, mandated contact training limits, protected rest periods and enhanced concussion protocols that err of the side of caution. “Look, it’s too late for me,” he said. “There’s still times I wish I wasn’t in the firing line, but the more players who come forward the more sure I am that I’ve done the right thing. “Selfishly, I want to make sure I can look at myself in the mirror and know I did what I could to try and protect those who played the game after me.” When Thompson refers to the ‘firing line’ it’s a nod to the fact he received abuse when he came forward, with some keyboard warriors wishing harm to both him and his children from so-called rugby lovers accusing him of money grabbing and trying to kill the game. But with CTE now widely accepted as being caused by repetitive rattling of the brains by those involved in contact sport the tide is turning, and that’s thanks to people like Thompson and Alix Popham, Carl Hayman and Michael Lipman who have also shared intimate details of the struggles they now face. Their honesty has played a huge part in helping the rugby family understand the need for change, even those ones who really don’t like it. https://www.progressiverugby.com/media/exclusive-first-south-african-rugby-player-breaks-silence-on-early-onset-dementia-diagnosis monthly 0.5 2025-06-25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/2bd17026-ecef-42b8-a65d-c81eaf4d86f1/kiebieox.jpg Media - Exclusive: First South African rugby player breaks silence on early onset dementia diagnosis - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/fc05e545-c31f-47fe-8f51-8390c0d7a4fe/kiebiebrans.jpg Media - Exclusive: First South African rugby player breaks silence on early onset dementia diagnosis - Make it stand out Smith, 43, played as a lock/backrow for Blue Bulls at U17 Youth, U18 Schools, U19 and U21 sides alongside future Springboks, and was part of wider South African U21 squad in 2001. After having to stop playing aged 25 due to neck trauma, Smith has suffered two strokes, suicidal thoughts, mood swings, anxiety, crippling migraines, blackouts and balance issues. Worsening short-term memory loss has seen Smith having to constantly write notes to remind him of his commitments and he now has to use google maps to travel around his community despite having travelled the same roads thousands of times before. Smith recently contacted South Africa Rugby after the governing body’s medical manager Clint Readhead revealed that South Africa had no known cases of probable early onset dementia and CTE, but appealed for players who were suffering to get in touch. Smith says he has no intention of taking legal action against South Africa Rugby but is passionate about helping support other players who are suffering and educating current players about how to look after themselves as they play the game they and he dearly love. “I grew up in a pram with a rugby ball, was a ball boy with my brother at Loftus Versfield,” Smith told Progressive Rugby, proudly wearing his Springbok jersey for #BokFriday. “It was devastating for me to have to stop playing at 25, the dream was over. My head, neck and shoulders, knees and ankles were shattered and there is no question that I went off the rails.” During his playing career, Smith says he believe he suffered in excess of 30 clear concussions, as well as thousands of sub concussive blows. “Concussion just wasn’t a thing in the rural community where I grew up. If you could stand on your own two feet, you played. Even if you were knocked out of felt sick or dizzy you just went home and rested and knew you’d be back on Monday to train,” he said. Within a year of his rugby playing career being over, Smith suffered his first stroke and experienced partial paralysis. Unable to understand his emotions he turned to alcohol, which alongside the drugs he was prescribed for a misdiagnosis of bipolar, his weight ballooned above 200 kilos (31st). “I’d get crippling migraines and fly into a rage for no reason. I’d spend my time in the pub drinking because I couldn’t sleep and it ultimately led to the collapse of my first marriage,” Smith said. “I think it was difficult for people because I was an outgoing person, but on the inside I felt like I was dying. In 2017 I had a second stroke and ended up in ICU and doctors said if I carried on like I was I had perhaps 3 to5 years to live.” After remarrying in 2010, it was ultimately it was his love for his 11-year-old daughter who has proved to be the driver for changing his erratic lifestyle, and thanks to his faith, new diet, occupational therapy and exercise Smith now weighs 102kg and has been sober for almost a year. But in June and July 2023 his problems with balance saw him suffer three concussions over a three-week period, and his final one caused a seizure that led to him being unable to talk for a week. After extensive tests, Smith was diagnosed with early onset dementia and hydrocephalus (fluid on the brain) for which doctors had to carry out brain surgery in September. Smith said: “What has really helped me is me accepting this situation and learning to take each day as it comes but the are all different. Sometimes I’ll be fine, and then brain fatigue will set in and hit me hard, other days will differ. It’s about learning to manage my limits. He is aware that being the first South African will bring with it criticism, as it has done for other players including Steve Thompson, Alix Popham and Carl Hayman. “My wife and daughter are wonderful support but I’m aware of the likely backlash,” Smith said. “Ultimately, us men aren’t very good about talking about mental health, but I know others who are suffering, and I have no doubt that this will escalate in South Africa. “I know I’m doing the right thing. Both to support others suffering now, and to help educate those playing now and in the future.” Professor John Fairclough, of Progressive Rugby, said: “Every diagnosis we hear of is desperately sad. We salute Kiebie for having the bravery to come forward and we hope his efforts gives others who are struggling the strength they need to ask for support they need. Meanwhile we will continue to work to ensure lessons are learnt and that those playing this great game now and in the future are better protected from neurodegenerative disease.” https://www.progressiverugby.com/media/south-africa-rugby-urge-former-players-not-to-suffer-in-silence monthly 0.5 2025-06-25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/02c4a627-ff1c-4f9f-96d1-642fda072f00/ST.jpg Media - South Africa Rugby urge former players not to suffer in silence - Make it stand out Physicality is a byword of Springbok rugby. They are known, loved and feared for it and as fans we have witnessed numerous bruising encounters over the years. But as robust as their granite-like bodies are, their brains are no less at risk of harm than any other player, professional or amateur, so it was interesting that in August Clint Readhead, the medical manager at South Africa Rugby, confirmed he was aware of zero cases despite working closely with player associations MyPlayers and the retired players association The Legends. Fans will reference Pat Lambie, a prolific talent whose career was cut painfully short by concussions but still only 32, while he may still suffer with lingering concussion symptoms, it’s unlikely he’s experiencing anything more sinister, and we all pray he never will. Speaking to tv channel Carte Blanche, Readhead said: “If you are asking me if I am aware of any today, no I am not,” before adding: “that said, if there is a rugby player who has retired and is struggling with signs and symptoms of CTE, depression being one of the main ones, please reach out to us because we would like to know and we are willing to help.” It was a wide-ranging and largely positive interview on player welfare, in which Readhead celebrates South Africa’s approach to concussion prevention, identification and management, the blue card concussion recording system, tackle height laws and education among coaches and referees. But Readhead’s opening statement jarred with that of 37 times-capped Springbok Stefan Terblanche who presented at the World Rugby medical commission conference earlier this month, where he gave a fascinating insight into his view of his country’s rugby heritage and psychology. Recounting playing on after being knocked out against the All Blacks in South Africa, he said: “Afterwards I had to be led off the field because I couldn’t find the tunnel. The stadium was a blur.” It’s largely accepted that it was ‘just the way it was back then’ but asked by a member of the audience about head injury litigation in South Africa, Terblanche, who suffered half a dozen serious concussions he knows of, said: “I think it’s coming. “If you look at the mass class action lawsuits in the Northern Hemisphere, I think it’s more than likely going to happen in South Africa. “I know there are some players who are currently battling with head injuries after rugby. They are still under the impression they did it to themselves – they are still in that space. “They’d rather sit at home and watch rugby and complain to their mates about being in a bad space.” Terblanche said there was need to create a safe space for players to talk about issues, but seemed less sure that former big names would be forthcoming in empowering those struggling to feel they could do so. Will this see players continue to suffer in silence? https://www.progressiverugby.com/media/mum-who-intervened-in-serious-violent-act-in-u14-match-banned-from-touchline monthly 0.5 2025-06-25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/53259a67-9edd-416c-935b-a1d907a2066f/Generic-rugby-scrum-half.jpg Media - Mum who intervened in ‘serious violent act’ in U14 match banned from touchline - Make it stand out Stella Little originally received a 12-week ban after the off-the-ball incident in Essex last March that left the victim requiring hospital treatment for facial injuries and concussion. In the ruling, a RFU disciplinary ruled that ‘the real 'victim' was the game itself’ which had been ‘harmed’ by Mrs Little crossing the respect rope barrier to intervene. Mrs Little appealed the ruling and was confident of being cleared, but while the appeal panel noted that her actions were triggered by a ‘serious violent act’ and caused no wider issues, it upheld the ban but reduced it from 12 to five weeks. “I respect concerns about spectators going on the pitch, but there needs to be common sense and it raises very serious issues around safeguarding if we are going to allow children to assault each other,” Mrs Little said. “It happened right in front of me, and the officials were not aware. I’d challenge any spectator not to feel they had to step in to protect a vulnerable child from being attacked. “What do the RFU think will turn parents off sending their child to rugby? Banning spectators from the sideline or letting attacks like that play out? He could have been very seriously injured.” In a video of the incident, provided to the hearings, the final stamp is seen to strike the side of the vulnerable player’s head close to his eye before striking down on his shoulder. Mrs Little is seen to move towards the touchline where the incident unfolds and grabs the aggressor after he is thrown off the boy by his own player and ushers him away from the scene. The original RFU panel report stated that the aggressor had been ‘dealt with’ by his club and the RFU Youth Disciplinary Secretary but did not disclose whether any punishment had been imposed. The Rugby Paper report that one week after Mrs Little’s action, a Havant player, Armandus Morgan, was cited for ‘a headbutt to the head’ of an opponent against Shelford RFC and banned for three weeks, a quarter of the original suspension imposed on Mrs Little. Prof John Fairclough, of player welfare lobby group Progressive Rugby, said: “At a time when it’s crucial the game demonstrates its commitment to the welfare of its players, it’s ridiculous to see a parent banned for protecting a child from what it acknowledges was ‘a serious violent act.” https://www.progressiverugby.com/media/be-brave-on-contact-training-load-to-reap-benefits-quins-coach-nick-evans-urges-fellow-coaches monthly 0.5 2025-06-25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/f53f1674-8cc3-4756-9d91-35c1923c77e4/England-Nick-Evans-joins-Steve-Borthwick%E2%80%99s-coaching-staff-ahead-of-the-Six-Nations.jpg Media - ‘Be brave’ on contact training load to reap benefits, Quins coach Nick Evans urges fellow coaches  - Make it stand out Evans, who has won the premiership as a player and a coach with Quins, was speaking at World Rugby’s Medical conference . And the fly-half, who won 16 caps for the All Blacks, revealed what he believed played a major part in Harlequins’ extraordinary 2020/21 Premiership victory which saw them beating Exeter Chiefs 40-38 in the final after languishing in seventh place four months earlier. “We found ourselves in a unique position in mid-season. The head coach had left and a group of us had the opportunity to be quite brave,” Evans told attendees. “We decided to use the mouthguards to monitor how we look at load management. The season before our player availability was in the low 70s (%) with some of our best players missing, and we knew we needed to improve that. “First and foremost, it was an education piece and we gathered the senior player group and devised a traffic light system for all the drills and explained we’d be taking a bespoke individual approach to player load to look after the players more. “We told the boys we wanted them wearing the instrumented mouthguards and GPS units in training and during the match and we had a 99% buy in. “It was fascinating. We quickly discovered that loads were higher than we believed. So if we take a game as 100% load, we found that players were getting through 70% on a Monday, about 100% on a Tuesday and above 100% on a Thursday. “An example would be Will Evans who was regularly around 100% so his training became bespoke in terms of exposure to contact and he would get extra recovery. “We made sure each player had a plan across the week. It was about going into Saturday as the best we could be. Fast forward to when we won the Premiership and we had a 92% player availability.” Evans said the approach didn’t come without challenges but was widely accepted by the players. “One challenge was making sure the drills were accurately tested (for the traffic light system) and we did get some of the senior players asking for more contact,” Evans said. “It was a case of having to protect them a bit, and it often came off the back of a game where they hadn’t been happy with the contact performance. “As coaches we had to ensure we didn’t have a kneejerk reaction to a performance like that and come the next Saturday we weren’t seeing any drop in standards.” In response to a submitted question, Evans said that the Premiership win had seen other coaches sit up and take notice of Quins’ training methods. “Doing more contact when you haven’t been your best is an easy trap to fall into as a coach, but that exposure can lead to challenges down the line. “Be brave, we have benefitted from taking this step.” https://www.progressiverugby.com/media/world-rugby-keen-to-introduce-hi-tech-mouthguards-at-all-levels-of-the-game monthly 0.5 2025-06-25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/f7bd6c8c-4ee1-4bfc-bea1-c1b7a7cbc4e7/mack.jpg Media - World Rugby keen to introduce hi-tech mouthguards at all levels of the game - Make it stand out On 9th October the sport’s governing body confirmed that it would start using smart mouthguards – which track the G-force of every head impact in real time – to improve player safety in elite matches. It will mean that when a male player experiences an impact above 70g and 4000 radians per second squared, he will automatically be withdrawn from the pitch and subject to a head injury assessment. For women, who will first utilise the new technology this weekend in the WXV, the threshold is 55g and 4,000 rad/s². But Falvey forecast that the £250 technology, which uses Bluetooth to alert a doctor when the threshold is breached, would eventually be used in junior and community rugby to make the game safer. That is a pressing consideration given the number of children taking up the sport has fallen sharply, with parents worried about the risk of a potential brain injury. “We know from a study of community players in Otago that the impacts are much smaller, and far less frequent in the under-13 and under-15 and under-18 level of the game,” Falvey said. “But we would like to work towards a scenario where we had certain thresholds, and these technologies, for the community game too.” Falvey added that World Rugby’s decision to set a minimum set of standards for smart mouthguards would help drive competition to bring prices down. “We’ll make this affordable,” he said. “And we will see this make its way into the community setting in the future.” Meanwhile in the elite game, World Rugby is planning to use the mouthguards to better examine what Falvey calls the “chronic load piece”. Falvey said that the initial data showed that 35% of the head acceleration events during a week occur in training, while the rest happen in match situations. The hope is that by further examining the forces a player faces over the course of a season and career, it will ultimately lead to changes that make the game safer. “We met with a group of experts in Boston in June, and all eight of the speakers said to us: ‘Look to lower the number of head impact events that occur in your game.’ They told us: ‘Concussions are important but lowering the number of head impact events is the area that you need to focus on.’” Falvey admitted that World Rugby was also keen to closely monitor players who made a high number of tackles in a game. “They’re the people we want to manage appropriately,” he said. “What we want to do is to look at somebody who hasn’t necessarily had a concussion, but has had quite a number of head impact events, and so we manage them differently.” World Rugby believes that one day there could even be individualised head injury assessments for players for their return to play process. “Like in any other area of medicine, the goal is always to individualise what we do,” Falvey said. World Rugby has also recommended that players at all levels of the sport wear a mouthguard. That is based on research in ice hockey which found it protects against dental injuries and can reduce the risk of a concussion by 20%. https://www.progressiverugby.com/media/world-rugby-to-adopt-gamechanging-g-force-tech-to-flag-major-head-impacts monthly 0.5 2025-06-25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/cdd6daff-4df3-4570-98d1-c8c60f4baec4/curry.jpeg Media - World Rugby to adopt ‘gamechanging’ G-force tech to flag major head impacts - Make it stand out World Rugby is expected to confirm within the next 48 hours that it will adopt smart mouthguard technology, which measures the G-force of every head impact in real time, in all its elite matches to help make the game safer. The technology, which works by using bluetooth to immediately alert an independent doctor whenever a player has a big collision in a tackle or ruck, will be debuted in the WXV women’s match between Italy and Japan on 13 October. It will then be rolled out into the men’s professional game in January, in time for the Six Nations. One source told the Guardian that the technology was a “potential game-changer” because about 15% of concussions in rugby union become apparent only when a player reports them after a match. The new approach will ensure that anyone who experiences a crunching hit that is not spotted by TV cameras – or who does not show concussion signs and symptoms straight away – will no longer remain on the pitch. Instead, when the mouthguard registers an acceleration above 70g and 4,000 radians per second squared for men – and 55gs and 4,000 rad/s2 for women – it will immediately ping an alert to an app that is being watched by an independent doctor. As soon as that happens the player will be taken off and will have to undergo a head impact assessment. Even if they are cleared to play, they will be checked again after the match and two days later. Players will also be asked to wear their mouthguards in training to build up a better picture of the forces and load to which their heads are subjected over the weeks and months of a season. It is understood that the technology – which will be added to the current head impact assessment process – will form part of a wider package of player welfare measures to be announced by World Rugby, which also includes extending the return to play guidelines for community rugby to a minimum of 21 days. As things stand, the overwhelming majority of players wear mouthguards and the expectation is that almost all will switch to the £250 smart ones, which will be funded by World Rugby. Those who do not will become subject to the “recognise and remove” policy used in community rugby. That means if they sustain a head impact that could be a concussion they will automatically have to sit out the rest of the game, rather than undergoing the in-game head impact assessment. World Rugby’s £4.5m investment in smart mouthguard technology and player welfare over the past three years comes as collision and combat sports continue to wrestle with how to keep players safe – and have had to deal with protracted lawsuits from former players. In 2020 World Rugby, along with the Rugby Football Union and Welsh Rugby, were accused by more than 200 former players of failing to take reasonable steps to protect players from brain injuries caused by repetitive blows. More recently, amateur players have launched legal cases. In an attempt to make the game safer, World Rugby has introduced a number of measures, including lowering tackle heights. However it has decided to go further after trialling the Prevent Biometric 2.0 mouthguard in English rugby as well as in the Currie Cup and Farah Palmer Cup in the southern hemisphere. Although smart mouthguards have been around for several years, it is only recently that advances in technology have enabled data to be transmitted in real time rather than having to be downloaded after a match. They have also become smaller and more comfortable to wear, making them more acceptable to players. The new technology is unlikely to slow the game down. At the moment there is about one head impact assessment a match on average in elite rugby, and the use of the smart mouthguards is expected to double that. https://www.progressiverugby.com/media/i-didnt-want-to-know-the-truth-dylan-hartley monthly 0.5 2025-06-25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/a07078b4-5e07-4181-aee1-b74848bbcbbb/Hartley.jpg Media - “I didn’t want to know the truth” – Dylan Hartley - Make it stand out The player’s doctor shared that parts of his brain had ‘gone to sleep’ following a number of head injuries during his career. “I got my results and I didn’t really want to talk about it,’ he told the Mail online. “I was coming to terms with my brain not being as healthy as I wanted it to be. Sorry, I didn’t mean to blank you, it’s just the more you talk about it the more real it is. Talking about it was quite hard but it was all part of the process of dealing with it. “I never wanted to get a scan because I didn’t want to know the truth. I’d started to stutter and mix my words, dropping things and struggling when my kids made certain noises. I was confronting the monster under the bed, in a way. “I did an MRI scan and a SPECT scan. The SPECT scan is where they inject low-level radiation into your body and see how your brain is firing. “There were signs that my head had been through a pretty tough time. I was basically diagnosed with post-concussion syndrome. It was a big moment. The term “concussion” almost lessens the blow and I think people should probably change the language. It’s traumatic brain injury. “I don’t want to say I had areas of brain that were dead, but they were asleep. They were dormant. The hardest thing in life is usually the right thing to do. The easy thing is to ignore things. I took the hard path, went and got the scan and I’m so happy I did.” https://www.progressiverugby.com/media/concussion-wales-rugby-great-jpr-williams-fear-after-study monthly 0.5 2025-06-25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/e0cbf760-0315-4757-bd6e-99e47c1d2b87/jpr-williams.jpg Media - Concussion: Wales rugby great JPR Williams' fear after study - Make it stand out The 1970s star and surgeon spoke as researchers found a link between repeat rugby concussions and reduced blood and oxygen flow to the brain in later life. The study said it may show why memory, thought processes and co-ordination declined in some ex-players tested. World Rugby has said it welcomes new research into players' welfare. Williams, a British and Irish Lion renowned for his toughness on the field in the Welsh game's 1970s golden era, said governing bodies must take more notice of research. "There is no doubt the generations after us are going to be left worse off than we were," said Williams, 74. Commenting on the findings of the study, in which he was involved, he said: "I'm not pleased, but it backs up what we felt was the problem." A separate legal case is ongoing where former players are suing the WRU, RFU and World Rugby, previously known as the International Rugby Board. The players say they sustained permanent brain injuries in the game. The case will be decided by a judge based on the evidence presented in court. Thomas Owens, co-lead investigator on the University of South Wales (USW) study, said research found that retired players with a history of concussion had mild cognitive impairment. "This is a state whereby the cognitive function of these individuals, in term of the way someone thinks, remembers information, processes that information and co-ordinates the body's movements declines over time, and particularly throughout ageing". He said this put them at "increased risk of developing neurodegenerative diseases later in life". But the researchers said not everyone who played contact sports would go on to develop cognitive decline. Williams said he had no concerns for his health but his generation was worried about neurodegenerative diseases. He is particularly concerned about the generations that came after him, especially given the intensity of the game now. Williams said: "I had been an orthopaedic surgeon for 35 years. I thought it was good to get involved because of the concern about lots of sports having problems with concussion". He cited "serious worries, particularly with the laws of the game now, where they stand right on top of each other". "There seems to be a bit of a conflict between the laws, and the early onset of cognitive degeneration," he said. He said cognitive health was not really known about when he played, but much less time was spent training. "The game was amateur, we only probably had physical contact once a week. Now they have it every day, the brain needs time to recover, it's like any organ in the body, it is quite a worry, it's repetitive, not even huge bangs but repetitive small injuries to the brain can be a problem in later life." The 55-cap full-back wants the game to return to how it was in the 1970s, with more space for players, "to decrease the ferocity of the hits". He also wants reduced tackling and contact in training. He urged governing bodies "to take more notice than they do" of studies such as this. Williams reflected on an infamous moment of his career when he was stamped on by New Zealand prop John Ashworth while playing for Bridgend against the All Blacks in 1978. Knowing what he knows now, he probably would not have returned to the field after having his face stitched up by his father at the side of the pitch. Scientists at USW's neurovascular research laboratory analysed the brain health of 20 retired players aged between 60 and 80 who had suffered concussions. For the first time, researchers found they had reduced blood and oxygen flow to the brain due to less nitric oxide, which helps blood vessels regulate blood around the body. Some exhibited signs of mild cognitive impairment and all were outperformed by the control group in cognitive function tests. The researchers said this was the first study to determine mechanisms that may cause cognitive decline and has implications for other contact sports. It is hoped the research may contribute to improving protection for players and help with the introduction of pitch-side blood or saliva tests for concussion. Mr Owens said: "It's important to note that we don't want to stop players playing rugby, but we want to make them inherently aware of the risks associated with forms of brain trauma and concussion. "Make them aware, improve the way that we detect concussion at the pitchside and then improve the way we care for players following retirement." Former Bridgend RFC captain Meredydd James also took part in the study, and said there was no knowledge about the dangers of concussion in his era, but he started to feel the effects later in life. "Initially you have some aches and pains, I used to have a bit of back trouble," he said. "I think for the first 20, 30 years you just go along with it and you can't say it was definitely related to rugby. "But I think when you get to 55-plus, a little bit of memory loss, perhaps the recall, perhaps balance, those are some things starting to kick in, and you think: 'Concussion, dementia could it be something like that'?" There are other studies taking place investigating the health of former players. Lifestyle changes, including poor diet, alcohol dependency and lack of exercise may also accelerate the cognitive decline of former athletes. USW researchers said they recognised this study had limitations in the relatively small sample size and it relies on participants remembering past concussions. But they are aiming to carry out a larger study and investigate the potential differences in brain health between male and female athletes in contact sports. World Rugby previously said it "welcomes all research that can inform and support our recently launched strategy to cement rugby as the most progressive sport on player welfare" and undertook "a wide-ranging evaluation of contact training". In 2021 it said: "It is at the heart of everything that we say and do as a sport. World Rugby recently committed to double our investment in player welfare and new concussion research and initiatives." The WRU has been asked to comment. https://www.progressiverugby.com/media/pioneering-scientific-study-shows-the-effects-of-multiple-concussions-in-rugby monthly 0.5 2025-06-25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/1a6a495d-1266-4176-b995-12392cef9c0a/ball.jpg Media - Pioneering scientific study shows the effects of multiple concussions in rugby - Make it stand out Led by a team of researchers at the Neurovascular Research Laboratory, University of South Wales, the study examined the impact of recurrent concussions sustained over two decades of playing rugby union. The findings, published in ‘Experimental Physiology’, shed light on the persistent symptoms of concussion experienced by retired players and their impaired cognitive abilities, which may increase their vulnerability to dementia later in life. In this groundbreaking study, researchers compared retired rugby players with age, education, and fitness-matched controls who had no history of contact sports or concussions. The research identified a likely cause for these issues; a reduction in blood flow to the brain due to a decrease in nitric oxide availability. Nitric oxide is a vital chemical that helps arteries relax and deliver the necessary oxygen and glucose for proper brain function. Professor Damian Bailey, the lead investigator of the study, said: “This is the first study to determine why contact events caused by the sheer physicality of playing rugby union is bad for the brain in the long-term. Our research provides novel insight into the long-term effects of recurrent concussions. “By understanding the underlying mechanisms and biomarkers of brain health, we can better protect players throughout their careers and develop targeted interventions to improve brain blood flow and cognitive function.” The significance of this discovery extends beyond rugby, with implications for other contact sports characterised by recurrent concussions, including boxing, mixed martial arts, soccer, American football, hockey, and horse racing. The study’s findings coincide with Professor Bailey’s contributions to the first UK-wide Concussion Guidelines for Grassroots Sport, developed in collaboration with the UK Government and the Sport and Recreation Alliance. These evidence-based guidelines aim to identify, manage, and prevent the devastating effects of head injuries and concussions in various sports. Professor Bailey added: “One of the most striking observations from our research was the lack of concussion awareness during the active careers of these retired athletes. Players often continued playing despite experiencing classic concussion symptoms.” To conduct the research, the team, including co-lead investigator, Dr Thomas Owens, adopted an integrated physiological approach, collaborating with a multidisciplinary team of biomedical scientists and medical specialists. They analysed biomarkers of brain health in 20 retired rugby players, aged around 64 years old, who had suffered concussions over more than two decades of playing at regional and international level. These players were compared to 21 matched controls who had no history of contact sports or concussions. The assessments included concussion-related symptoms, blood-borne biomarkers, brain blood flow measurements, and cognitive function tests. While the study provides valuable insights, it also has limitations. The research relied on participants’ historical reports of contact and concussions, which can be subject to recall inaccuracies. Future studies with larger sample sizes and longitudinal designs are needed to track brain health changes over a player’s career and retirement, incorporating neuroimaging techniques for a comprehensive understanding of structural brain changes. After retiring from professional sport athletes undergo lifestyle changes, like poor diet, alcohol dependency and lack of exercise, which might accelerate their cognitive decline. The researchers’ next steps will be to expand the study to recently retired rugby players to pinpoint the ‘tipping point’ when this cognitive decline accelerates. They also plan to extend their investigations to athletes from other contact sports diagnosed with “probable” chronic traumatic encephalopathy, a form of dementia associated with repetitive brain injuries. The team aims to explore potential differences in brain health between male and female athletes in various contact sports, as well as novel countermeasures such as brain cooling and targeted antioxidant therapy for enhanced protection. https://www.progressiverugby.com/media/usa-college-rugby-needs-to-shed-toxic-culture-towards-concussion monthly 0.5 2025-06-25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/68651c93-527c-4ab4-b81b-a81dde1635b1/Josiah+2.jpg Media - USA college rugby needs to shed toxic culture towards concussion - Make it stand out Despite considerable noise around concussion and the development of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) in the NFL, Josiah Perdue, who plays in West Michigan, said rugby still needs to educate coaches, players and parents on concussion to ensure a culture of care. Now 20, Josiah was 18 when he travelled in March 2022 to play in a rugby tournament in Nashville when he took a blow to the head making a tackle. “I immediately knew something was wrong, as I didn't recognize where or who I was, and what team I was playing for,” Josiah, who continued for 10 minutes before removing himself, said. Josiah mentioned his symptoms to his veteran (senior player) but after some water and food, an hour later was back on the pitch for the next match. “On my team, I am the guy who starts on the wing and chases the kick off,” he said. “As I leapt to contest the ball, an opposing player hit me mid-air and I landed directly on my occipital bone of my skull. I blacked out for a few seconds and my veteran ran onto the field and dragged me off, telling me I was done.” After the double injury Josiah says he struggled with bright lights and his grades dipped sharply. At his worst he found he had to ask for help spelling his name on exam papers and a loss of appetite and inability to train saw him lose 22lbs in body weight. Finally recovering and putting back on weight Josiah says the old school culture around head injuries needs to change and fears concussion isn’t taken seriously. “Sadly, most of my team discourages speaking out about concussions and treat them as regular headaches. You might get called a pussy and told to walk it off,” he said. “They’d even tell them concussions are made up to get someone to keep playing. I don’t think many people take them very seriously and it’s a pretty toxic approach to be honest. “I like to think if coaches, players and parents are educated there would have been a culture of care that would have ensured that I would have been prevented from making the bad decision (due to his concussion) to continue playing and then taking to the field for the second game.” USA Rugby have not responded to a request for comment. https://www.progressiverugby.com/media/uk-government-backs-app-trial-to-record-and-manage-head-injuries monthly 0.5 2025-06-25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/b36a198b-078d-4fa7-afa9-b2f920f9ec22/World-Rugby-launch-tackle-height-global-trial-e1678530316438.jpg Media - UK Government backs App trial to record and manage head injuries - Make it stand out SportSmart is a digital injury management platform designed by a charitable company set up by former McLaren F1 team owner Ron Dennis. It allows users to record and manage head injuries, suspected concussions and other sports-related injuries. That information can then be shared instantly with all relevant parties. The app has been well received in initial trials, and sports minister Stuart Andrew said: "I would encourage organisations to get involved." In April, the government announced UK-wide concussion guidelines for grassroots sport aimed at parents, coaches, referees and players. The data from the app trial will help test whether those guidelines - with the mantra 'if in doubt, sit it out' - are effective. The NHS and many sports authorities have not routinely collected data on the number of concussions in grassroots sport. Brain injury charity Headway estimates 1.4 million people attend A&E in England and Wales with some type of head injury each year, with 95% of those classed as mild. Andy Hunt, who headed Team GB at the London 2012 Olympics, said data on concussion in grassroots sport had been limited because it was always considered too difficult to co-ordinate and collate. Hunt - now chief executive of Podium Analytics, which designed the app - said: "We want to do this because we want to make sport safer and we want to give kids the opportunity to participate in sport for the rest of their lives. "Hopefully it will lead to great science that will help to solve some of these issues that are not fixed. Concussion is a massive issue and we need to massively improve our understanding. "We want parents, we want coaches, we want volunteers, we want teachers to know what to do and how to manage the new UK concussion guidelines." Andrew said sport was "vital" to physical and mental wellbeing and it was "crucial" to prioritise safety for all involved. "Technology has an important role to play in tracking and measuring the incidence of concussion at a grassroots level," he added. https://www.progressiverugby.com/media/rugby-world-rocked-after-death-of-kiwi-scrum-half-billy-guyton-33 monthly 0.5 2025-06-25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/049cc98e-afbe-4220-aedf-1c3b0325fadc/70994855-0-image-a-2_1684136962644.jpg Media - Rugby World rocked after death of Kiwi scrum-half Billy Guyton, 33 - Make it stand out Guyton played for the Blues, Crusaders and Hurricanes in Super Rugby as well as Tasman, North Otago and the Maori All Blacks. He retired from playing in 2018 due to concussion symptoms, after making the majority of his Super Rugby appearances at the Blues during 2016 and 2017, who said in a statement: “We are shocked and saddened by the tragic death of Billy Guyton… we cannot imagine the heartache his family and friends must be feeling at this difficult time,” it read. “To everyone who knew Billy, we send them our sincere sympathy.” https://www.progressiverugby.com/media/the-tragedy-behind-ontarios-rowans-law-day-jgw79 monthly 0.5 2025-06-25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/1632844265104-FE1OSUAWABFOKLU9HAQE/Rowan+Stringer.png Media - 10 years on: The tragedy behind Ontario’s Rowan’s Law Day - Make it stand out Marking the anniversary of her death on social media, her father Gordon posted ‘10 years ago the pain of loss began, contrary to some assertions it has not waned. Resilience is the key to taking on each day. I miss you little Row.’ This is the tragic tale of a 17-year-old who lost her life through a lack of education around brain injury and, as a result, a misplaced bravado that saw her hide her symptoms and play despite suffering a concussion four days earlier. The inquest into her death heard from friend Michelle Herbert that Rowan, despite suffering headaches and fatigue, texted her that she was going to play because "nothing would stop me unless I'm dead." Michelle says she and Rowan even searched concussions on the internet but believed her friend kept all symptoms from her parents and coaches, and said she declined seeing a doctor because "what's some brain damage gonna hurt?" Judy Larabie, a teammate and friend, added that Rowan referred to her injuries as ‘warrior wounds’ and wore them with pride. On that fateful day in Ottawa on 12th May, 2013 it was Judy who passed the ball to Rowan before seeing her friend briefly sit up from a resulting tackle and then falling backwards unconscious. At hospital medics were unable to successfully relieve the pressure in her head and her family made the heart-breaking decision to discontinue life support. Five years after her death, in 2018, a much-needed silver lining appeared in the form of Rowan’s Law Day which honour’s her memory and raises awareness about concussion safety on the last Wednesday of every September. Approved by the Ontario Government it includes concussion safety legislation established mandatory requirements for removal-from sport and return to sport protocols if an athlete is suspected of having sustained a concussion. And set up a concussion code of conduct to set out rules of behaviour to minimise concussions while playing sports. It is hopefully of some comfort to her family and friends that Rowan’s Law Day may save lives. https://www.progressiverugby.com/media/flying-the-flag-for-player-welfare-the-hampshire-way-meet-michele-amos monthly 0.5 2025-06-25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/d6e02164-d86c-4d34-84bd-d8604802f0f9/Michele+2.jpeg Media - Flying the flag for player welfare the Hampshire way – meet Michele Amos - Make it stand out Michele has been around the game since her sons started playing rugby as toddlers 25 years ago, has extensive experience of youth coaching, was Basingstoke RFC’s first ever female chairperson and now works as Rugby Safe Lead for the Hampshire RFU where she’s on a mission to “dispel the myth that concussion will somehow resolve itself if you sit out the required days.” Her dedication to her current role is extraordinary, and it’s clear that Michele’s not one content with just meeting the requirements in the role. “When it came to concussion, I wanted something robust for Hampshire that didn’t just ensure that players are removed from play but actively managed their return to play,” she said. It took a lot of “jumping through hoops” but Michele has also set up a system of notification where parents/player are notified and provided with a return to play checklist, and in the instance of youth players schools are notified to stand the individual down from physical activity for 14 days. Anyone with even a passing knowledge of putting these type of safeguarding systems in place will appreciate it takes tenacity, endless form filling and the patience of a saint. And then, once the minimum stand down period has elapsed, all players who wish to return to play have to sit an online module and then pass the Stage 5 assessment which includes a 20 minute physical and cognitive stress test delivered by a qualified coach and L3 first-aider. “Again, it took time to embed but now it’s just the process, and I can be satisfied that we are doing all we can to ensure there are no residual symptoms and not just going through the motions.” If these welfare leaps weren’t keeping Michele busy enough, she’s also delivering support courses on managing pitch side first aid and managing injury return to play, both of which more than 250 people from within the county and beyond have taken advantage of. Another aspect of her role sees Michele manage and coordinate a team of 35 local Club Rugby Safe Officers, who are tasked with advising and facilitating all aspects of player welfare and safety. “I’m so lucky because there is a lot of medical expertise within the group and they are all empowered to embrace the role and ask for support so they can be the best they can be,” Michele said. “Rugby’s the greatest game in the world. I’ve seen it help grow people, show them what they are capable of and develop their confidence. That means I also want it to be then very best it can be. “I’m invested in making sure those who play the game can lead happy and healthy lives and get as much joy from the sport as I do. “For all the values of the game, the camaraderie, the battle scars, there’s no glory in being broken. You have to look after yourself for the good of the team.” Do you want to celebrate a player welfare champion? Get in touch at progressiverugby@outlook.com https://www.progressiverugby.com/media/uk-sport-unite-under-if-in-doubt-sit-them-out-mantra-to-protect-grassroots-athletes-against-concussion monthly 0.5 2025-06-25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/3eb0867a-0e1e-4a01-b937-5ee74a059d47/Generic-rugby-scrum-half.jpg Media - UK sport unite under ‘If in doubt, sit them out’ mantra to protect grassroots athletes against concussion - Make it stand out It is the first time that UK grassroots sport will adopt a consistent and preventative approach across the piece in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. The mantra ‘If in doubt, sit them out’ now applies as a call-to-action for all players, coaches, parents, schools and National Governing Bodies and sports administrators. Progressive Rugby member Peter Robinson, whose son Benjamin died aged 14 following failures to remove him from a school rugby match in 2011, has campaigned tirelessly to promote ‘If In Doubt, Sit Them Out’. Peter said: “It’s great to see the rest of the UK adopting the ‘If In Doubt, Sit Them Out’ concussion guidelines. “It’s been a long road since 2013 when we first met the Scottish Government and called for greater education and awareness around concussion/brain injury. “I like to think of it as #Bens Legacy. “If it prevents one child from being allowed to play on with a suspected brain injury then it’s been worth it.” Read the guidelines here. The guidance, published by Sport and Recreation Alliance, forms part of Government’s Action Plan on Concussion designed for all who play grassroots sport. The Government says the guidelines have been developed by an expert panel of domestic and international clinicians and academics in neurology and sports medicine. It says it sets out steps to improve understanding and awareness of the prevention and treatment of concussion in grassroots sport where trained medical professionals are less likely to be routinely present. Players, parents, coaches, teachers and administrators are now asked to read the guidance and familiarise themselves with the necessary steps to: RECOGNISE the signs of concussion; REMOVE anyone suspected of being concussed immediately and; RETURN safely to daily activity, education/work and, ultimately, sport. The guidelines include a recommendation to call NHS 111 within 24 hours of a potential concussion, to rest and sleep as much as needed for the first 24 to 48 hours and avoid using devices which involve screen time. In addition, a graduated return to activity such as work, education and sport is advised to reduce the risks of slow recovery, further brain injury and longer-term problems. Individuals should be assessed by an appropriate healthcare professional if symptoms persist for more than four weeks. Professor Willie Stewart, Glasgow University, said: “The release of these guidelines represents a world-leading landmark in sports concussion management. Based on the pragmatic, precautionary approach to immediate concussion management of ‘if in doubt, sit them out’, followed by an emphasis on individualised, self-managed return to normal life and sport, these guidelines set the standard for grassroots concussion management that all sports across the UK will follow.” Simon Shaw MBE, former England rugby union player and President of the ‘Love of the Game’ campaign, said: “Concussion in sport can be a serious issue if not managed properly and, as a former sportsperson, I’ve seen first-hand the impact head injuries can have. Whether playing football as part of a Sunday league or training for a boxing match, it’s crucial that sportspeople at every level are protected. This guidance will help everyone involved in grassroots sport recognise the signs of concussion and remove people from play where necessary. The information is clear: ‘If in doubt, sit them out.’” Wales international rugby union player Louis Rees-Zammit said: “It’s really important for everyone involved at grassroots level, whatever your role, to be aware of these guidelines, know the signs and take the right action to help protect players against concussion. Remember: If in doubt, sit them out. https://www.progressiverugby.com/media/juan-cruz-malla-return-to-pitch-casts-further-doubt-on-hia-process monthly 0.5 2025-06-25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/8d82291f-2b51-404a-a63f-c54437bfa041/Mallia.jpg Media - Juan Cruz Mallía: Return to pitch casts further doubt on HIA process - Make it stand out In Toulouse, just 8 minutes had passed in their Champions Cup QF with the Sharks, when Toulouse winger Juan Cruz Mallía demonstrated clear category 1 concussion symptoms (necessitating immediate and permanent removal) after clashing heads with opposite man Makazole Mapimpi. Mallía’s condition (he appeared to lose consciousness briefly and then lay motionless on the pitch) led to former French hooker Benjamin Kayser on comms to say: “That’s bad. I’m not sure you’re going to see Mallía on the pitch again. I genuinely actually hope we don’t.” Under the process Mallía should not have even undergone a HIA and should now be stood down for 12 days minimum, but instead he did, passed it and returned to play the full match, we say, at risk. He went on to score two tries and suffer another heavy blow in scoring one of them. We maintain in this instance the process failed and wait with interest to see if Mallía participates in Toulouse’s next fixture with Lyon. It also casts doubt again on the effectiveness of the 12 minute HIA process where players who have demonstrated clear signs of brain injury are going on to pass the test. We are pleased to say that 24 hours later in La Rochelle a far better scenario unfolded. After Will Skelton was seen to be staggering badly after a Saracens clear out, the La Rochelle medical team were exceptionally quick to act and ref Andrew Brace was quick to stop the game as soon as he became aware. It’s incidents where players are clearly concussed but return to the field following a HIA – a la Cowan-Dickie, Francis, Loughman, Dow, Kirsten etc – that have the most damaging impact on the game. https://www.progressiverugby.com/media/is-card-rage-clouding-judgement-on-the-importance-of-player-welfare monthly 0.5 2025-06-25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/9ad31e88-400f-4c76-8dab-1d54a8c3c43a/Brace.jpg Media - Is ‘ref rage’ clouding judgement on the importance of player welfare? - Make it stand out It’s then usually followed by one of three phrases: “What were they meant to do?” “It ruined the match/robbed the fans.” “Rugby’s a contact sport, accidents will happen.” And it’s not surprising, because understandably the focus for fans is the match day product. We all rightly want to see a competitive 80 minutes unsullied by cards/bad decisions. But rugby is sailing in tempestuous waters, trying to negotiate its way to a distant but promised land. A land where a balance can be struck to ensure a hugely physical game can exist alongside an ever-evolving picture around player safety. On the other side there are plenty too who feel the welfare ‘agenda’ and application of the laws is putting the very fabric of the game they love, a game that is sown into their very being, unnecessarily under threat as a spectacle. And it’s not just the fans. Jack Nowell has just been fined £10,000 after the RFU was riled by the France-bound winger tweeting a ref’s decision was the worst he had EVER seen. On this occasion, Nowell was the player that took the ‘team yellow’ with Joe Marler, Luke Cowan-Dickie and Henry Slade dodging the bullet for their transgressions. it’s right to acknowledge that refs get criticised irrespective of whether they make the right or wrong call, so it’s easy to see why the RFU deemed it necessary to fire a warning shot across the bow to try and curb senior players - even inadvertently - helping fan the flames of discontent. That said, it’s absolutely right that players should be allowed an opinion. It’s how that opinion is expressed is key. For example, had Nowell’s tweet had read: ‘I'm actually in shock, like shock shocked. What the hell is happening? That's one of the worst laws ever. EVER" it’s unlikely to have been an issue. Criticise the law, not the ref who had applied the law correctly. For our part, Progressive Rugby recognise that rugby needs to retain its core physicality. It’s an integral element to the spectacle, and also what many of those in the community game are attracted to. But despite popular belief, our group has no interest in dumbing down rugby. The game’s exceptional physicality, especially at elite level, is part of what makes it so joyous, so intriguing, so bloody moreish. That’s why 90% of the group’s focus in the elite game is on issues off the pitch - away from the sanctity of match day. It’s on educating people about concussion and CTE, explaining why contact training and number of matches must be limited, pushing for stricter return to play protocols, questioning whether a 12-minute HIA process is suitable for a condition that can manifest itself hours or days later, and to push for players to have protected rest periods to properly recuperate. This is all so that the match days can remain the brutal contest we all (let’s admit it) want to see and that players can retire sound of mind and with plenty of memories of playing the game. Now, we fully recognise that head injuries will happen from perfectly legal challenges. Which is why the credibility of those aforementioned protocols above are so important. And it’s also why what colour card the referee issues in a game following a collision of heads will never be our primary concern. Whether it’s a / has zero effect on a player’s immediate condition or their long-term brain health. And it’s our firm belief that it’s the medical process, not the colour of the cards, that will ultimately count when it comes to ensuring the long-term future of the game. That’s because no parent wants to see player’s staggering around the field one minute, only to return to the fray. They want to see medics quick to react, for the ref to stop the game so players can be treated and for the team to err on side of caution by taking the player off. That is what will instils confidence that the game looks after its players. It’s what encourages parents to take their children to the local rugby club, to support from the touchline, to put money behind the bar and help out at the club barbecue. So while red/yellow cards and odd calls send many of us into a ‘card rage’ spin, Progressive Rugby must and will maintain its focus on the injured party and welfare processes, questioning it when it appears wrong, and pushing for unions to hold teams to account if it fails. It’s for the good of the game. https://www.progressiverugby.com/media/could-playing-elite-rugby-in-wales-be-bad-for-your-health monthly 0.5 2025-06-25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/a14aa5b2-83d2-4b58-8720-130328d25503/Regions.jfif Media - Could playing elite rugby in Wales be bad for your health? - Make it stand out The community game seems to be struggling, with fixtures seemingly called off in vast swathes, the school’s game appears to be shrinking, elite players are still waiting for contracts, others are understandably deciding to cut and run, while the WRU remains in turmoil and is in desperate needs of re-structuring to retain credability. Many believe that an open sore - long festering beneath the surface - has had the plaster ripped off and exposed by the dip in fortunes of the national side which struggled badly to impress during the Six Nations. The stress etched on some international players’ faces – Ken Owens being a key example – was very real, and their state of mind has been echoed by others on social media who were struggling to pay their bills and were starting to suffer mentally because of the lack of uncertainty the contract situation created. While the Wales v England strike was narrowly averted, it’s become clear pretty quickly that any agreement was far from perfect and for Progressive Rugby, the biggest concern is the necessary slashing of squad numbers to meet the financial pressure the game finds itself under. In the elite game, one of the crucial steps that needs to be taken to protect players short and long-term health ,is reducing how many times they take the field and the associated training load that brings each week. Core components of our player welfare plan for the elite game are below and the complete version can be found here: Progressive Rugby - A Non-Profit Rugby Union Lobby Group Elite game: · 21-day minimum stand down after diagnosed concussion · 25-game maximum per season · Eight weeks protected rest period per annum The reason these are key is because it’s become increasingly clear and supported by science that the repetitive sub-concussions (rattling of the brain without symptoms) that causes the degenerative brain disease Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE). That’s why a player can go a whole career without being knocked unconscious and still develop the condition. All Black prop Carl Hayman, who has only one recorded concussion, is a good example. But, with Welsh regions having to slash squads to around 35 players, it’s difficult to see how the opposite won’t happen. Surely the options are depressingly limited to overplaying your top players and over-relying on your academy players – perhaps before they are truly ready to step up. For coaches in a results based industry this is hard enough, but with other member teams of the URC on a far better footing it’s a nightmare. It will take exceptional discipline to manage the welfare of their squad while also being a crucial necessity. It’s a perilous situation and one with no easy answer. But while Wales, and other nations, continue to struggle with finances, we have to ensure that the cost to the players is not their future health. https://www.progressiverugby.com/media/his-brain-was-rattled-hard-by-the-whiplash-long-before-he-hit-the-grass monthly 0.5 2025-06-25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/cba85a8d-adf8-4c6f-ae92-8d1560735925/TSP6NLEL4JHWNGQUMGTM2ZI3SA.jpg Media - Tackle height and sanctions are just part of a much-needed long term player welfare solution - Make it stand out Indeed, any elite sport where you hurtle into each other at enormous speed and with juddering force will carry risk. Adam Hastings being concussed by a Fijian ‘monster’ tackle to his midriff in November is a good recent example. The contact point was nowhere near his head but the Scottish fly-half’s brain was rattled hard by the whiplash from the impact long before he hit the grass. That doesn’t mean of course that efforts shouldn’t be made to reduce concussions on the field by looking to see if a tackle ‘sweet spot’ can be found, as well as taking a closer look at the actions and responsibilities of the ball carrier. But irrespective, given we know perfectly legal tackles can cause concussion, clearly they are just part of a wider solution. Given that for now, while there’s lots of good work going on, there is no scrum cap currently on the market that can prevent concussions, what can be done to better protect players entertaining thousands of us in the stands and on TV? The fact is, while none of us want to see player’s knocked out, it’s become clear that it’s not really those one-off incidents that is the major cause for concern. They should certainly be removed immediately and stood down but it’s the repetitive sub-concussions (rattling of the brain without symptoms) that causes the degenerative disease Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE). That’s why a player can go a whole career without being knocked unconscious and still develop the condition. All Black prop Carl Hayman, who has only one recorded concussion, is a good example. So the real key is reducing these elite players’ exposure to the contact that is jolting their brain around into the wall of their skull, monitoring those impacts, and having robust protocols that urge on the side of caution when they do receive a diagnosed concussion. A additional benefit of all this of course is that this should facilitate players to perform at their optimum every time they take the field. We really believe it’s simpler than many think. Elite game: · 21-day minimum stand down after diagnosed concussion · 25-game maximum per season · Eight weeks protected rest period per annum Community game: · School/club player welfare champions · Concussion education programme for players/parents/coaches/referees · Effective communication of concussion between clubs/school/parents The above are just some key components of our welfare plans, which can be found here: Progressive Rugby - A Non-Profit Rugby Union Lobby Group Together we can ensure rugby remains a hugely physical spectacle, but reduce the risk that the price players have to pay for the sport ends up being their future. It’s too steep. https://www.progressiverugby.com/media/another-55-amateur-players-join-concussion-lawsuit monthly 0.5 2025-06-25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/50c0b8ec-cddf-4b9c-b0f1-57a162b700f1/Generic-rugby-scrum-half.jpg Media - Another 55 amateur players join concussion lawsuit - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.progressiverugby.com/media/world-rugby-recommends-belly-tackle-trial-in-community-game monthly 0.5 2025-06-25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/849cc183-2b8b-4178-8057-d7a169056743/World-Rugby-launch-tackle-height-global-trial-e1678530316438.jpg Media - World Rugby recommends ‘belly tackle’ trial in community game - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.progressiverugby.com/media/former-pro-rugby-player-from-south-africa-shot-dead-by-police-in-hawaii-had-cte monthly 0.5 2025-06-25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/1f92e0a2-86ce-458d-945a-f0c7cad7fd54/1200x0.jpg Media - Former pro rugby player from South Africa shot dead by police in Hawaii had CTE - Make it stand out Caption: Lindani Myeni (front right, no shirt) Lindani Myeni from South Africa, who had played for the Border Bulldogs, is said to have exhibited ‘erratic’ behaviour before the incident with Honolulu officers on 14th April, 2021. Police had been called after Myeni, a stay at home father of two, had followed a couple into their home while wearing a Zulu feathered headband and then made bizarre comments regarding having video of them and that a cat at the property belonged to him. Police had arrived and in the darkness had been attacked, leaving one officer with facial fractures and a concussion. He apparently kept striking out after being shot in the chest. About 30 minutes beforehand, Myeni had interjected himself in a situation where police were investigating a vehicle break-in and had to be told to go away by both the victim and officers. Myeni then asked one of the officers for money to buy food and tried to get into the back of a police car. Initially, Myeni’s family had declined the chance to have his brain examined by the Boston University CTE Center but an addendum to the 29-year-old’s autopsy shows his brain tissue was examined and revealed stage 3 CTE. Stage 4 is the most severe level and experts say it’s alarming for someone as young as Myeni to have such a critical case of CTE. His wife Lindsay Myeni, who has filed a wrongful death lawsuit alleging police shot her husband because he was black, said she was shocked to learn of the CTE diagnosis, and that he had only suffered two or three concussions she was aware of. She said he had showed no signs of CTE symptoms. Those include memory loss, confusion, impaired judgment, impulse control problems, aggression and depression. “I had no clue. He had no clue,” she said from Richard’s Bay, South Africa, where she now lives. “So it was kind of devastating because it felt like ... someone was telling me like, hey, he died from racism at 29, but he was going to be killed from his favorite sport at 50 or 51 anyway.” Dr. Masahiko Kobayashi, the Honolulu medical examiner who autopsied Myeni and concluded he died from gunshot wounds, said he suspected CTE after hearing about Myeni’s behavior and his contact sports past. Honolulu’s prosecuting attorney decided not to pursue charges against any of the officers with officials adding that officers weren’t reacting to his race, but rather his behaviour, which put officers’ lives in jeopardy. Bridget Morgan-Bickerton, a Honolulu attorney representing Myeni’s wife, said he wasn’t aggressive, “until he was subjected to unjustified aggression, being yelled at, at gunpoint, in the dark to ‘get on the ground’ with no announcement of who was asking.” https://www.progressiverugby.com/media/just-for-fun-six-nations-quiz-answers-for-07/01/2023-etpe7-mrc8m monthly 0.5 2025-06-25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/76d5a358-b74d-4622-97cc-bf585e7d3b49/p0bm08dm.jpg Media - Just for Fun: Six Nations Quiz Answers for 04/02 /2023 - Make it stand out “I https://www.progressiverugby.com/media/concussion-education-via-video-games-is-no-brainer monthly 0.5 2025-06-25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/cdda0df7-2c60-47f3-b484-77f05ab4e32f/video+games2.jpg Media - Concussion education via video games could be no brainer - Make it stand out Researcher Isaac Lockett says with hundreds of millions playing Esports, with games like FIFA, Madden NFL and WWE 2K in households around the world; it’s an ideal opportunity to engage a willing audience. The sports psychology graduate and keen gamer presents that licenced games refer to broken limbs, hamstrings and even stubbed toes but makes little to no reference to brain injuries, despite being an increasingly hot topic in sports, including football, rugby, cycling and NFL. “Concussion is one of, if not the biggest challenge facing sport, and this is an incredible opportunity to educate a huge amount of people at pace through a medium that transcends culture in the majority of cases,” Isaac said. “Gamers are also friends, parents, children and teammates, and if concussion education becomes embedded into video games, it enables it to become a more normalised conversation. “It’s not about scaring people, it’s about educating them so that if they or someone they love do get concussed they know the next steps in making sure they are correctly cared for.” In rugby, figures in the men’s game are dropping, and a recently disastrous announcement around a tackle height change in the amateur game saw many vows to turn their back on the game. Thankfully the RFU have vowed to now engage with the community game to address the situation. In the elite game, hundreds of former professional players, including England RWC2003 winner Steve Thompson have launched a legal case against governing bodies saying they didn’t act to protect them against the dangers of developing neurological disease. Isaac said: “It’s not about putting people off playing a contact sport; it’s about arming them with the knowledge of what they should do if someone were concussed. “I believe education can be introduced at different levels. Firstly, if a player does get a potential head injury that it is acknowledged by commentators, and the player needs to be substituted. But this could only be the start; with evolutions potentially leading to an interactive element where gamers have to follow, and more importantly understand, correct protocol to get their star players back on then pitch, there could be a fast and hugely valuable transfer of knowledge. “It would need to be carefully designed to ensure it’s not just a tick-box approach. If it is introduced, there is a need to generate conversations amongst the gamer community on how to get players back and ensure that the correct standard of care is introduced to players. “The desired outcome is that concussion becomes a key injury like anything else. If a player pulls their hamstring, if they injure their knee, if they suffer a brain injury they come off – whether on the game or in real life.” Isaac is interested in further progressing this idea and turning it into research focusing on how best to introduce concussion-related elements into video games and presenting the findings to the video game industry to aid the findings being integrated successfully. https://www.progressiverugby.com/media/awesome-loving-vibrant-remembering-benjamin-robinson-always12 monthly 0.5 2025-06-25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/9cee893e-6e8a-4ddd-98c5-81a74f5a05bd/download+%284%29.jpg Media - Awesome. Loving. Vibrant: Remembering Benjamin Robinson. Always. - Make it stand out Tragically, just 48 hours later he became the first person in the UK to die of second impact syndrome playing rugby. Ben was just 14-years-old. It was quite clear, thanks in part to a video of the game, that a lack of education around concussion and correct concussion process led to decisions, or lack of, that contributed to the tragedy. During the match Ben had been checked for concussion three times but allowed to continue. The last words he said to his increasingly anxious mother on the touch line were “I don’t feel right.” The consultant told Peter and Karen that Ben had suffered a brain injury similar to what they’d expect to see in someone involved in a car crash. Ben’s parents Peter and Karen have invested the last 11 years in raising awareness of the danger of concussion and brain injuries for young sportspeople, constantly reminding the rugby community that if there any doubt at all in the amateur game the player should be removed. We publish today (29th January) because 12 years on, Peter and Karen still consider ‘game day’ as the day Ben died, even though his death is officially registered as two days later. Peter, who is also a valued member of Progressive Rugby, said: “The simple act of saying his name is so important to us. It reminds us that others have not forgotten our Benjamin. “It’s desperately painful but we were lucky to have such a wonderful son for 14 years. Peter, a constant voice behind the increasingly successful ‘If in doubt, sit them out’ campaign, added: “The more players, parents, spectators, coaches and referees who are educated the smaller the chance a player with a brain injury will remain on the pitch. “It’s about improving the ratio, we aren’t asking people to be neurologists or brain injury experts, we are asking them to be vigilant, remove children from the pitch, and make sure they get correctly managed afterwards by informing their parents, school and GP. “Even now, I get coaches say to me it’s a difficult decision removing a player who only ‘may’ have suffered a brain injury. It’s not, turning your child’s life-support machine off is a difficult decision. “That’s the thing. It’s not rugby that killed Ben, it was the mismanagement of his brain injury. So, while Ben’s story isn’t a positive one for rugby, it absolutely can be – I really believe that. I have to.” https://www.progressiverugby.com/media/just-for-fun-six-nations-quiz-answers-for-07/01/2023-etpe7 monthly 0.5 2025-06-25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/76d5a358-b74d-4622-97cc-bf585e7d3b49/p0bm08dm.jpg Media - Just for Fun: Six Nations Quiz Answers for 28/01/2023 - Make it stand out “I https://www.progressiverugby.com/media/french-international-breaks-silence-to-warn-players-against-blind-loyalty monthly 0.5 2025-06-25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/78189397-b4fd-4691-8ee6-51d6b8add80f/img.jpg Media - French international breaks silence to warn players against blind loyalty - Make it stand out That they didn’t is a surprise. Not because Lapandry’s story is unique, but because French-born players are fiercely loyal to their clubs. To speak out against their ‘family’ is unthinkable, some would say unforgivable. There’s something to admire in this romantic ideal, but with professionalism now having passed its 25th year is their blind loyalty deserved? Is it reciprocated? Unlikely. Rugby is now a business like any other. France has more money swilling around than other nations but even their bean counters will have their limits. Lapandry played 261 matches for ASM Clermont Auvergne in a 12-year career and went on earn 13 French caps following his debut in 2009. Said to be ‘loyal and discreet’ Lapandry, told L’Équipe that he suffered “deep humiliation” and has been forced to retire after he suffered a stroke on the pitch. "I am obliged to speak out,” Lapandry said justifying his decision to take legal action against Clermont which he says was trying to push him out while he was still undergoing treatment for his serious condition. It’s two years since his terrible head injury against Stade Français, in October 2020, which more than two months later was identified as a cerebellar stroke, a rare and serious condition. After many months of silence, he has announced the end of his career and a legal action with four complaints against Clermont filed 30th November. “If I don't speak out, who else will? The ASM wanted to put the financial aspect before my health,” Lapandry told L’Équipe. “It has been difficult and painful but my priority has become my health. Talking about all this is not an easy thing for me, as I am by nature discreet, but I want to do it so that there is a collective awareness on the subject of players' health. “I had the feeling that I was not sufficiently followed up after my injury, that some people at the club put financial interests before health, and I want to say this so that future generations can better protect themselves.” Below are some edited responses from questions L’Équipe put to Lapandry. What happened in your case? After the head injury against Stade Français, I was stopped for three weeks, according to the protocol, because it was my second concussion in less than twelve months. After validating the non-contact training stages, I hoped to be retained against Castres but from the first shock, during training, I felt the same tremor as a month earlier, a sensation of dizziness. I reported it immediately and stopped training. From then on, all the symptoms that had disappeared reappeared: headaches, dizziness... I was really unwell. What exactly did you feel? A lot of pressure in my skull, permanent headaches, dizziness, hypersensitivity to light. And, above all, a great deal of discomfort. I had no control over my brain or my behaviour. I told the ASM medical staff several times but I had the impression that they didn't take me seriously. The doctors associated my symptoms with depression, linked to the recent death of my father. Didn't you go for a consultation elsewhere? I called Jean Chazal, a retired neurosurgeon (who followed the ASM players a few years ago) for help. I described my condition to him, the link made with the bereavement. He told me: "No, it's serious, and it has nothing to do with your dad.” I had an emergency MRI. The results of the MRI revealed a dissection of the left vertebral artery and a cerebellar stroke (a rare and serious condition of the cerebellum)? Yes, more than two months after my last game, and with training in between! When the radiologist told me that I had a blood clot in my brain, that I had had a stroke, I was not surprised. Even worse, I felt relieved. I finally had a precise diagnosis, in relation to the abnormal and persistent nature of the problems I was experiencing. From then on, my vascular problem was very well taken care of at the Clermont-Ferrand University Hospital; it was purely traumatic and not due to a congenital cause or any other anomaly as some people might have suggested. I spent five months on anticoagulants, with blood tests every week. What was the reaction at the club? When they realised the reality and the seriousness of my injury, they tried to give a version that was not accurate (they wanted to publish a press release that their doctors had made a remarkable catch by requesting an MRI). I objected to this publication, I was stunned. Frankly, I could have accepted that the medical staff were wrong about the severity of my injury and I don't think I would have complained about that. But for them to try and get away with saying things that are not true is unacceptable. The way the management acted afterwards too. What does that mean? In January and March 2021, during two meetings, the club president Jean-Michel Guillon, when I told him that I couldn't decide to stop my career without having completed my treatment, gave me his confidence by telling me that the club would never let me down. I was happy, I believed him. Did you need to be heard? I really would have liked us all to get round the table to protect my health, my interests and those of the club. An agreement would have been reached quickly. So, the president agreed to a meeting with the club's doctors. Their opinion was not to let me continue playing rugby. For them, the risk was too great. I understand that and I also understand that they sent my file to the FFR medical commission to ask for an additional opinion, so that I could make the right decision. Before deciding to stop my career, I needed to measure all the risks. I had two years left on my contract, there was no urgency. Except that evening I received an e-mail from the FFR: "Your licence is suspended with immediate effect. Without any medical consultation from the Federation. Underneath, there was a little note: "Thank you for what you have done for French rugby." How did you feel? I was offended, humiliated. No more licence and the ASM didn't have a word. No news for three weeks. It was the most undignified moment I've ever experienced. At the official handover of the shirts for the departing players, I was not invited. So I wasn't one of them? Since the beginning of your career, you have remained loyal to your club; what is it that drives you to speak out? Some people might think that you want money above all... Those people have surely never had serious health problems... A few months ago, it would have been completely impossible for me to imagine such an action. When Jamie Cudmore did it (in 2019), I thought he had his reasons but it was out of my reality. I'm a quiet guy, I don't want to make waves. At first, I thought that talking would go against who I am, these values of group, of solidarity, but no, it's completely in line with me. Talking today is my duty to transmit. If I don't do it, who will? I am obliged to speak, to say what happened to me so that the guys behind me are not reduced to justifying their state of health when they have broken their heads for the club. It's a strange end? Yes, I felt abandoned; for two years I voluntarily disappeared from the radar to protect my health, my club and my teammates. The supporters, the old-timers with whom I used to drink a beer after the matches, have not heard from me again, but I haven't forgotten them. Even if I won't be able to celebrate my farewell with them, put on my boots and walk on Michelin one last time, I will always be faithful to them. Rugby is a wonderful sport. This article is based on the original which can be viewed here: https://www.lequipe.fr/Rugby/Article/Alexandre-lapandry-justifie-son-depot-de-plaintes-contre-clermont-je-suis-oblige-de-parler/1368587 https://www.progressiverugby.com/media/i-remember-thinking-holy-shit-this-is-a-problem-this-is-fcked-up monthly 0.5 2025-06-25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/4340a0c4-5451-42f0-8e6a-7e68387974b8/IPOD3AAJYD53SLWEWVQDDGS56Y+%281%29.jpg Media - “I remember thinking ‘holy shit, this is a problem, this is f*cked up’” - Make it stand out “I fell in love with rugby’s values pretty quicky and it soon took priority over ice hockey,” Cameron, whose 6ft 7 and 230lb frame leant itself to his newfound hobby, said. Unsurprisingly utilised in the second row, Cameron went on to win a scholarship to the University of Victoria in British Columbia where he ended up playing with half the members of the national team, a team he went on to represent three times himself. “I was exposed to a high level very quickly and ended up on the radar for the national programme but was told I needed to go and play in France and that person set me up with Clermont ASM academy,” Cameron remembers. As a young man from a small town, Cameron says it was a big leap but he enjoyed it. However, it wasn’t long until alarm bells started ringing regarding the attitude towards concussion. “Twice I saw a player knocked out cold and they didn’t even get them off the field. They just came onto the field and got them to shake it off. I just remember thinking ‘holy shit, this is a problem, this is f*cked up’,” Cameron who had been used to stringent protocols in Canada says. Cameron managed to secure a contract with Pau in France’s D2, helping the side gain promotion to the Top 14, but in October 2016, while playing a reserve game as part of his rehab from an ankle injury, he was on the end of a heavy challenge that resulted in a violent whiplash. Despite being unable to string sentences together he was allowed to remain on the pitch. From that moment his playing career was over as chronic symptoms took over his life. “I had terrible short term memory problems and was plagued by chronic migraines, insomnia and mood swings,” Cameron, who still suffers issues six years on, said. “I couldn’t even read. I’d find myself reading the same paragraph again and again. My brain just couldn’t process what I was reading. I can’t hold down a job because if I focus in the morning I have to sleep in the afternoon. I definitely consider myself as having a disability.” Cameron, now 31, is a board member of Provale (the French version of the RPA) alongside familiar names including Louis Picamoles and Guilhem Guirado. Cameron is one of the members of a lawsuit against the French Rugby Federation (FFR) and the National Rugby League (LNR) accusing the bodies of breaching safety and information obligations on concussion. “I loved rugby but there’s no doubt I had to retire. My only regret is that I never played in a Rugby World Cup. “But as a kid from a small town in Canada I never imagined playing professional rugby in France, or representing my country, but I wasn’t prepared to sacrifice my other dreams like being a dad.” https://www.progressiverugby.com/media/rugby-league-star-stevie-ward-joins-progressive-rugby-as-a-show-of-unity-against-brain-injury monthly 0.5 2025-06-25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/a3553de4-e53e-4744-8041-2aa268456763/Blue+Modern+Minimalist+Corporate+Business+Card+%281%29.jpg Media - Rugby League star Stevie Ward joins Progressive Rugby as a show of unity against brain injury - Make it stand out Rugby league and union are seen as fierce rivals with many fans of their respective code bemoaning the others’ lack of skills, physicality and appeal. But Stevie, who was forced to retire aged 27 because of the debilitating effects of brain injury, says the issue of brain injury should unite the codes as they seek answers with how best to protect the players and mitigates the effects of repetitive head injuries. An outspoken advocate of player welfare. Stevie suffered two concussions in two weeks and still now suffers with regular migraines, balance and dizziness issues. Stevie said: “I wanted to show my support for Progressive Rugby because this isn’t about Union v League, it’s about learning the lessons and making sure future generations of players from both codes don’t suffer and finding a way both versions of the game can continue to thrive.” Prof John Fairclough of Progressive Rugby said: “Stevie is a powerful voice in the brain injury space and has first-hand experience of how brain trauma can affect your life. We are delighted to welcome his support and the expertise he brings.” https://www.progressiverugby.com/media/brain-injury-failures-continue-to-give-world-rugby-a-headache monthly 0.5 2025-06-25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/6f5b16be-9ef5-45bd-97f7-8e9001d3c647/Sports2382402.jpg Media - Game’s failure to satisfactorily manage brain injuries is a headache World Rugby can’t appear to cure - Make it stand out A wonderful women’s RWC2021 final was soured by head clashes. The red card challenge reportedly left Portia Woodman posturing on the side of the pitch (a sure sign of brain injury) and she remembers nothing more of the match. Reports suggested Woodman failed a HIA, although goodness only knows why she would have been given one as she clearly had category 1 symptoms so under protocol must be immediately and permanently removed. Later in the same game, England star Abby Dow suffered the same fate when she clashed heads in a staggering similar scenario but was inexplicably left on the field before eventually being removed and then passing a HIA we say she should never have undergone. World Rugby are yet to announce their match review findings. Sadly, the Autumn internationals this weekend offered no respite. At Murrayfield, supporters again clapped on the 8th minute of the match to pay respects to Siobhan Cattigan, a Scottish international who died aged 26. Her parents are currently involved in a legal case with the SRU claiming her death was contributed to by a lack of care around head injuries. So, it was distressing to see Argentinian full back stay on the field after striking his head on the ground and players screaming for the referee to stop the match as he had lost consciousness. The medic attending Juan Cruz Mallia was with him briefly before he carried on leading commentator Jamie Lyall to say he was “staggered” the player hadn’t been taken off. The game itself had not covered itself in glory with five yellow cards and a red being brandished. The red for Marcos Kremer certainly falling into the ‘daft beyond belief’ category after he ran from distance and swung an arm into James Ritchie’s head at the breakdown after just 23 minutes. But the pièce de resistance, the crowning tale of woe, saved itself for the Aviva Stadium where Ireland were taking on Australia. Referee Ben O’Keefe was to be applauded in the 24th minute when he ordered Australia hooker Dave Porecki off for a HIA despite his protestation and we assume he duly failed as he never returned. But on 54 minutes, viewers were worried for Australian scrum-half Nic White who took two quick fire blows to the head, one in an attempted tackle and then carrying the ball into contact. In our view, White clearly displayed Category 1 symptoms and therefore must leave the field permanently. But no, he underwent a HIA and returned, later telling reporters he had just been a “little ginger.” Thankfully we weren’t the only ones to notice with social media expressing their disbelief the diminutive Ozzie had returned, and commentator Alan Quinlan also voicing his concern. By Sunday afternoon, the Wallabies confirmed that the incident had been re-assessed and elevated to criteria 1 - meaning White should have been immediately and permanently removed. He is now stood down for a mandatory 12 days. It evokes worrying memories of memories of Tomas Francis at Twickenham and Irish prop Jeremy Loughman in New Zealand. All three claim it was a breakdown in communications and failure to view relevant footage being the issue. It would seem that no one’s attending the lessons that so desperately need to be learnt. https://www.progressiverugby.com/media/world-rugbys-self-reinforcement-on-concussion-is-a-problem-for-the-sport monthly 0.5 2025-06-25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/2bf57cb9-7006-4159-8183-7a4e47f95698/Ryan.jpg Media - World Rugby’s self-reinforcement on concussion is a problem for the sport - Make it stand out Another week, another conference. This one was organised by World Rugby and, like the last, which was organised by the Concussion in Sport Group, it was held in Amsterdam. World Rugby’s chief medical officer, Dr Éanna Falvey, explained that the aim was “to evaluate the latest research and focus on where we might need to focus funding to continue to fill the gaps in our collective knowledge”. There was a lot on the agenda: a session on instrumented mouth guards, a workshop on laws and player welfare, and, first thing in the morning, a series of talks on brain health and chronic traumatic encephalopathy. World Rugby made all three available by live stream. It’s a positive step forward that the proceedings are open, and that anyone interested is encouraged to watch. It’s some of what they saw when they logged on that’s the worry. There were three speakers in the session on brain health. First up was the neuropathologist Dr Rudy Castellani, who is professor of pathology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, and the second was Dr Ken Quarrie, a specialist in the epidemiology of rugby injuries and chief scientist at New Zealand Rugby. Castellani has previously described himself as an “unabashed denier” of some of the research behind CTE. He previously served as an expert witness for the National Hockey League in a class-action lawsuit alleging the league hid the dangers of concussions and long-term issues. At World Rugby’s conference he explained that, among other reservations, he believes there is insufficient evidence to describe CTE as a “neurodegenerative” disease. It is also his opinion that there are “factual inaccuracies” in the recent guidance issued by the US National Institutes of Health, which acknowledges a causal link between CTE and head trauma. Given that the NIH is the largest public funder of biomedical research in the world, it is something of a fringe position. Quarrie is also on record talking about his scepticism about CTE, and in particular the clinical outcomes associated with it. In a recent blog he wrote, “Despite there having been strong claims made about what causes CTE, how it develops, and what clinical outcomes it leads to, the reality is that the science of CTE is very young. There really is a lot of doubt about a number of the issues!” They included whether it is really “a primary, progressive neurodegenerative disease”, the “cause(s) of the pathology”, the “prevalence of the pathology”, and “MAJOR questions remain about the relationship between having CTE pathology in the brain and any given clinical outcome”. Following these there was a third talk, by Dr Gordon Fuller, a specialist in health data science from the University of Sheffield. It was a critique of the recent research published by a team at the University of Glasgow that demonstrated that former rugby players were at higher risk of neurodegenerative disease when compared to the general population. The original paper wasn’t presented, and the team behind it were not represented. Fuller’s big criticism was about the lack of data about confounding factors, mainly alcohol use, but also steroid use and post-retirement depression, among the rugby players. Taken altogether, the three talks added up to what seemed like 90 minutes of (to borrow Castellani’s phrase) unabashed scepticism about the existing research into the long-term health consequences of repeated head trauma. At various points explicit criticisms were made of the work done by several of the world’s leading experts in the field, including Dr Ann McKee, distinguished professor of neurology and pathology at Boston University, Dr Willie Stewart, consultant neuropathologist at the University of Glasgow, and Chris Nowinski of the Concussion Legacy Foundation. None of the three were there to offer a rebuttal. World Rugby did invite other speakers, including representatives of the Glasgow University study and the CLF, to participate in the panel event afterwards. Everyone turned them down, one on grounds that World Rugby had provided only seven days’ notice when the rest of the schedule had been published well in advance, another because they didn’t want to share a platform with one of the speakers. Representatives from both the CLF and the University of Glasgow told the Guardian that they would be happy to talk to World Rugby about their research at another session. In their absence the moderator, the sports scientist Ross Tucker, did his best to introduce some balance by encouraging critical questions at the end. Despite that, the cumulative effect was that anyone watching the session could reasonably have left with the impression that the issues were overblown, the science behind them unclear, and that World Rugby’s handling of it all is just about spot-on. That last point was, in fact, near enough one of the panel’s conclusions (many of the rest could be best summed up with the tired line: more research is needed). In 90 minutes I’m not sure I heard a single remark that challenged World Rugby’s handling of the issues, or called for any changes to be made to the running of the game. The only thing missing was the caption “This is fine”. Whether you agree with the speakers or not (and given many of these arguments are already settled, most don’t) it’s easy to see why this sort of self-reinforcement is a problem for the sport. If World Rugby wants to “fill the gaps in our collective knowledge” it should start by filling in the obvious gap in the information it is presenting to the rugby community as an up-to-date survey of the latest research. The conference focused on only one side of the debate, the same side, it so happens, that is most reassuring for its organisers. Quarrie spoke, at one point, about how polarised this discussion has become. Events like this one won’t do anything to redress it. https://www.progressiverugby.com/media/new-zealand-rugby-nzr-to-trial-three-game-innovations-to-improve-player-safety monthly 0.5 2025-06-25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/c1cd36ff-14fa-4fd9-9c7b-9d22ee710c8b/Under-85-Club-Cup-New-Zealand-Rugby-4-v4.jpg Media - New Zealand Rugby (NZR) to trial three game innovations to improve player safety - Make it stand out The changes are supported by the 26 Provincial Unions and include a significant reduction in tackle height to below the sternum across all community rugby, including senior premier club and school First XV grades. NZR General Manager Community Rugby Steve Lancaster said the tackle height change reflected rugby’s on-going commitment to improving player safety. “We strongly believe that rugby offers so many benefits for our community participants that far outweigh the risk of injury. Our focus is on continuing to find ways to reduce that risk and make the game as safe as possible, while also preserving the social and individual benefits of the game. “New Zealand Rugby and our rugby community continue to be world-leading in our approach to player safety and we can be really proud of that. This is a significant and positive change for the game.” The new initiatives were trialled in selected grades last year and Lancaster said feedback from players, coaches and referees confirmed the focus on reducing tackle height was the right approach for the community game. “Our participants have told us that they want to see improvements made to the tackle and breakdown areas, so that’s been our focus. The resounding feedback we’ve received from this season’s trials is that the game is more enjoyable to play and safer when the tackle height is reduced to below the sternum, or what some people will know as the belly.” Feedback from community grades trialling the reduced tackle height in the 2022 season found that 78% of participants believed it improved the tackler’s safety, 73% felt it made the game faster and 72% thought there were more opportunities for offloads. The trial will see the first tackler required to target the belly area below the sternum, with the second tackler still able to legally tackle below the shoulders in accordance with current rugby law. After a successful trial across non-premier senior and teenage rugby in 2022, restrictions around the defending halfback at scrums will now be extended to include all grades of community rugby, including senior premier club and First XV school rugby. To improve attacking opportunities from scrums, halfbacks of the team not in possession will be required to remain one metre from the scrum and may not advance past the tunnel until the scrum has ended. Senior club rugby grades (except for premier grades) are also set to continue trialling a maximum scrum push of 1.5 metres next season, with Lancaster adding that the innovation required more time to establish if the change had improved player safety outcomes. “Reducing the risk of injuries at scrums has long been a focus for the game. We know from this year’s trial that the ball spent less time in the scrum, which brings positives around ball-in-play time, but we need more time to understand from a player safety perspective if we’ve got this quite right, said Lancaster. NZR will be seek feedback from participants on the breakdown area throughout the 2023 community rugby season, with game innovations set to be introduced in 2024. Community rugby game innovations come into effect for the 2023 season. More information can be found at www.nzrugby.co.nz. 2023 community rugby game innovations: Reduced tackle height to below the sternum targeting the belly area for all community rugby grades The first tackler must tackle below the sternum and target the belly area. The second tackler can legally tackle below the shoulders in accordance with current rugby law. Defensive halfback offside at scrum for all community rugby grades The halfback of the team not in possession must remain 1 metre from the scrum and may not advance past the tunnel until the scrum has ended. Maximum 1.5 metre scrum push for all community rugby, excluding senior premier club rugby grades The maximum push of any scrum is limited to 1.5 metres, unless the scrum is within 5 metres of the goal line. Please note: Small Blacks rugby at U12 and U13s is already limited to a maximum 0.5 metre scrum push and Teenage rugby is also limited to a maximum 1.5 metre scrum push. https://www.progressiverugby.com/media/former-gloucester-and-england-flanker-andy-hazell-backs-progressive-rugby-player-welfare-requirements monthly 0.5 2025-06-25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/bccec112-5d68-440e-a85d-4ea6f718286f/Andy-Hazell-Retirement.jpg Media - Former Gloucester and England flanker Andy Hazell backs Progressive Rugby player welfare requirements - Make it stand out Hazell, who played over 250 times as a flanker for Gloucester between 1997 and 2014 and seven times for England, retired as a result of persistent concussion symptoms. The 44-year-old is not part of the lawsuit against World Rugby and the RFU because the game has given him so much, but he does think past players should be supported if required and current players should be given better protection under the protocols. “We can’t have players worrying about their futures,” he said. “They play because they love the game and entertaining then fans. It’s clear bold changes are needed so that they can perform knowing they are being looked after during and after their career. “In terms of past players, I feel there should be better support for those that require it and I’d like there to be money made available so players can be tested if they do have concerns. I’d also like to see funding for continued research into what can be done to improve brain health for those struggling.” https://www.progressiverugby.com/media/lewis-mad-dog-moody-says-newfound-perspective-means-he-would-play-differently-if-he-had-his-time-again monthly 0.5 2025-06-25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/cc03e0b8-746f-4f69-921e-869806bb1cc8/_methode_times_prodmigration_web_bin_1d8ca31f-a02d-336f-b606-b544672e0cd2.jpg Media - Lewis ‘Mad Dog’ Moody says newfound perspective means he would play ‘differently’ if he had his time again - Make it stand out The 2007 match, England vs Tonga on a Friday night at Parc des Princes, Moody was doing his magnificent thing, roaming fast off scrums and line-outs, chasing and tackling. The TV commentary reflects the times, with apparently uncomplaining references such as “oh my goodness, his head’s going to be battered, isn’t it?” and “his team-mates wonder if there’s anything inside there”. In the second minute Moody is knocked out when his head collides with the knee of the Tonga full-back. Simon Kemp – then the England team doctor, now the Rugby Football Union’s head of medical services – is seen looking concerned, while asking the questions that were used to determine awareness of surroundings. Later in the first half, a Tongan lock collides with the back of Moody’s head, and he is briefly examined again. Two minutes into the second half Moody takes a high tackle from the flanker Nili Latu that would today attract a yellow or red card. Just a penalty was given, while Kemp and England’s physio Phil Pask examine Moody again. The next day he feels sickeningly disorientated on a rollercoaster ride at Disneyland Paris, but goes on to start the following weekend’s quarter-final win over Australia in Marseilles. “There were protocols in place,” Moody says, referring to a possible stand-down of up to three weeks that was changed to a six-stage return-to-play protocol in 2011, “but they felt sketchy, they felt like something that as a player we could always manipulate.” He remembers differing approaches, such as a doctor insisting he spend a night in hospital after being knocked out playing for Leicester some time around 2000. Moody’s father passed away with Alzheimer’s in January last year and his father’s brother has recently been diagnosed with the same condition. “So, for me,” says Moody, “there’s an added weight to understanding this. Does the accumulative effect of having played rugby and potentially being genetically disposed to dementia form a sort of perfect combination? “I know ‘Thommo’ feels really bitter about how it’s worked out for him, and that makes me sad, because I felt like he had a fantastic career and he loved the game when we played it, and I loved playing with him. It’s sad that we can’t share those sort of memories – literally, when we’re chatting in that documentary, it’s like it doesn’t exist. “I suppose my initial reaction was sceptical, but now it’s a realisation of the really crap position he finds himself in and knowing how rapidly early onset dementia affects people, having seen it with my dad. Over 10 years he went from a fully capable functioning, rational human to someone that needed 24/7 care and couldn’t hold a conversation.” Moody had an initial consultation with a doctor put forward by the lawyers, but did not proceed. Meanwhile, he wants World Rugby to put a mandatory time limit on contact in training, and for all sports to make money available for the care of players after their careers. “I love the game of rugby,” he says. “My kids love it, they absolutely obsess about it. And they would do contact every waking second of every day, if they could. So it’s up to us to take the power out of their hands. The technical work around the contact area, the tackle technique, the scrummage, you can do that without putting the bodies in a position where you’re going to sustain a head injury. “People may go ‘that’s really hypocritical of you, Lewis Moody, Mad Dog Moody, because you used to play like an idiot, you were insane’. Well, I wasn’t insane. I loved playing the way I did, I loved the contact element of the game, I loved the hours that we spent battering each other on the training field. I played the game within the parameters, and in the way that I could, at a time that I could. And I would do it differently now.” https://www.progressiverugby.com/media/us-health-body-rules-collision-sports-cause-cte-in-landmark-change monthly 0.5 2025-06-25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/bd290ec1-f77a-4253-ac5b-320127943688/Chris-Farrell-receiving-treatment-for-head-injury-2021-PA-1024x630.jpg Media - US health body rules collision sports cause CTE in landmark change - Make it stand out The NIH is the largest biomedical research agency in the world and the decision to rewrite its official guidance on CTE has been described by campaign groups as a tipping point in the debate about the risks of playing collision sports. In the NIH’s view research to date suggests the causal link between repeated traumatic brain injury and CTE is clear and unequivocal. That position is at odds with the one held by the Concussion in Sport Group, which is supported by Fifa, World Rugby and the IOC, among others. The concussion consensus documents published by CISG have consistently played down the connection between CTE and brain injuries sustained in sport. a position that has been used by many sports federations as they defend themselves against legal challenges and calls to reform. The NIH’s change in guidance was made after a group of 41 leading scientists, doctors and epidemiologists co-signed a letter to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (Ninds). The letter cited a recent review of the research into CTE, published in July in the Frontiers in Neurology journal, which established a clear causal link with the kinds of recurrent brain injuries suffered by abuse victims, soldiers and sportspeople in particular. There has been evidence this is the case since the disease was first recognised in the 1950s with the director of Ninds saying the causal link was “pretty clear” in 2014, but their official guidance had not reflected that until now. The change brings the NIH into line with the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which stated in its advice in 2019: “Most research suggests that CTE is caused in part by exposure to repeated traumatic brain injuries.” It means two of the leading independent medical research bodies in the world are in agreement on the causes of CTE. It is to be seen whether CISG’s next concussion consensus will reflect that. The group is holding a conference in Amsterdam on Thursday and Friday to draft the latest iteration of the consensus, which will be published early next year. CISG is already under increased scrutiny after its chair, and lead author, Dr Paul McCrory, resigned this year when it was alleged there were multiple instances of plagiarism in his own work. At the time McCrory was quoted on Retraction Watch apologising, saying his failure to attribute was “not deliberate or intentional”. “Now that causation has been established, the world has a tremendous opportunity to prevent future cases of CTE,” said a spokesperson for the not-for-profit group the Concussion Legacy Foundation. “The only known cause of CTE is an environmental exposure, and in most cases a choice – the choice to play contact sports. “Our goal is to reform all youth sports so they no longer include preventable repetitive head impacts before age 14 – no heading in soccer, no tackling in [American] football and rugby. “This change, combined with logical limits to repeated head impacts in sports for people over 14 (such as no hitting in football/rugby practice and strict limits on headers in practice) would be expected to prevent the vast majority of future CTE cases.” https://www.progressiverugby.com/media/i-tell-frankie-that-if-in-10-years-i-dont-know-who-you-are-please-remember-that-you-will-always-be-in-my-heart monthly 0.5 2025-06-25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/dc7e973c-e4cb-4a0c-b4e9-4354b2542bff/b363462c-726d-41e9-8deb-5d2363581a67.jpg Media - “I tell Frankie that ‘if in 10 years I don’t know who you are, please remember that you will always be in my heart’.” - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/9f594d3e-f7f5-4080-8568-d14d2f674517/Mike.jpg Media - “I tell Frankie that ‘if in 10 years I don’t know who you are, please remember that you will always be in my heart’.” - Make it stand out Frankie Lipman was overwhelmed with emotion watching her husband taking a lap of honour at Bath Rugby on the weekend before the West Country derby with Gloucester. Lipman, now 42, quickly became a fan favourite at the Rec when he joined in 2003 and by his departure in 2009 had played more than 100 games for the club. Some of the fans there a few weeks ago will have watched Lipman, will have applauded his bravery for staying on the field following an enormous collision that had left him prone. That’s in no way a criticism of the fans, just a common trait in rugby that would have been replicated at grounds across the Premiership, indeed across the game. The wave of diagnoses of early onset dementia and probable chronic traumatic encephalopathy could not have been predicted, at least not amongst a huge majority of the fans. Lipman’s diagnosis came as a blessed relief, a reason for his confusion, erratic behaviour and urge to abuse alcohol to shield himself from a reality he was unable to understand. “Prior to my diagnosis we were on the brink of divorce,” Lipman said. “I was sleeping in the car outside my own home because Frankie couldn’t tolerate my behaviour, and certainly not in front of the children. “When I got tested, suddenly I was able to put the pieces together and realised that I needed to go and get help. I was able to look in the mirror and see the person I had become and realise what I had put my family through. I was going to lose everything.” Behind each of these stories is the heartache felt by the family as the person they love first appears to become a different person, but worse still start to fade away in front of their eyes. Frankie has become fiercely protective of her husband which in itself causes problems. “I can’t help speaking for him if he is struggling but it upsets him because it makes him feel stupid and that’s the last thing I want to do,” she said. “I have people who have never met him, and they come up and ask me if he is bi-polar because he can be a bit manic. People don’t know how to take him, and it’s tough because brain injuries are invisible, people don’t know what is going on behind the eyes.” Comtimued below…… https://www.progressiverugby.com/media/michael-lipman-to-spread-word-on-progressive-rugby-down-under monthly 0.5 2025-06-25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/05b6ee31-609a-480c-b312-a7a3b73aee77/TELEMMGLPICT000003700242_trans_NvBQzQNjv4Bq-LJS7LKjeK9Zr8QxHnNHG_r7sARQy7EgBjwPUzvqL_M.jpeg Media - Michael Lipman to spread word on Progressive Rugby Down Under - Make it stand out Like Carl Hayman, who recently joined the group, Lipman will spread the word about how the lobby group believe the players and the game can be better protected. Lipman, 42, is one of a growing number of players that have been diagnosed with early onset dementia and probable chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). “I wanted to get on board with Progressive Rugby because their only agenda is simple - they want to protect the players and the future of the game,” Lipman said. “I couldn’t believe it when I saw that every single member of the group gives their time and specialist knowledge for free. They realise they can’t help those like me, but they are determined to make a difference to the lives of those in the game now and those who follow.” Lipman, who won 10 caps for England between 2004 and 2008, will have a primary role of spreading the word on Progressive Rugby and the requirement plans produced for both the elite and community/youth game. He will also advocate for education and a change in language around brain injury. https://www.progressiverugby.com/media/all-black-carl-hayman-takes-on-nz-ambassador-role-with-progressive-rugby monthly 0.5 2025-06-25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/8a6b983f-8987-4154-9703-fd2e21f82051/1636465216001.jpg Media - All Black Carl Hayman takes on NZ ambassador role with Progressive Rugby - Make it stand out Hayman will spread the word about how the lobby group believe the players and the game can be better protected. Hayman, 42, is one of a growing number of players that have been diagnosed with early onset dementia and probable chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). “I met with Progressive Rugby when I was in the UK and it was clear that their only focus is the welfare of the players and the game,” Hayman said. “They spoke of their determination to protect the game for future generations who they want to gain as much enjoyment from the game as they have. The group’s clarity of purpose and drive was impressive, and I’m delighted to support them.” Hayman played 46 times for New Zealand, including RWC 2007 and against the British and Irish Lions during their 2005 tour to New Zealand. Hayman has since revealed that he had been diagnosed with early onset dementia and probable chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). He has spoken how following his retirment he suffered with ceaseless headaches that sent him into a spiral of alcohol abuse and frequent suicidal thoughts. He is part of the action against World Rugby and the RFU. Hayman’s primary role will be to spread the word on Progressive Rugby and the requirement plans produced for both the elite and community/youth game. He will also advocate for education and a change in language around brain injury. https://www.progressiverugby.com/media/progressive-rugby-release-community-and-youth-package-aimed-at-reassuring-players-and-parents-that-community-rugby-looks-after-its-own monthly 0.5 2025-06-25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/638f9a28-d219-47a6-a845-84a9b7fd24b4/Rug+pic.jpg Media - Progressive Rugby release community and youth package aimed at reassuring players and parents that community rugby looks after its own - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.progressiverugby.com/media/the-tragedy-behind-ontarios-rowans-law-day monthly 0.5 2025-06-25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/1632844265104-FE1OSUAWABFOKLU9HAQE/Rowan+Stringer.png Media - The tragedy behind Ontario’s Rowan’s Law Day - Make it stand out Tragically this is not the tale of a career-ending injury but of an intelligent 17-year-old who lost her life through a lack of education around brain injury and a misplaced bravado, choosing to play despite suffering a concussion four days earlier and hiding her symptoms. The inquest into her death heard from friend Michelle Herbert that Rowan, despite suffering headaches and fatigue, texted her that she was going to play because "nothing would stop me unless I'm dead." Michelle says she and Rowan even searched concussions on the internet but believed her friend kept all symptoms from her parents and coaches, and said she declined seeing a doctor because "what's some brain damage gonna hurt?" Judy Larabie, a teammate and friend, added that Rowan referred to her injuries as ‘warrior wounds’ and wore them with pride. On that fateful day in Ottawa on 12th May, 2013 it was Judy who passed the ball to Rowan before seeing her friend briefly sit up from a resulting tackle and then falling backwards unconscious. At hospital medics were unable to successfully relieve the pressure in her head and her family made the heart-breaking decision to discontinue life support. Five years after her death, in 2018, a much-needed silver lining appeared in the form of Rowan’s Law Day which honour’s her memory and raises awareness about concussion safety on the last Wednesday of every September. Approved by the Ontario Government it includes concussion safety legislation established mandatory requirements for removal-from sport and return to sport protocols if an athlete is suspected of having sustained a concussion. And set up a concussion code of conduct to set out rules of behaviour to minimise concussions while playing sports. It is hopefully of some comfort to her family and friends that Rowan’s Law Day may save lives. https://www.progressiverugby.com/media/rwc-2003-winner-steve-thompson-joins-inspirational-progressive-rugby monthly 0.5 2025-06-25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/e8ff66f8-693b-427d-a03a-33755f872c92/steve_thompson.jpg Media - RWC 2003 winner Steve Thompson joins ‘inspirational’ Progressive Rugby - Make it stand out The former England hooker said: “I have long followed the group and been impressed with their dedication to finding ways to make the game safer. “I don’t think that people realise the quality of playing and medical expertise and experience in the group both in terms of the professional and amateur game. “The fact they have such busy lives but are ploughing endless hours of their own time into finding a way to protect the future of the game they clearly love is inspirational. “I am very proud to be part of a group who are determined future generations get as much enjoyment from the game as they have.” Steve Thompson played 73 times for England, and in 2003 won both the Grand Slam and most memorably the Rugby World Cup beating Australia in Sydney 20-17 with the now infamous extra time drop goal from Jonny Wilkinson. Steve, who played his club rugby for Northampton, Saints (with whom he won the Heineken Cup in 2000), Leeds, Wasps and Brive, and also won three British Lions caps during the 2005 tour to New Zealand. In December 2020, aged just 42, Steve revealed that he had been diagnosed with early onset dementia and probable chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). He has spoken how his condition means he can’t remember playing the RWC final and can struggle to remember his wife’s name and the names of his four children. He is part of the action against World Rugby and the RFU, and in September 2021 Thompson decided to donate his brain for CTE research. https://www.progressiverugby.com/media/amateur-players-join-legal-action-against-rugbys-authorities-over-brain-injuries monthly 0.5 2025-06-25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/002aef61-fad5-4bfb-bf4b-368c1cd59a25/quino-al-W4Jqc2Uxj3Y-unsplash.jpg Media - Amateur players join legal action against rugby’s authorities over brain injuries - Make it stand out Stock photo In a widening of the legal challenge to rugby’s governing bodies, the 30 men and five women claim they are suffering neurological impairments caused by playing the game. Proceedings were issued last month against World Rugby, the Rugby Football Union and the Welsh Rugby Union by a large group of former players from the professional and semi-professional game. https://www.progressiverugby.com/media/rugbys-concussion-protocol-branded-a-joke monthly 0.5 2025-06-25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/cc6ffb05-399c-482e-ba36-e36f951e5d5a/Barry.jpg Media - Rugby's concussion protocol branded 'a joke' - Make it stand out Last month, ex-Wales captain Ryan Jones became the latest former professional to go public with his diagnosis of early onset dementia at the age of 41. He joins others like ex-England hooker Steve Thompson and Wales back-rower Alix Popham. There is also a lawsuit, triggered by former players, hanging over World Rugby, the RFU and the WRU. O'Driscoll, a leading expert on concussion, told the Daily Telegraph: “This head injury assessment protocol is a joke. The symptoms of any head injury surfaces in the first 35 hours, and they are doing a test which lasts 10 minutes before putting them back out on the field to suffer more knocks. What I told World Rugby 10 years ago, and they ignored, has now come true. Where have they been over the last 10 years?” O'Driscoll added: “For World Rugby to say that degenerative brain disease is not yet established as a consequence of repeated head injuries is a travesty. They say it is not established but that’s not the right message I’m afraid. It’s a very irresponsible comment because he’s [World Rugby CEO Alan Gilpin] taking responsibility for the strength of knocks which causes brain damage. It’s the non-concussive knocks at every tackle which we know causes massive issues." https://www.progressiverugby.com/media/world-rugby-fires-back-over-concussion-lawsuit monthly 0.5 2025-06-25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/b9a4de4c-1555-4636-8bf7-9583e8b15ce5/_methode_times_prod_web_bin_a64ac69e-1a28-11ed-b4a0-f11f082a3a3c.jpg Media - World Rugby fires back over concussion lawsuit - Make it stand out In an exclusive interview with the Daily Telegraph, Gilpin provided World Rugby’s first public response to the legal action taken against the governing body by former players over an alleged failure to protect them from the risks of early-onset dementia during their playing careers. Rylands Law – acting on behalf of a group of players including England’s 2003 World Cup-winning hooker Steve Thompson, ex-All Blacks prop Carl Hayman and former Wales captain Ryan Jones – last month submitted legal documentation to World Rugby, the Rugby Football Union and Welsh Rugby Union. Thompson, Hayman and Jones have all recently opened up on their struggles with early-onset dementia and believe World Rugby could have done more to protect them from concussion risks. It had been reported that closer to 200 players were part of the legal action. However, speaking to The Telegraph on behalf of World Rugby, Gilpin questioned how the figure of 200 players had emerged and said the governing body was concerned that the media was being used to attract more players to the lawsuit. “When the original action was issued to us some time ago it was involving nine players, more recently they have started to claim that number has grown significantly,” Gilpin said. “It’s not, as far as we can see, in the documentation provided to us quite at the number which is being suggested in some parts of the media. “One concern is the approach being taken by some parties in that claim to apparently use the media effectively to recruit more players into that action. “What we would say to those players who aren’t currently part of the action is; can we have a dialogue about how we can all provide better support. It’s important that we find a way for players to have that dialogue without feeling the need to resort to legal action.” Gilpin emphasised that World Rugby was committed to making the game safer when it comes to head injuries and concussions. “Our message to [those players involved in the case] is very much: we absolutely care, we are listening, we are part of the debate and we want to make the right type of progress.” https://www.progressiverugby.com/media/progressive-rugby-issue-package-of-urgent-elite-player-welfare-requirements monthly 0.5 2025-06-25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/c2624074-372c-468a-a8d3-cc1b0590640c/sam.jpg Media - Progressive Rugby issue package of urgent elite player welfare requirements to address brain injury crisis - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.progressiverugby.com/media/former-scotland-players-to-launch-claim-against-sru-over-head-injury-negligence monthly 0.5 2025-06-25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/c446f091-e3a7-445d-9bc6-47de343f79b1/Scotland-huddle-PA-1024x630.jpg Media - Former Scotland players to launch claim against SRU over head injury negligence - Make it stand out Stock photo A group of former Scottish players is set to launch legal action against the Scottish Rugby Union later this month, claiming that long-term brain health issues they have been suffering since retiring were caused by the negligence of the governing body. The group, which is believed to number around a dozen ex-players, has spent the past year building their case and plan to use a recent law change that allows class action suits to be heard in Scottish courts. Their move follows similar proceedings that have been raised by around 190 players in England and Wales. https://www.progressiverugby.com/media/staggeringly-bad-look-from-sanzaar-new-trc-card-trial-slammed monthly 0.5 2025-06-25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/151b923b-2dd8-4e95-8e3b-744654c33a7d/1_JS194980920-1.jpg Media - 'Staggeringly bad look from SANZAAR' - New TRC card trial slammed - Make it stand out The 20-minute red has been trialled in Super Rugby and now SANZAAR will trial it during their premier Test competition for a second season. The ruling has been used for the previous three Super Rugby campaigns and in last year’s Rugby Championship but has so far been rejected by World Rugby for global trials. Under the law, if a player is red-carded he may be replaced after 20 minutes by another player. The 20 minutes from when a player is red-carded to when they may be replaced is measured as “game time”. If a player receives a yellow card and is sin-binned for 10 minutes and then returns to the field after serving their suspension and subsequently receives a second yellow card, it equates to an automatic red card, at which point after further 20 minutes the red carded player can then be replaced. Allowing red-carded players to be replaced after 20 minutes, southern hemisphere teams are continuing to push for its acceptance and will use it to gather more supporting evidence through the upcoming series that involves Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and Argentina. SANZAAR CEO Brendan Morris said all the unions are heavily behind the move: “This is a great decision for The Rugby Championship and follows on from its application in Super Rugby. All the SANZAAR national unions – Argentina, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa – are fully behind the extension of the red-card law trail. As a group we firmly believe the integrity of international matches is very important and that wherever possible matches must be a contest of fifteen versus fifteen. “Within the context of the games’ laws, SANZAAR believes that a 20-minute Red Card allows for a significant deterrent to deliberate acts of foul play, while it also protects the contest of fifteen on fifteen, which is what our unions, broadcasters and fans are telling us is important.” Morris believes – despite a global trial of the 20-minute card being rejected by World Rugby – that there is more valuable research data to be gleaned from another trial. “SANZAAR stands alongside World Rugby’s important work on managing foul play and player welfare and will conduct a formal research project across the 2022 TRC period with all comparative findings to be shared with World Rugby at the end of the season. The aim is to gather the necessary information that allows the 20-minute red card trial to be accepted into the full laws of the game in the future. “This season we are very excited to be bringing international rugby back to fans across all of our home territories for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic with an innovative new mini-tours format as we are committed to exploring ways to continually improve the competition,” added Morris. While many fans and commentators in the Southern Hemisphere welcomed the move, it was described as ‘deeply disappointing’ by the UK’s leading advocates for awareness around the issue of concussion and brain trauma in rugby players. Progressive Rugby hit out at the decision: “Staggeringly bad look from SANZAAR in light of recent litigation; Firmly prioritises spectacle over player welfare; Two fingers up at World Rugby; Removes incentive to address behaviours and tackle technique. Deeply disappointing.” https://www.progressiverugby.com/media/sports-related-brain-injury-new-research-finds-links-between-repetitive-head-impacts-degenerative-brain-disease monthly 0.5 2025-06-25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/80849c33-6afb-4baf-8881-f39bf04d0697/images.jfif Media - Sports-related brain injury: New research finds links between repetitive head impacts & degenerative brain disease - Make it stand out The authors say they have found "conclusive evidence" that repetitive head impacts cause chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). "Sport governing bodies should not mislead the public on CTE causation while athletes die and families are destroyed by this terrible disease," lead author Dr Chris Nowinski said. Sports organisations, government officials, parents and the military have been asked to put preventative measures in place. The study was carried out by researchers from Oxford Brookes University and 12 other academic institutions, alongside analysis from the Concussion Legacy Foundation. One co-senior author said they were "surprised at how strong the causal relationship is between repetitive head impacts and CTE". "This analysis shows it is time to include repetitive head impacts and CTE among other child safety efforts like smoking, sunburns and alcohol," Dr Adam White, executive director of the Concussion Legacy Foundation UK, said. "Repetitive head impacts and CTE deserve recognition in the global public health discussion of preventable disorders caused by childhood exposure in contact sports like football, rugby, ice hockey and others." The research paper - Applying the Bradford Hill Criteria for Causation to Repetitive Head Impacts and Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy - has been published in Frontiers in Neurology. The Football Association will trial a ban on heading in England by players in matches at under-12 level from the start of the 2022-23 season. The organisation said it welcomed the new research, adding: "We agree with the need for further awareness for parents, athletes, and policymakers. "Next season will see new education programmes delivered by the professional leagues to all players, and we will continue working on promoting wider awareness." Lawyers for more than 185 players are also suing rugby union’s governing bodies for negligence, claiming that playing the sport caused brain damage. The most studied causes of CTE are caused by contact and collision sports such as football, rugby and American football. The paper can be viewed by copying and pasting the link at the bottom of our resources page which can be found under the ‘Support’ tab. https://www.progressiverugby.com/media/dementia-ex-wales-rugby-star-fears-not-recognising-his-children monthly 0.5 2025-06-25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/8cae9267-db66-4bed-8375-0332fc719a70/p0cntjbx.jpg Media - Dementia: Ex-Wales rugby star fears not recognising his children - Make it stand out Lenny Woodard believes rugby caused his dementia. On Monday he, ex captain Ryan Jones, and 180 others intend to issue formal proceedings against World Rugby, the Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) and the Rugby Football Union (RFU). World Rugby, the WRU and RFU said they could not comment on any case as no legal proceedings had been received. However, in a joint statement, they said they cared deeply about all players and had strategies to prevent, identify and manage head injuries. London-based law firm Rylands Legal is representing the claimants, arguing rugby's governing bodies failed to take reasonable action to protect players from permanent injury caused by "repetitive concussive and sub-concussive blows". The firm said it was the biggest class action of its kind outside the United States, where the NFL has paid more than £664m to date to former players who developed dementia or concussion-related problems. "This claim isn't just about financial compensation," Rylands said in a statement. "It is also about making the game safer and ensuring current and former players get tested so that if they are suffering a brain injury they can get the clinical help they need." Former dual-code pro Mr Woodard played rugby union for Pontypool, Ebbw Vale and Pontypridd, and although not capped for Wales he played on their 1998 tour to South Africa and won five caps for the Wales rugby league team. He said others have not yet spoken about their condition as they cannot face telling their families. The dad-of-five said he first suffered a concussion aged 11. The 45-year-old said: "The stark reality of being diagnosed with early onset dementia in your 40s, with young children, means in five years, 10 years, 15 years time we might not know who they are." He recounted discussing the matter with his partner as his children played in the next room. He said: "My partner was explaining, 'I want the kids to see you as much as possible, as often as possible and do as many memorable things as possible because there is a chance in 10 years, 15 years time you're not even going to know who they are.' His nine-year-old son, Leo, overheard the conversation. "He burst into tears, ran into the room, hugged me and would not let go of me for a few minutes," he said. Pontypridd-born Mr Woodard, who was diagnosed last year, said he was aware of others in the game in a similar situation to himself. He said: "The reason they haven't gone public with it is because they're struggling to tell their children, wives, family." When speaking to other players he has assured them they are not alone. And he warned: "There's going to be more."It was hard to tell people who had played at the sport's top level what lay ahead. "Unfortunately the game is going to take away their enjoyment of their later life," he said. Mr Woodard said he had gone from having "perfect" recollection to regularly repeating himself. "My memory, my thought processes, are declining gradually and I can see that," he said. "I was diagnosed a year ago and I can see it has got worse over the last year. "I'm hoping to slow that acceleration as much as possible. I often forget journeys at crucial stages within it, repeat myself in conversations, repeat myself half-an-hour later, an hour later, forget conversations, things I've done in the past completely now. "Whereas five years, 10 years ago I had what I would class as a perfect recollection of things." Progressive Rugby, a non-profit group demanding better protection for players, is not involved in the court action, but said it was in the process of "finalising a comprehensive list of player welfare critical requirements" to submit to World Rugby. "We believe delay is no longer an option and that radical action must be taken as a matter of urgency to ensure rugby union's reputation isn't damaged beyond repair," they said. https://www.progressiverugby.com/media/irish-players-set-to-launch-concussion-case-against-irfu monthly 0.5 2025-06-25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/e8bc4ace-a948-4821-94d0-6cb3b4b69af2/anthem-backs+%281%29.jpg Media - Irish players set to launch concussion case against IRFU - Make it stand out News that proceedings in a case are set to be issued before October emerged in Wednesday’s edition of the Irish Times. It comes two days after separate proceedings against World Rugby, the Rugby Football Union and the Welsh Rugby Union were due to be issued at court in the UK by Rylands Law on behalf of a group of professional and semi-professional players against World Rugby, the Rugby Football Union and the Welsh Rugby Union. Rylands represents more than 185 rugby players aged in their 30s, 40s and 50s and the case involves people diagnosed with early-onset dementia and other irreversible neurological impairments. Client confidentiality meant that the number of individuals involved in the new proceedings in Ireland and their names were undisclosed, according to the report. Dublin-based solicitors firm Maguire McClafferty LLP are taking the case and senior partner Manus McClafferty said: “There are Irish players involved, yes… I can tell you that proceedings are prepared and will, probably, be issued, I believe, by the end of September. I have them ready.” Asked what the health issues were, McClafferty added: “Yes, very much so [similar types of issues as the UK players]. CTE [chronic traumatic encephalopathy]. Exactly the same… Once the proceedings issue then they just have to take their course. The timeline will be decided very much by the IRFU, the way in which they approach the cases. We can go the long route or go the other route. It is up to the IRFU.” In the UK case, the claimants, who include former Wales captain Ryan Jones and England’s 2003 World Cup-winning hooker Steve Thompson, will argue that the sport’s governing bodies were negligent in that they failed to take reasonable action to protect players from permanent injury caused by repetitive concussive and sub-concussive blows. A recent Rylands statement said: “This claim isn’t just about financial compensation; it is also about making the game safer and ensuring current and former players get tested so that if they are suffering a brain injury, they can get the clinical help they need. “The players we represent love the game. We aim to challenge the current perceptions of the governing bodies, to reach a point where they accept the connection between repetitive blows to the head and permanent neurological injury and to take steps to protect players and support those who are injured.” https://www.progressiverugby.com/media/dementia-and-sport-rugby-players-launch-legal-action-against-governing-bodies monthly 0.5 2025-06-25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/31a8e389-57ad-4ce2-92af-d23926c55bdf/steve_thompson.jpg Media - Dementia and sport: Rugby players launch legal action against governing bodies - Make it stand out World Rugby, the Rugby Football Union (RFU) and the Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) are accused of failing to "protect players from permanent injury". Among those named as claimants are Grand-slam winning Welsh captain Ryan Jones, RWC 2003 winner Steve Thompson and former Wales player Alix Popham. "It's about protecting future generations," Thompson told BBC Sport. World Rugby, the RFU and WRU have not yet been issued with a legal claim, but in a joint statement said they were "driven by a passion to safeguard our players". Jones, Thompson and Popham have all been diagnosed with early onset dementia. Thompson and seven other former players started the process of a claim in December 2020. Law firm Rylands Legal then issued proceedings on Monday, 25th July. In April, former England hooker Thompson, 44, said he was "put on suicide watch" as he struggled with early onset dementia. "Obviously it's been a long 18 months to get to this stage and the sad news is just how many players are part of it now," he told BBC Sport's Laura Scott. "We started with three [players], then there were seven, now there are well over 100, nearly 200, and there are more to be tested. He added: "Over the last 18 months a lot has come out and shown that it's not just about trying to get money, we are trying to save the game. "We just want people to play rugby and be safe, or as safe as they can be, and go in there with an open mind knowing what's going on." Lawyer Richard Boardman claimed there has been "systematic failure" by the governing bodies. He added: "Traumatic brain injuries in contact sports is by far the number one issue plaguing sport going forward." Rylands Legal said: "This claim isn't just about financial compensation; it is also about making the game safer and ensuring current and former players get tested, so that if they are suffering a brain injury, they can get the clinical help they need. "The players we represent love the game. We aim to challenge the current perceptions of the governing bodies, to reach a point where they accept the connection between repetitive blows to the head and permanent neurological injury and to take steps to protect players and support those who are injured." In addition to the rugby union legal action, the lawyers are also representing 75 rugby league players "as part of a separate but similar potential claim against the Rugby Football League", the code's English governing body. "We care deeply about all our players, including former players, and never stand still when it comes to welfare," World Rugby, RFU and WRU said. "Our strategies to prevent, identify and manage head injuries are driven by a passion to safeguard our players and are founded on the latest science, evidence and independent expert guidance." What allegations are raised by the players? The claimants accuse the named governing bodies of failing to: Take any proper steps as the game turned professional to respond to a disregard for player safety and brain health at club and international level. Take adequate steps to inform, educate or warn the claimants about the risks of permanent brain damage. Reduce the amount of contact allowed in training. Reduce the number of matches per season. Keep or extend the mandatory 21-day stand down period after a concussion, instead of reducing it. Seek or follow expert medical or other advice available to them with regard to the risk of permanent brain injury. Act on the knowledge that concussions often have delayed presentation, with the lawyers arguing that the five- or 10-minute assessments introduced during a match were wholly inadequate. Devise and implement rules to limit the number of substitutions of non-injured players and thereby reduce the risk to players of heavy collisions. Devise and implement a brain injury specific player passport system. Ensure that the claimants were subjected to regular monitoring, such as by way of MRI, and medical examination to check for evidence of changes to the structure of the brain. Institute or commission adequate research into the effects of multiple concussive and sub-concussive impacts on the brain and the prevention of permanent brain injury. https://www.progressiverugby.com/media/devastated-fans-react-to-former-wales-captain-ryan-jones-41-saying-his-world-is-falling-apart-after-dementia-diagnosis monthly 0.5 2025-06-25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/e7082ff3-bbe3-4ec3-b5a7-b9b098aae4bf/Ryan-Jones-Ospreys_3012764.jpg Media - Devastated fans react to former Wales captain Ryan Jones, 41, saying his ‘world is falling apart’ after dementia diagnosis - Make it stand out That’s a tough read. Hard as nails player . A tough future with a lot of help required. Hoping he gets it. The hard side of rugby - Mark Hunter Devastating news - RWC2003 winner Neil Back Heartbreaking. Rugby is better than this - Jason Sherer Dreadful. Every parent who has a son/daughter playing rugby should be asking what the governing bodies are doing to keep their kids safe. Using humans as battering rams has to stop - Lee Ross This is terrifying, a father that is now concerned about how he’ll cope with the rest of his life. AT 41!!!!!!!!!! - Steven Wow. This is so sad and is evidential that rugby seriously needs to crack down on the height of tackles and concussions - Matt Galbraith I’m so sorry to hear that. He was a great player and leader. I’m thinking of you Ryan - James O’Kane This is heartbreaking. Such a lovely, intelligent and talented man. The game has to change and we have to change our demands on the players. It’s a game, not war. No one should suffer long term brain damage as a result - Alyson Twyman So sad. Much concern for others - Simon Fowler This is sad and shocking, younger than me at 41! I hope you get to have many more good times with your family Ryan, you have a lot of love around you - Joanne Butler So sorry to hear this Thinking of Ryan, his family & friends xx - Amy #ProtectTheProtectors#OneRugbyFamily A great player, captain, leader, warrior, gentleman, icon and role mode. My sympathies to him and his family with this news. Forever a great in welsh rugby - Michael Jones Tragically sad...God bless him.. - Vanguard Such terrible news, and the reason every parent, coach, medic, club and nation must put player welfare above all else.- Ged Murphy Jesus wept, this is awful - Simon Bourke This is so sad. Such a wonderful player in his prime and humble individual throughout. Much love to him and his family. However, how many more tragic stories like this need to be told before rugby truly accepts there is a problem and drastic action needs to be taken... - Doug Likes C4 Omg. That's such a huge shock - Craig Stephenson OBE Having cared for someone with dementia, I know first hand the impact this has on the individual and the people around them. All the best to and his family. World Rugby needs to get its act together and sort this out! - Rugby Volunteers Absolutely heartbreaking and horrifying news and a massive wake up call to the game's rulers to take head trauma in the game seriously. Alas this summer's tests between SH & NH teams have shown they are a million miles from doing so at the moment - Wales@TheUnitedNations Absolutely awful news. Great player, great man - John Pickering This has broken me tonight - Cardiffrugby Shocking news! - Craig Minto Chalmers This is so heartbreaking amazing player and man. Hope he gets the help xx - Becky So so sad. What horrible news - John McAllister Horrible. Utterly horrible. Thoughts are with him and his family. I hope these new concussion rules are effective. No sports worth shortening your life for - Carwyn J. Thomas Incredible player, person and all round nice guy, gutted to be reading this - Gary Thomas Bloody hell. This is awful - TokenUkranian This is a tough one to swallow - D Gutted. Such a great player and Captain, and a down to earth humble person - Peter Hopkins Wow. Words are hard to find with this - Paul Hughes So sad a great player. Thoughts with Ryan and his family - Paul O’Keefe This is devastating news. 41 is way too young. I'm absolutely stunned - Chunkeh Munkeh Dreadful news sending best wishes Ryan and his family can’t believe how many are coming down with the condition - Robert Crowley Awful news. One of the nicest blokes you’ll ever meet, so unfair - Huw https://www.progressiverugby.com/media/former-wales-captain-ryan-jones-41-stuns-rugby-world-by-revealing-dementia-diagnosis monthly 0.5 2025-06-25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/b32f7afe-cdd7-44fe-b4be-e7ae030488be/60346415-0-image-a-44_1657999363841.jpg Media - Former Wales captain Ryan Jones, 41, stuns rugby world by revealing dementia diagnosis - Make it stand out In an emotional interview with the Sunday Times, Jones, 41, has opened up on his diagnosis with both dementia and probable chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). He follows in the footsteps of England’s 2003 World Cup-winning hooker Steve Thompson, another former Wales international in Alix Popham, and others in dealing with the illnesses. It’s believed the number of ex-players who have been diagnosed with early onset dementia and probable CTE could reach up to 200. ‘I feel like my world is falling apart,’ said Jones, who won 75 Welsh caps and captained his country on 33 occasions. He also played in all three Tests for the British & Irish Lions in New Zealand in 2005. Jones continued: ‘I am really scared. I lived 15 years of my life like a superhero and I’m not. I don’t know what the future holds. 'I am a product of an environment that is all about process and human performance. I’m not able to perform like I could. I just want to lead a happy, healthy, normal life. ‘I feel that’s been taken away and there is nothing I can do.’ On a huge weekend of rugby in which Wales, England, Ireland and Scotland all played crunch series deciders in the southern hemisphere, Jones’ testimony has shocked the sport. Jones won three Six Nations Grand Slams with Wales in 2005, 2008 and 2012 as well as a Championship title in 2013. He captained the side to those 2008 and 2012 successes. As recently as 2020, Jones was employed by the Welsh Rugby Union and had worked for the governing body as director of community rugby and then performance director. He was told of his diagnosis last December. Jones’ partner Charley has described living with the former back-row forward as ‘like having a conversation with my 85-year-old granddad.’ Jones added: ‘I’ve got three children and three step-children and I want to be a fantastic dad. ‘I can’t train harder, I can’t play the referee. I don’t know what the rules of the game are anymore. ‘We don’t know where to go, where to find support. We haven’t got any friends in this space. ‘It terrifies me. That’s the fear. That’s the bit that never leaves. ‘That’s the bit I can’t shake off.’ https://www.progressiverugby.com/media/nzr-reveal-steps-taken-to-ensure-critical-video-evidence-is-properly-reviewed-after-player-welfare-fail monthly 0.5 2025-06-25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/543f29aa-2549-49c8-832c-7b4842af3d63/inpho_02048620-2-1024x477.jpg Media - NZR reveal steps taken to ensure “critical” video evidence is properly reviewed after player welfare fail - Make it stand out Footage clearly showed Munster and 26-year-old Ireland prop unable to get to his feet, looking dazed and then being steadied by referee Wayne Barnes. Crucially, medics examining Loughman had failed to see the footage which under World Rugby’s own protocols showed clear symptoms that necessitate the player being immediately and permanently removed from the field of play. No Head Injury Assessment (HIA) is required. As a result, Loughman wrongly underwent a HIA, and the error was compounded by the fact the HIA failed to identify a brain injury that was clearly there. After, to the or credit, swiftly addressing the incident and acknowledging the mistake, a NZR spokesperson has revealed some of the changes being made to improve the process. “It’s unfortunate the HIA process did not work entirely as it should have on the night, however we will learn from this and have already taken steps to prevent further similar incidents from occurring,” the spokesperson said. “Changes include ensuring video playback equipment is more easily accessible to all members of the independent match day medical team and that side-line screens are more adequately protected in adverse weather conditions. “These changes are designed to ensure critical video evidence is analysed and relayed in a timelier manner.” These incidents are not only potentially catastrophic for the player but send an appalling message to the wider rugby community and to those considering becoming part of it. And while NZR maintain that the HIA process “is a leader in sport in the identification and management of concussion” the spokesperson added: “We are sorry there were issues during the HIA process on the night, but we are committed to learning from this and have already taken steps to prevent further similar incidents from occurring.” https://www.progressiverugby.com/media/rugby-can-ill-afford-these-brain-injury-blunders monthly 0.5 2025-06-25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/5593ef8a-6077-4f45-b9b1-4e0b072d1a32/bv.jpg Media - Rugby can ill afford these brain injury blunders - Make it stand out Loughman looked horribly dazed as he unsuccessfully tried to get to his feet following an heavy collision with the Maori All Blacks on Wednesday morning. When he did get to his feet, he appeared to be steadied by referee Wayne Barnes (firmly gripping his shirt) and then walked slowly off the field supported by an IRFU doctor. But while reviews into recent similar incidents - Welsh Prop Tomas Francis and Georgian winger Davit Niniashvili were both seen stumbling disorientated around the field - took weeks to conclude and concede failings, NZR had released a statement within 36 hours (see below) and should set the benchmark for Northern Hemisphere unions and competitions. Despite this commendable urgency, it remains a mystery how a blunder of such magnitude, with the spotlight so firmly fixed on head injury, could be made, especially with World Rugby’s unwavering player welfare in the number one priority mantra. If Loughman, and the IRFU have not confirmed he did, returned to the field with a brain injury to thunder into brick walls and brave the coalface at scrum time it’s asking for trouble, if not now, then highly likely down the line. It does make one wonder whether the early morning tranquillity at Beaumont Towers was shattered by a stream of choice language when the boss realised that Loughman was going to stride back onto the Hamilton turf. Because while it’s essential that players are protected and there is no suggestion (other than failing to watch the footage) medics were anything other than professional, it’s also all about the optics. What message does it send all those parents thinking about letting their children play? What example does it set the 17-year-old prop desperate to play for his country? And ultimately, what does it say about World Rugby’s authority if this continues to happen? This great game, which offers so much, can ill afford to offer those considering becoming part of the rugby family a gift-wrapped reason to look elsewhere. New Zealand Rugby review New Zealand Rugby (NZR) has conducted a review of the Head Injury Assessment (HIA) process followed for Ireland prop Jeremy Loughman during the match between the Māori All Blacks and Ireland at FMG Stadium Waikato on Wednesday 29 June. The following statement is from NZR Medical Manager Karen Rassmussen, who led the review: “New Zealand Rugby has conducted a review of the HIA process during the Māori All Blacks match against Ireland at FMG Stadium Waikato in Hamilton on Wednesday 29 June. As a result of this review NZR believes Ireland prop Jeremy Loughman should not have been allowed back on to the field during the first half. “While NZR stands by the HIA processes in place and is satisfied that player welfare is the number one priority for medical staff at the match, we have identified a gap in communications, which meant critical video evidence was not fully accounted for as part of the Head Injury Assessment (HIA) process undertaken by the independent match day medical team. “We will be reinforcing the full HIA process and protocols for the remainder of the Steinlager Series to ensure video evidence is communicated more accurately between independent match day medical staff to enable them to make the right call with regards to player safety.” Ends https://www.progressiverugby.com/media/review-finds-number-of-factors-led-to-delay-in-removal-of-davit-niniashvili-in-european-challenge-cup-final monthly 0.5 2025-06-25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/3d6be77a-9e31-4998-a47f-e65d89597f48/3382163-69123537-640-360.jpg Media - Review finds ‘number of factors’ led to delay in removal of Davit Niniashvili in European Challenge Cup final - Make it stand out At the time, Progressive Rugby expressed grave concern Niniashvili remained on field despite exhibiting clear signs of a brain injury, amd penned an open letter to air those concerns (see below). Equally many fans described watching Niniashvili stumbling around the defensive line as “disturbing.” The independent review has now been completed, and while there is an acknowledgement there were a ‘number of factors’ that led to a delay in the removal of Niniashvili it does not disclose the factors or attribute responsibility. A statement from EPCR said: “Following an independent review by Alligin Performance into a head injury event involving the Lyon wing, Davit Niniashvili (No 11), in the 73rd minute of the EPCR Challenge Cup final at the Stade Vélodrome in Marseille, and following subsequent discussions with EPCR’s Medical Advisory Group, World Rugby’s Chief Medical Officer, Dr Eanna Falvey, and Dr David Brauge of the FFR’s Medical Commission, it has been acknowledged by all parties that there were a number of factors which contributed to the delay in Niniashvili’s removal by the Lyon Team Doctor before his ultimate removal by the independent Match Day Doctor shortly thereafter. “EPCR will continue to work with the relevant parties to improve processes as well as response times for player removals following any head injury events which may occur in future matches. “EPCR will be making no further comment.” Open letter - 31st May 2022 To whom it may concern at World Rugby, The sight of Davit Niniashvili being allowed to stumble back onto the field of play during the European Challenge Cup final in Marseille on Friday, 27th May, was distressing. The Lyon winger had quite clearly suffered a traumatic brain injury (TBI) following a brutally robust clear out by Eben Etzebeth at the breakdown. The medical staff had significant time to assess the player but allowed him to return, despite his disorientated state being so patently obvious that the commentary team for BT Sport all repeatedly registered their concern for the player. This unacceptable public failure of the management of TBI (concussion) in Rugby Union comes just three months after the WRU medics failed to remove Tomas Francis from the field following a clear TBI against England on 26th February. We say that both Niniashvili and Francis, who unforgivably was allowed to return after an HIA that should never have taken place (as a Six Nations enquiry into the matter concluded), had their welfare placed at significant and needless risk. Lessons must be learnt, and it has become obvious that a clear line of accountability and responsibility is required if player welfare is not to be compromised. Progressive Rugby have welcomed the aims of World Rugby in ensuring a focus on player welfare, but the ongoing spectacle of players incurring traumatic brain injury with such obvious failure of medical management represents an existential threat to the game. If World Rugby want its members to prioritise player welfare it must cease being content to devolve responsibility for it to the unions and organisations beneath it. Instead, World Rugby must assume ultimate responsibility for making sure players are cared for, and then bare its teeth by applying punishments for failure to do so. Acceptance of such control should be written into the memorandum of understanding between World Rugby and competition organisers before World Rugby will allow these games to be officially recognised. If players are permitted to continue playing despite glaring evidence of traumatic brain injury, it demonstrates that there is a clear failure of the practice of the on-field and off-field assessment and suggests a prioritisation of the game over the player’s wellbeing. It’s past the time for niceties, this is too important. It’s time for World Rugby to demonstrate strong and clear leadership for the good of the players and the future of this great game. Yours sincerely Prof John Fairclough and Prof Bill Ribbans Progressive Rugby https://www.progressiverugby.com/media/time-for-world-rugby-to-flex-muscles-on-player-welfare-fails monthly 0.5 2025-06-25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/c8ee7964-3a6a-487b-a27e-2c0e6d83ceae/0_GettyImages-1241601347.jpg Media - Time for World Rugby to flex muscles on player welfare fails - Make it stand out Instead, Francis, who had struggled to stand (and then staggered to the post protector), had dutifully shuffled off for a Head Injury Assessment (HIA) he should never have had. To compound the error, he passed the test and was allowed to return to the field. We, as Progressive Rugby, immediately highlighted this clear breach of a protocol that states a player must be immediately and permanently removed if they demonstrate any criteria 1 symptoms including being knocked out, being clearly dazed or balance disturbance. In this situation they do not undertake a HIA because there is no option to continue playing. Obviously, the review’s result in April was pleasing, although less so was the decision to take absolutely no disciplinary action against the WRU for the failings. Not much of a deterrent that. And here we are, on the cusp of entering July, days after the glorious announcement of a ‘gold standard’ protocol and within one minute of the summer tours kicking off what to we see? We see Munster and Ireland prop Jeremy Loughman making a very unconvincing attempt to get to his feet. Remaining down, looking dazed, and then helped from the field. Open and shut case, he’s off. Horrible luck just a minute into the tour as he looks to make his case for a place in the Test side - but player welfare is the number one priority…. But no, Loughman passes a HIA – which he should never have had – and worse still, a la Francis, returns to the field to lock horns again with the Maori All Blacks front row. Both are protocol and process failures. Protocol because they failed to remove the player immediately, and process because the HIA, in place to protect the player, has failed to identify brain damage that was clearly there. These incidents are not only potentially catastrophic for the player but send an appalling message to the wider rugby community and to those considering becoming part of it. In a week where the governing body blown the player welfare trumpet, you would think the medical team would have been primed and ready to be super-cautious? So, it does start to make you wonder whether World Rugby are playing a tune that not everybody within its auspices is choosing to listen to? And if that’s the case, is it not time for the governing body to flex its muscles and show that confirmed failures simply won’t be tolerated any longer? https://www.progressiverugby.com/media/i-believe-radical-action-is-needed-to-save-sport-i-love monthly 0.5 2025-06-25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/908fe405-84a6-4b15-8bc4-d35cf7a1a422/Charlie+Progressive+Rugby+2.jpeg Media - Radical action is needed to save the sport I love - Make it stand out “Major schools who produce internationals are receiving letters from parents saying they don’t want their children playing rugby,” Charlie Winton, who at 28, has had to walk away from playing the game, following around a dozen concussions. “That’s not a sustainable situation and it’s a huge problem for World Rugby. “No one is denying it’s a tricky situation to manage, but surely they have to be seen to be taking radical action and push the recovery periods out while the information is gathered. “That way they can restore public confidence while they identify the very best way to look after players at all levels. “It’s a great game but they need to get this right. It’s critical for rugby’s future.” Charlie was just seven when he started playing rugby, and as he got older started to enjoy the physical side of the game but started picking up concussions. “One game I had a double one that was entirely my fault,” Charlie, who played centre, said. “I was clearly not right but played on and had another one right at the end of the match.” After he moved to another club in Glasgow, he suffered a further brain injury, on this occasion the ramifications were far more serious. He said: “I got knocked out and like an idiot I carried on playing. I then I carried onto drinking into the evening and that’s when I really started getting problems.” Charlie suffered for months with ‘hangovers without drinking’, acute sensitivity to light and feeling uncharacteristically irritable. Wisely, Charlie, only 26 at the time, stepped away from playing and moved into a coaching role. “I loved it but found not being able to play very frustrating. I stayed off the game for two years a couldn’t resist so dropped down a few levels and started playing again,” he said. “But in just my second game I got a hit on the side of my head. Shortly afterwards, I caught the ball and threw it across the floor and then ran out of the line in defence while their fly-half ran through and scored. I knew I wasn’t right and took myself off the pitch – that really was it for me.” Now 28, Charlie estimates he suffered 10 blows to the head, two major concussions and one knock out. Thankfully his symptoms have largely gone but he is passionate about making the game safer. https://www.progressiverugby.com/media/rfu-set-to-introduce-delayed-mouthguard-trial-to-combat-concussion-crisis monthly 0.5 2025-06-25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/4c4af1eb-2a15-433c-b300-6d2b566f328f/Leicester-Tigers-scrum-half-Richard-Wigglesworth-against-Northampton-Saints-PA.jpg Media - RFU set to introduce delayed mouthguard trial to combat concussion crisis - Make it stand out A Progressive Rugby reported exclusively in November 2021 that the project using cutting-edge technology to gather critical data across the Gallagher Premiership so club’s medical teams can understand how to best manage and protect players had been delayed. In July 2021, the RFU announced an action plan aimed at reducing both the exposure to head impacts and concussion risk within men’s and women’s elite rugby matches and training in England. As part of that plan, launched following a wave of concerning studies linking brain damage and depression with the game, the governing body had said a league wide instrumented mouthguard (iMG) project was to take place during the 2021/22 and 2022/23 Gallagher Premiership seasons. But the RFU confirmed that the process has stalled due to issues in the tendering process and said it would be introduced until the 2022/23 season at the very earliest. Currently, the governing body is still unable to confirm the supplier or whether the contract has been awarded. https://www.progressiverugby.com/media/lewis-moody-echoes-progressive-rugbys-calls-for-world-rugby-to-mandate-contact-training-limits monthly 0.5 2025-06-25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/c262979b-cd67-4b20-b7a4-cb287f283ff8/59404255-0-image-a-24_1655927462770.jpg Media - Lewis Moody echoes Progressive Rugby’s calls for World Rugby to mandate contact training limits - Make it stand out The former England captain also highlighted how Harlequins and Gloucester’s approaches to managing the workloads of their squads was paying dividends. This week, rugby's governing body changed their concussion protocols. From July 1, any player that suffers a concussion will be stood down for a minimum of 12 days. Currently, a player can return to action seven days after a concussion if they pass the return-to-play protocols. Former England captain Moody, who has had his own battles with head problems, told Sportsmail: 'Is rugby doing enough on player welfare? I don't think so. More needs to be done and, most importantly, it needs to be done quicker. 'I've seen World Rugby has brought in recommendations on the amount of contact training a team should do. It's pretty obvious the amount of contact a player does in the week is the key thing. 'People might hear me say that and think I'm being a hypocrite because I played for Leicester at a time when we had brutal training sessions. But the key thing is we now have new information about the brain and on head injuries and how rugby can affect players in the future.' Last year, World Rugby issued guidance which recommended teams do a maximum of 15 minutes of full contact training a week across a maximum of two days. But that and other guidance is a recommendation to teams, not a rule. 'It's been interesting to see Harlequins and Gloucester see an improvement in performance from monitoring training loads,' said Moody. 'That has to be the way forward and I'd like to see World Rugby issue clear directives on how much contact teams should be limited to in a week. 'I think the teams should have to stick to them for the good of the players. It's time for clear rules and not just advisories or trials.' A spokesperson for Progressive Rugby said: “We could not agree with Lewis more. Our concern is that if contact training limits are not mandated, the temptation for coaching teams in a high pressure environment to increase player workloads in a bid to find an edge may prove irresistible.” Lewis Moody is an ambassador for The Drake Foundation, committed to funding research into head injuries.drakefoundation.org https://www.progressiverugby.com/media/concussion-rates-in-elite-rugby-hit-highest-levels-since-records-began monthly 0.5 2025-06-25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/fa91ba8e-7535-4b33-8e7f-9de5d502ecb7/Concussion.jpg Media - Concussion rates in elite rugby hit highest levels since records began - Make it stand out The audit of the 2020-21 season, published on Tuesday by the RFU in conjunction with Premiership Rugby and the Rugby Players’ Association, showed that for the 10th season running concussion was the most reported injury, accounting for 28% of injuries. The 2020-21 season had the highest incidence of concussion since records started in 2002 with 22.2 concussions per 1,000 hours of playing time. In total there were 131 concussions sustained in matches – resulting in an average of 17 days on the sidelines – and 17 sustained in training. “It should be noted that the 2020-21 season saw an increase in the incidence of match concussion despite observing a decrease in the incidence of all injuries,” the report states. An audit into the women’s game showed that concussion was the most commonly reported injury, making up 26% of all match injuries. Again, measured against 1,000 hours, the rate was 12.6, more than double the previous season – a rise put down in part to more consistent reporting and identification of concussion. The alarming findings came on the same day that World Rugby confirmed its decision to extend the minimum stand-down period for most concussed elite-level players to 12 days from 1 July. The men’s audit also showed that 48% of all match injuries were linked to the tackle – 27% for being tackled, 21% for tackling. Upon announcing its findings, the RFU revealed that the “smart” mouth guards will be offered to all players in the Premiership, Premier 15s as well as England representatives next season. The gumshields have previously been used by a handful of Premiership clubs, Bristol’s women’s side as well as the England women’s side but all will be offered the chance to use them as part of the RFU’s roll-out. According to the RFU, research has shown that the mouth guards can monitor the frequency and magnitude of head contacts and head accelerations and provide measures of head impact and contact load. The RFU’s medical services director, Simon Kemp, said: “The roll‑out of instrumented mouthguards to top‑flight men’s and women’s leagues and international teams this season will add significantly to our understanding of the number and magnitude of head impacts and accelerations and how these can be reduced in both training and match settings.” The RFU also announced it will continue to test saliva in the Premiership and Premier 15s as well as with Advanced Brain Health Clinic assessments for retired players aged 30-55 with concerns over their brain health. https://www.progressiverugby.com/media/controversies-like-luke-cowan-dickie-gate-should-be-consigned-to-history-under-new-concussion-guidelines monthly 0.5 2025-06-25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/b959ebf5-2663-4262-bb23-0545af8aa379/rugby.jpg Media - Controversies like Luke Cowan-Dickie-gate should be consigned to history under new concussion guidelines - Make it stand out Progressive Rugby had lobbied for a 12-day protocol since February 2021, stating that six days to recover from a brain injury was not sufficient and put players at unnecessary risk. From 1st July, the new system means a vast majority of players will not be able to retake the field until at least 12 days has passed. It means scenarios like Luke Cowan-Dickie being knocked out in the Premiership final, only to fly 6,000 miles to South Africa and feature in the first British and Irish Lions tour match just seven days later, should be consigned to history. "The evolved approach will see players with a history of concussion or who are removed from a match with obvious concussion symptoms, sit out from play for a minimum of 12 days, likely missing their next competitive match," World Rugby said. "No player will return earlier than the seventh day after injury, and any player's return will need to be approved by an independent concussion consultant." The new rules will come into effect while home nations England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland are on Test tours overseas this summer. A player is determined to have a history of concussion if they have had a concussion diagnosis in the previous three months, three concussions diagnosed in the previous 12 months, been diagnosed with five concussions in their career or taken longer than 21 days to recover from a previous concussion. World Rugby's chief medical officer Eanna Falvey added: "It is going to be a new mindset for coaches and players. "Our approach means it is now overwhelmingly likely a player diagnosed with a concussion won't play in their team's next match.” A spokesperson for Progressive Rugby said: “Whilst long overdue and not the perfect solution, this is a positive step for elite player welfare and will prevent most elite players from being exposed to extreme and unnecessary risk. “It is also welcome acknowledgement for our members, who have long held grave concerns around this flawed protocol and lobbied tirelessly for it to be extended. “However, while undoubtably a victory for player welfare, the journey is not complete and Progressive Rugby will continue working to ensure that the great game of rugby can be enjoyed by future generations.” https://www.progressiverugby.com/media/player-welfare-issues-sully-elite-rugby-showcase-weekend monthly 0.5 2025-06-25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/d523d0f3-5d27-4c47-a120-d45c803c78b4/0_IMG_4685.png Media - Player welfare issues sully elite rugby showcase weekend - Make it stand out Social media exploded (again) after Wayne Barnes chose to yellow card Aled Davies for a upright shoulder to the head of Leicester’s meaty Argentinian hooker Julián Montoya. The challenge bore all the hallmarks of a red card, but referee Wayne Barnes, arguably the best in the business, quickly deemed the sin bin sufficient punishment. Had the wiry Davies, coming in around 25kg lighter, been the ball carrier and Montoya the aggressor…..would we have seen the same outcome? In fairness to Barnes, any accusations that he bottled the big occasion, seem unjustified given he sent Dylan Hartley off in a final in 2013 for swearing – a decision that, had it gone unpunished, it’s likely viewers would have been none the wiser. The decision yesterday did however support our concerns that as the season enters the business end it can become – even subliminally - increasingly difficult to reach for the red. Elsewhere, reports came in from Canterbury’s win over Auckland Blues, that clear foul play was again going unpunished or punished with extreme leniency. We have sympathy here too with the referees. How many of us, when our decisions are constantly undermined by the judicial committee, wouldn’t start second guessing ourselves? As for Andy McGeady’s @andymcgeady remark, following these two finals, that he wonders if someone has to smuggle a weapon onto the field to get a ban, let alone a red card – let’s hope not. And lastly, and by no means least as it has caused us the most consternation, was concerns that Stormers hooker JJ Kotze was allowed to play on having suffered a brain injury. It brought back horrible memories of Lyon winger Davit Niniashvili staggering aimlessly around the Marseille after a thunderous hit from South Africa colossus Eben Etzebeth. The very real dangers of continuing with a brain injury cannot be understated and it’s crucial medics and spotters have no other focus than detecting players at risk. For the future of this great game – Let’s. Get. This. Sorted. https://www.progressiverugby.com/media/five-shocking-rugby-incidents-we-must-learn-from-if-we-want-this-great-game-to-be-enjoyed-by-future-generations monthly 0.5 2025-06-25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/67d30b80-b846-40e8-a8cc-2f68310c0131/Smith.jpg Media - Five shocking rugby incidents we must learn from if we want this great game to be enjoyed by future generations - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/41ddc48f-3665-4be4-98e0-aa94e7793961/skysports-tomas-francis-rugby_4588341.jpg Media - Five shocking rugby incidents we must learn from if we want this great game to be enjoyed by future generations - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/7a58f376-db35-47ac-95c5-1de80cbebd4e/moody.jpg Media - Five shocking rugby incidents we must learn from if we want this great game to be enjoyed by future generations - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/4f231533-babf-45be-9e72-3e6d79fe1ed1/PR.jpg Media - Five shocking rugby incidents we must learn from if we want this great game to be enjoyed by future generations - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/5d02e360-2ac2-4589-975c-e33a17cfd576/wasps-paul-volley-dallaglio.jpg Media - Five shocking rugby incidents we must learn from if we want this great game to be enjoyed by future generations - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.progressiverugby.com/media/epcr-confirm-independent-review-ongoing-into-handling-of-davit-niniashvili-in-european-challenge-cup-final monthly 0.5 2025-06-25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/3d6be77a-9e31-4998-a47f-e65d89597f48/3382163-69123537-640-360.jpg Media - EPCR confirm independent review ongoing into handling of Davit Niniashvili in European Challenge Cup final - Make it stand out Progressive Rugby expressed grave concern Niniashvili remained on field despite exhibiting clear signs of brain injury. Fans described watching Niniashvili stumbling around the defensive line as “disturbing.” On Tuesday Progressive Rugby announced that we had written an open letter (see below) to World Rugby to register our concerns. And on Wednesday EPCR confirmed that an independent review was being carried out as part of routine process and that it would be inappropriate to comment until its completion. Open letter - 31st May 2022 To whom it may concern at World Rugby, The sight of Davit Niniashvili being allowed to stumble back onto the field of play during the European Challenge Cup final in Marseille on Friday, 27th May, was distressing. The Lyon winger had quite clearly suffered a traumatic brain injury (TBI) following a brutally robust clear out by Eben Etzebeth at the breakdown. The medical staff had significant time to assess the player but allowed him to return, despite his disorientated state being so patently obvious that the commentary team for BT Sport all repeatedly registered their concern for the player. This unacceptable public failure of the management of TBI (concussion) in Rugby Union comes just three months after the WRU medics failed to remove Tomas Francis from the field following a clear TBI against England on 26th February. We say that both Niniashvili and Francis, who unforgivably was allowed to return after an HIA that should never have taken place (as a Six Nations enquiry into the matter concluded), had their welfare placed at significant and needless risk. Lessons must be learnt, and it has become obvious that a clear line of accountability and responsibility is required if player welfare is not to be compromised. Progressive Rugby have welcomed the aims of World Rugby in ensuring a focus on player welfare, but the ongoing spectacle of players incurring traumatic brain injury with such obvious failure of medical management represents an existential threat to the game. If World Rugby want its members to prioritise player welfare it must cease being content to devolve responsibility for it to the unions and organisations beneath it. Instead, World Rugby must assume ultimate responsibility for making sure players are cared for, and then bare its teeth by applying punishments for failure to do so. Acceptance of such control should be written into the memorandum of understanding between World Rugby and competition organisers before World Rugby will allow these games to be officially recognised. If players are permitted to continue playing despite glaring evidence of traumatic brain injury, it demonstrates that there is a clear failure of the practice of the on-field and off-field assessment and suggests a prioritisation of the game over the player’s wellbeing. It’s past the time for niceties, this is too important. It’s time for World Rugby to demonstrate strong and clear leadership for the good of the players and the future of this great game. Yours sincerely Prof John Fairclough and Prof Bill Ribbans Progressive Rugby https://www.progressiverugby.com/media/open-letter-to-world-rugby-re-handling-of-davit-niniashvili-in-european-challenge-cup-final monthly 0.5 2025-06-25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/3d6be77a-9e31-4998-a47f-e65d89597f48/3382163-69123537-640-360.jpg Media - Open letter to World Rugby re handling of Davit Niniashvili in European Challenge Cup final - Make it stand out The sight of Davit Niniashvili being allowed to stumble back onto the field of play during the European Challenge Cup final in Marseille on Friday, 27th May, was distressing. The Lyon winger had quite clearly suffered a traumatic brain injury (TBI) following a brutally robust clear out by Eben Etzebeth at the breakdown. The medical staff had significant time to assess the player but allowed him to return, despite his disorientated state being so patently obvious that the commentary team for BT Sport all repeatedly registered their concern for the player. This unacceptable public failure of the management of TBI (concussion) in Rugby Union comes just three months after the WRU medics failed to remove Tomas Francis from the field following a clear TBI against England on 26th February. We say that both Niniashvili and Francis, who unforgivably was allowed to return after an HIA that should never have taken place (as a Six Nations enquiry into the matter concluded), had their welfare placed at significant and needless risk. Lessons must be learnt, and it has become obvious that a clear line of accountability and responsibility is required if player welfare is not to be compromised. Progressive Rugby have welcomed the aims of World Rugby in ensuring a focus on player welfare, but the ongoing spectacle of players incurring traumatic brain injury with such obvious failure of medical management represents an existential threat to the game. If World Rugby want its members to prioritise player welfare it must cease being content to devolve responsibility for it to the unions and organisations beneath it. Instead, World Rugby must assume ultimate responsibility for making sure players are cared for, and then bare its teeth by applying punishments for failure to do so. Acceptance of such control should be written into the memorandum of understanding between World Rugby and competition organisers before World Rugby will allow these games to be officially recognised. If players are permitted to continue playing despite glaring evidence of traumatic brain injury, it demonstrates that there is a clear failure of the practice of the on-field and off-field assessment and suggests a prioritisation of the game over the player’s wellbeing. It’s past the time for niceties, this is too important. It’s time for World Rugby to demonstrate strong and clear leadership for the good of the players and the future of this great game. Yours sincerely Prof John Fairclough and Prof Bill Ribbans Progressive Rugby https://www.progressiverugby.com/media/will-concussion-crisis-prove-a-headache-sponsors-turn-their-back-on monthly 0.5 2025-06-25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/67cb73fd-9bde-4219-823a-a2b79e91163b/4.png Media - Sponsors may decide rugby’s concussion crisis is no longer worth the headache - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.progressiverugby.com/media/former-springboks-doctor-pressurised-to-allow-player-with-head-injury-to-continue-at-rwc monthly 0.5 2025-06-25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/8e907756-dcea-4e1e-8e14-882ba2e6015e/GettyImages-493127926-1200x630.jpg Media - Former Springboks doctor pressurised to allow player with head injury to continue at RWC - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.progressiverugby.com/media/crumbling-credibility-of-rugby-union-concussion-protocols-hanging-by-a-thread monthly 0.5 2025-06-25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/a0875321-d9c5-4788-b0da-eeba9d7ba8cf/923967-1280x964.jpg Media - Crumbling credibility of rugby union’s elite concussion protocols hanging by a thread - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.progressiverugby.com/media/england-under-20s-doctor-gets-four-week-ban-after-head-injury-furore monthly 0.5 2025-06-25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/ea5e40de-4f2f-4dd4-ab00-ea382bfb4be1/GettyImages-1370016100.jpg Media - England under-20s doctor gets four-week ban after head injury furore - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.progressiverugby.com/media/my-brother-collapsed-and-mum-had-to-give-him-cpr monthly 0.5 2025-06-25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/1650187066921-DEYOP13D18Z98NHROKOS/Alex3.jpg Media - “My brother collapsed and mum had to give him CPR” - Make it stand out Alex had to be given CPR by his mum https://www.progressiverugby.com/media/wales-flanker-james-davies-nears-500-days-out-with-concussion-and-theres-no-return-in-sight monthly 0.5 2025-06-25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/dd58ef7f-e21b-42c0-9551-343a3f7c58d6/Davies_james_glas_rdax_1800x1125_80-874x458.jpg Media - Wales flanker James Davies retires from concussion - Make it stand out James Davies https://www.progressiverugby.com/media/tragedy-in-south-africa-as-1st-xv-rugby-player-18-dies-after-head-injury-in-match monthly 0.5 2025-06-25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/e93ff68d-715a-4cfd-a212-54d2668a0773/LT.jpg Media - Tragedy in South Africa as 1st XV rugby player, 18, dies after head injury in match - Make it stand out Liyabona Teyise https://www.progressiverugby.com/media/grtp-if-you-carry-a-knife-the-risk-is-theres-the-temptation-to-use-it monthly 0.5 2025-06-25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/95ab7072-76b2-4a40-ae45-90ee2b9b5151/JT.jpg Media - GRTP: “If you carry a knife, the risk is there’s the temptation to use it.” - Make it stand out Judge Jamie Tabor QC https://www.progressiverugby.com/media/united-rugby-championship-dismisses-social-media-team-after-aled-summerhill-concussion-video monthly 0.5 2025-06-25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/1ee67273-05d2-452e-9908-b1924e1e710f/R.jpg Media - United Rugby Championship dismisses social media team after Aled Summerhill concussion video - Make it stand out Aled Summerhill https://www.progressiverugby.com/media/university-player-maddy-lawrence-20-dies-following-rugby-tackle-injury monthly 0.5 2025-06-25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/cb43d1c0-57cf-42cf-9922-cc62e9f30173/_123936090_whatsappimage2022-03-29at11.33.10am.jpg Media - University player Maddy Lawrence, 20, dies following rugby tackle injury - Make it stand out Maddy Lawrence https://www.progressiverugby.com/media/why-the-tomas-francis-affair-is-a-big-deal-and-shouldnt-be-glossed-over monthly 0.5 2025-06-25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/b69b710b-1f45-434f-93a2-2dea2eb4acd8/skysports-tomas-francis-rugby_4588341.jpg Media - Why the Tomas Francis affair IS a BIG deal and shouldn’t be glossed over - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.progressiverugby.com/media/i-just-laid-there-they-thought-id-broken-my-neck monthly 0.5 2025-06-25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/61b55fc7-ad76-406a-801b-c4ee0fcb20a2/Iain+-+playing.jpg Media - “I just laid there, they thought I’d broken my neck.” - Make it stand out Iain was a talented centre https://www.progressiverugby.com/media/tributes-after-holyrood-aide-dies-playing-rugby monthly 0.5 2025-06-25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/d11cecaf-657d-4784-8e24-358ef7f2c303/_123784376_davidhill.jpg Media - Tributes after Holyrood aide dies playing rugby - Make it stand out David Hill https://www.progressiverugby.com/media/parents-need-to-know-when-they-bring-their-children-to-a-rugby-club-that-its-a-sport-that-will-look-after-them monthly 0.5 2025-06-25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/a537a0de-053e-42da-907f-8a55db56a21a/Steelers_2.147.1.png Media - “Parents need to know when they bring their children to a rugby club that it’s a sport that will look after them.”  - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.progressiverugby.com/media/standing-a-player-down-for-a-match-isnt-a-difficult-decision-turning-a-life-support-machine-is-a-difficult-decision monthly 0.5 2025-06-25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/d3e8740d-25ef-44e9-ab09-387338d0cf80/PR.jpg Media - “Standing a player down for a match isn’t a difficult decision - turning a life-support machine is a difficult decision” - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.progressiverugby.com/media/helpline-for-pro-rugby-players-to-raise-player-welfare-concerns-should-be-investigated monthly 0.5 2025-06-25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/9aebb266-ba9a-4728-8c7c-3ab233fe145a/659856-21751220-2560-1440.jpg Media - Helpline for pro rugby players to raise player welfare concerns should be investigated - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.progressiverugby.com/media/stimpson-my-eye-sank-down-into-my-skull-following-epic-tuilagi-collision monthly 0.5 2025-06-25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/de3960d4-5b15-4427-ad7b-cfee988d135d/Tim.jpg Media - Stimpson: My eye sank down into my skull following epic Tuilagi collision - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.progressiverugby.com/media/i-might-wake-up-and-not-know-who-the-woman-lying-next-to-me-is-that-is-terrifying monthly 0.5 2025-06-25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/373736b5-abf4-411e-8f16-06509b912a17/JW2.jpg Media - “I might wake up and not know who the woman lying next to me is – that is terrifying” - Make it stand out Justin with wife Charlotte Pic: Kieran McManus https://www.progressiverugby.com/media/carl-hayman-francis-should-not-feel-pressure-to-play monthly 0.5 2025-06-25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/e76d167c-f642-4cb4-91bf-dd7173bfb445/TC.jpg Media - Carl Hayman: Francis should not feel pressure to play - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.progressiverugby.com/media/risking-tomas-francis-against-france-would-be-grave-mistake monthly 0.5 2025-06-25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/f15b7979-f26a-4abe-a3cf-600943ad4ed4/TomasJohn.jpg Media - Risking Tomas Francis against France would be grave mistake - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.progressiverugby.com/media/seeing-francis-staggering-around-twickenham-turf-made-me-sick-to-my-stomach monthly 0.5 2025-06-25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/b3a06fd5-c032-477a-b12e-264b9b9ac9f2/BenPeter.jpg Media - Seeing Tomas Francis staggering around Twickenham turf made me sick to my stomach - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.progressiverugby.com/media/tomas-francis-a-clear-and-flagrant-breach-of-hia-protocol monthly 0.5 2025-06-25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/9f5b32b7-8d5a-4254-baa8-db707ffd70fa/skysports-tomas-francis-rugby_4588341.jpg Media - Tomas Francis: A clear and flagrant breach of HIA protocol - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.progressiverugby.com/media/progressive-rugby-welcome-caution-over-lawes-return monthly 0.5 2025-06-25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/dbcd5af5-e013-4820-b01d-298c0ed76632/04919d282f731aa1635bfe16e46b7a8fY29udGVudHNlYXJjaGFwaSwxNjQ1ODEwMDc3-2.25500016.jpg Media - Progressive Rugby welcome caution over Lawes return - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.progressiverugby.com/media/odriscoll-six-nations-incidents-illustrated-a-deep-malaise-within-the-rfu-world-rugby monthly 0.5 2025-06-25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/e65f2b4d-2ca7-48a0-b590-a00a25987289/Barry.jpg Media - O’Driscoll: Six Nations incidents illustrated a deep malaise within the RFU & World Rugby  - Make it stand out Dr Barry O’Driscoll https://www.progressiverugby.com/media/old-school-badge-of-honour-approach-to-concussion-has-to-end monthly 0.5 2025-06-25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/20bbae6c-9066-46c0-9ef7-bda0350f4eef/Shaun.jpg Media - Gustard: Old school badge of honour approach to concussion has to end - Make it stand out Shaun Gustard: Image courtesy of Valleyboypics https://www.progressiverugby.com/media/six-nations-player-welfare-incidents-to-be-investigated monthly 0.5 2025-06-25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/1639d8e9-3d0d-498e-8d38-1688b380a965/FLfoVqMXEAcDYHK.jfif Media - Six Nations player welfare incidents to be investigated - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.progressiverugby.com/media/english-club-rugby-player-jack-jeffery-dies-after-match-injury monthly 0.5 2025-06-25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/50a81cf1-1f7f-4b49-9626-1b65e4e2c67a/2_Screenshot-2022-02-13-at-174210.png Media - English club rugby player Jack Jeffery dies after match injury - Make it stand out Jack Jeffery https://www.progressiverugby.com/media/at-last-major-league-rugby-mlr-adopt-hia-following-stinging-robshaw-criticism monthly 0.5 2025-06-25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/0de278bc-6dcf-4ee2-ae0b-9d6d0b69e0b1/mlr-social-default.png Media - MLR finally adopt HIA following stinging Robshaw criticism - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.progressiverugby.com/media/if-concussions-a-jokewhy-isnt-anybody-laughing monthly 0.5 2025-06-25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/dfe2d788-512e-4c30-90b5-2677a5095bb8/Holly.jpg Media - If concussion’s a joke…..why isn’t anybody laughing? - Make it stand out Holly Hume https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/2652e8ae-41b5-47a7-b0de-b920802a25f5/Holly3.jpg Media - If concussion’s a joke…..why isn’t anybody laughing? - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.progressiverugby.com/media/awesome-loving-vibrant-remembering-benjamin-robinson-always monthly 0.5 2025-06-25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/7b34c3a7-f7df-4445-81c2-0127be25aca9/Ben.jpg Media - Awesome. Loving. Vibrant: Remembering Benjamin Robinson. Always. - Make it stand out Picture: Benjamin Robinson (provided by family) https://www.progressiverugby.com/media/progressive-rugby-partner-with-alzheimers-society monthly 0.5 2025-06-25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/7e3693d5-824e-4b32-8879-6e66a050ff1e/academicsupport.jpg Media - Progressive Rugby partner with Alzheimer’s Society - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.progressiverugby.com/media/in-sir-bill-we-trust-so-please-get-it-done monthly 0.5 2025-06-25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/19e773f1-58a9-4158-a9d7-10730f99fd9c/Bill-Beaumont-World-Rugby-chairman-2016-PA.jpg Media - In Sir Bill we trust - why we believe concussion protocols have to change - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/2c398a05-c867-434f-80f5-aeeeb2ef4d82/%40ProgressiveRug1.png Media - In Sir Bill we trust - why we believe concussion protocols have to change - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.progressiverugby.com/media/edinburgh-star-george-taylor-retires-at-just-25-after-history-of-head-injuries monthly 0.5 2025-06-25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/c9249616-20e0-4c00-95ba-5e94d289ae68/WSN_8959-scaled-e1642080643963.jpg Media - Edinburgh star George Taylor retires at just 25 after “history of head injuries” - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.progressiverugby.com/media/rugby-league-steal-union-thunder-by-extending-return-to-play-protocol monthly 0.5 2025-06-25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/d4c90598-7155-44f5-8272-3604e37ce778/AW3_8414.jpg.gallery.jpg Media - Rugby League steal Union thunder by extending Return to Play protocol - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.progressiverugby.com/media/slammed-evokes-alix-pophams-agony-at-lost-memory-of-one-of-wales-greatest-games monthly 0.5 2025-06-25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/f7205039-1255-428e-842c-c745bb74cc1f/https___bucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com_public_images_8309a3b4-21fa-4eae-8bf8-4bed24719955_2332x3000.jpeg Media - ‘Slammed’ evokes Alix Popham’s agony at lost memory of one of Wales’ greatest games - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.progressiverugby.com/media/probably-the-most-thorny-issue-is-return-to-play-progressive-rugby-speak-with-rugby-world monthly 0.5 2025-06-25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/da4741f1-ffb1-4058-b892-7e4c46fe3b87/_115327703_screenshot2020-11-09at13.26.22.png Media - “Probably the most thorny issue is return to play” - Progressive Rugby speak with Rugby World - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.progressiverugby.com/media/kyran-bracken-lack-of-action-on-return-to-play-hard-to-stomach monthly 0.5 2025-06-25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/ffbe234e-d5df-47e9-9719-27d18219b84f/1658.jpg Media - Kyran Bracken: Lack of action on Return to Play “hard to stomach” - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.progressiverugby.com/media/jim-hamilton-backs-progressive-rugby-one-million-per-cent monthly 0.5 2025-06-25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/6931c791-d4f3-4978-a8d7-70e7207f8d5f/1391666_1_seoimage4x3_ie-319664_a08da94a2f3643e0ab65711bc9dacf7c.jpg Media - Jim Hamilton backs Progressive Rugby ‘one million per cent’ - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.progressiverugby.com/media/brain-expert-evidence-for-a-concussion-protocol-allowing-players-to-return-by-following-weekend-never-really-there monthly 0.5 2025-06-25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/742cfbcb-5ad6-4624-9d76-bcfe1b229c7b/importedImage298654_header.jpg Media - Brain expert: Evidence for a concussion protocol allowing players to return by following weekend ‘never really there’ - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/3c169d0e-dc77-4b31-82b5-e3f17634de34/image.jpg Media - Brain expert: Evidence for a concussion protocol allowing players to return by following weekend ‘never really there’ - Make it stand out Professor Willie Stewart https://www.progressiverugby.com/media/dr-barry-odriscoll-brands-world-rugbys-brain-health-initiative-as-insulting monthly 0.5 2025-06-25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/36af223a-37d5-49aa-8395-b0a31f28641b/Barry.jpg Media - Dr Barry O’Driscoll brands World Rugby’s Brain Health Initiative as ‘insulting’ - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.progressiverugby.com/media/jones-lower-tackle-height-in-junior-rugby-and-look-after-players-left-with-brain-trauma monthly 0.5 2025-06-25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/21e6b08f-7d4c-4efe-a4c1-90f414756d5a/3500.jpg Media - Jones: Lower tackle height in junior rugby and look after players left with brain trauma - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.progressiverugby.com/media/things-that-are-really-hard-to-talk-about-no-one-knows-about-the-symptoms-i-am-going-through-on-a-daily-basis monthly 0.5 2025-06-25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/103a6e3e-1a85-42b0-97d7-809f9fd09736/b363462c-726d-41e9-8deb-5d2363581a67.jpg Media - “Things that are really hard to talk about. No one knows about the symptoms I am going through on a daily basis.” - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/a0b7fd15-a2f5-4786-b3d9-086b9180419b/5568.jpg Media - “Things that are really hard to talk about. No one knows about the symptoms I am going through on a daily basis.” - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.progressiverugby.com/media/when-i-was-in-a-very-dark-place-i-would-have-given-all-my-money-and-caps-to-get-my-health-back monthly 0.5 2025-06-25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/576c57bb-0760-46cb-bfbf-0ef921bc3258/659856-21751220-2560-1440.jpg Media - “When I was in a very dark place, I would have given all my money and caps to get my health back.” - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/0d3b7a29-7fe6-4ffc-91db-28b53da9b914/rory-lamont-032534f5-e1e6-47b7-a9e4-ac660dfaf9c-resize-750.jpeg Media - “When I was in a very dark place, I would have given all my money and caps to get my health back.” - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.progressiverugby.com/media/rugbys-growing-list-of-concussion-sufferers-can-no-longer-be-ignored monthly 0.5 2025-06-25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/5ba6590a-9fb0-4499-87df-1bc527beaffc/2897.jpg Media - Rugby’s growing list of concussion sufferers can no longer be ignored - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/7f231427-6225-4389-bfa7-057b18ff47ff/%40ProgressiveRug.png Media - Rugby’s growing list of concussion sufferers can no longer be ignored - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.progressiverugby.com/media/flatman-players-saying-they-knew-what-they-were-getting-into-is-absolute-rubbish monthly 0.5 2025-06-25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/7f231427-6225-4389-bfa7-057b18ff47ff/%40ProgressiveRug.png Media - Flatman: Players saying they knew what they were getting into is “absolute rubbish” - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/c3b323e3-4874-445e-8e97-da73e1c239bc/_methode_sundaytimes_prod_web_bin_56248ee2-2862-11ec-9d22-0dd3fe23334c.jpg Media - Flatman: Players saying they knew what they were getting into is “absolute rubbish” - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.progressiverugby.com/media/concussion-forced-me-to-give-up-rugby-the-game-i-love monthly 0.5 2025-06-25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/7f231427-6225-4389-bfa7-057b18ff47ff/%40ProgressiveRug.png Media - “Concussion forced me to give up rugby - the game I love.” - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/8055c3d3-83e8-45fb-a530-dbfe89c13e95/DF.jpg Media - “Concussion forced me to give up rugby - the game I love.” - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.progressiverugby.com/media/exclusive-frustration-as-rfu-confirm-player-welfare-mouthguard-trial-is-delayed monthly 0.5 2025-06-25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/7f231427-6225-4389-bfa7-057b18ff47ff/%40ProgressiveRug.png Media - Exclusive: Frustration as RFU confirm player welfare mouthguard trial is delayed - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/d0420bf2-443c-4ed8-85ea-9e72db375e3e/skysports-mouthguard-kevin-naiqama_5281728.jpg Media - Exclusive: Frustration as RFU confirm player welfare mouthguard trial is delayed - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.progressiverugby.com/media/eben-etzebeth-concussions-see-him-stood-down-for-three-months monthly 0.5 2025-06-25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/186867aa-3dcc-49b4-ace0-3cf91111d22f/GettyImages-1236688390-630x420.jpg Media - Eben Etzebeth concussions see him stood down for three months - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.progressiverugby.com/media/adam-hughes-welcomes-brain-injury-clinics-but-brands-world-rugby-video-as-patronising monthly 0.5 2025-06-25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/7f231427-6225-4389-bfa7-057b18ff47ff/%40ProgressiveRug.png Media - “Adam Hughes welcomes brain injury clinics, but brands World Rugby video as 'patronising' - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/57f87f35-be18-4b21-8adb-7d2d1d4b1124/PRI_Adam+Hughes.jpg Media - “Adam Hughes welcomes brain injury clinics, but brands World Rugby video as 'patronising' - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.progressiverugby.com/media/new-research-finds-rugby-players-more-likely-to-suffer-from-depression monthly 0.5 2025-06-25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/7f231427-6225-4389-bfa7-057b18ff47ff/%40ProgressiveRug.png Media - “New research finds rugby players more likely to suffer from depression - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/0221fa00-a229-4e44-81b0-629481133227/923967-1280x964.jpg Media - “New research finds rugby players more likely to suffer from depression - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.progressiverugby.com/media/mouritz-botha-being-able-to-play-6-days-post-concussion-doesnt-make-sense monthly 0.5 2025-06-25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/34ad2566-ed7c-425d-aa90-190bfc962ab8/4454eb27367f4531710d607a9c852642.jpg Media - Mouritz Botha: “Being able to play 6 days post-concussion doesn’t make sense.” - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.progressiverugby.com/media/theres-going-to-be-a-lot-of-broken-men-coming-out-of-rugby-thats-just-a-fact monthly 0.5 2025-06-25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/a2fecac9-e318-467c-abbe-20e915d14ea2/_methode_sundaytimes_prod_web_bin_cc8a1298-8c8a-11ea-a376-3b3698706ab4.jpg Media - “There’s going to be a lot of broken men coming out of rugby - that’s just a fact” - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/7f231427-6225-4389-bfa7-057b18ff47ff/%40ProgressiveRug.png Media - “There’s going to be a lot of broken men coming out of rugby - that’s just a fact” - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.progressiverugby.com/media/rwc-2003-winner-mike-tindall-reveals-he-is-going-to-get-tested-for-early-onset-dementia monthly 0.5 2025-06-25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/f715d6b8-3878-45c7-adfa-5d17382b59de/00042ed3-800.jpg Media - RWC 2003 winner Mike Tindall reveals he is going to get tested for early onset dementia - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.progressiverugby.com/media/former-england-captain-wins-landmark-ruling-to-have-brain-injuries-suffered-playing-as-industrial-accidents monthly 0.5 2025-06-25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/7f231427-6225-4389-bfa7-057b18ff47ff/%40ProgressiveRug.png Media - Former England football captain wins landmark ruling to have brain injuries suffered playing as 'industrial accidents’ - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/43b00b40-5da1-434d-9ff8-3afc82a92445/3.png Media - Former England football captain wins landmark ruling to have brain injuries suffered playing as 'industrial accidents’ - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.progressiverugby.com/media/rfl-approves-concussion-detecting-mouthguards-across-rugby-league monthly 0.5 2025-06-25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/0d05f336-ab5e-466a-a7b8-7e632e5439be/2361.jpg Media - RFL approves concussion-detecting mouthguards across rugby league - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/7f231427-6225-4389-bfa7-057b18ff47ff/%40ProgressiveRug.png Media - RFL approves concussion-detecting mouthguards across rugby league - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.progressiverugby.com/media/world-rugby-and-international-rugby-players-launch-global-brain-health-education-campaign monthly 0.5 2025-06-25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/1dd0601a-f8fd-4f9a-83eb-bd90532dd529/thomas-serer-QUr0R1VZPNw-unsplash.jpg Media - World Rugby and International Rugby Players launch global brain health education campaign - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/7f231427-6225-4389-bfa7-057b18ff47ff/%40ProgressiveRug.png Media - World Rugby and International Rugby Players launch global brain health education campaign - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.progressiverugby.com/media/wallaroos-hooker-averyl-mitchell-retires-due-to-concussion monthly 0.5 2025-06-25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/7c2ffc58-2e04-40d8-adb4-fedb3a136b0b/Averyl-M.jpg Media - Wallaroos hooker Averyl Mitchell retires due to concussion - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.progressiverugby.com/media/one-minute-i-was-on-the-field-next-minute-i-was-standing-in-the-showers-very-scary monthly 0.5 2025-06-25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/c3b52b5a-5a0b-4d66-aa67-fea4b6e85930/Ben-Alexander.jpg Media - “One minute I was on the field, next minute I was standing in the showers! Very scary.” - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/7f231427-6225-4389-bfa7-057b18ff47ff/%40ProgressiveRug.png Media - “One minute I was on the field, next minute I was standing in the showers! Very scary.” - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.progressiverugby.com/media/nrls-keegan-hipgrave-forced-to-retire-at-just-24 monthly 0.5 2025-06-25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/67e7cfc6-c684-46b3-9dda-4c58364d5112/c99d1bc3d890ea8f4e3623988188601fc92ae56f.png Media - NRL’s Keegan Hipgrave forced to retire at just 24 - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.progressiverugby.com/media/former-international-alex-corbisiero-voices-player-welfare-concerns monthly 0.5 2025-06-25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/c8a7f5c0-50f8-467c-8821-9c48db755a51/ccc.jpg Media - Former international Alex Corbisiero voices player welfare concerns - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/63fecf7a-6462-44b8-a9ea-a7a7fa7a2f1a/_68373175_corbs624copy.jpg Media - Former international Alex Corbisiero voices player welfare concerns - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.progressiverugby.com/media/that-decision-should-be-taken-out-of-players-hands monthly 0.5 2025-06-25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/78141f5c-6155-4415-952e-3956f80222f3/5064.jpg Media - “That decision should be taken out of players’ hands” - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.progressiverugby.com/media/rugby-all-brute-force-and-no-flair-it-needs-to-change monthly 0.5 2025-06-25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/66084258-a8e6-4341-8b22-d08d33850fe9/2012-02-03T000000Z_1_MT1ACI9145972_RTRMADP_3_RUGBY-SCO.jpg Media - Rugby all brute force and no flair, it needs to change - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.progressiverugby.com/media/samoa-international-cowley-fears-he-has-early-onset-dementia monthly 0.5 2025-06-25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/49c65149-7a33-4683-94d1-4f57b305977d/Picture1.jpg Media - Samoa international Cowley fears he has early onset dementia - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/7f231427-6225-4389-bfa7-057b18ff47ff/%40ProgressiveRug.png Media - Samoa international Cowley fears he has early onset dementia - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.progressiverugby.com/media/wallaby-dane-haylett-petty-retires-after-concussion-battles monthly 0.5 2025-06-25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/baf35936-c790-4d72-b1c4-cbbfd1d772a1/PV_HAYLETT_PERRY_Article3.jpg Media - Wallaby Dane Haylett-Petty retires after concussion battles - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.progressiverugby.com/media/rugby-league-look-to-extend-rtp-to-minimum-of-10-days monthly 0.5 2025-06-25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/1633081136839-UZOJ4E7B9G9LONCPJJA3/stock.jpg Media - Rugby league look to extend RTP to minimum of 10 days - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.progressiverugby.com/media/dementia-in-rugby-to-be-investigated-as-potential-industrial-disease monthly 0.5 2025-06-25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/8ccfdc1e-6fc0-4e61-9e1e-2e746512aed9/%40ProgressiveRug1.png Media - Dementia in rugby to be investigated as potential industrial disease - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/1629811299275-6FDP1VLUSMFR471H7MVU/2200.jpg.jpg Media - Dementia in rugby to be investigated as potential industrial disease - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.progressiverugby.com/media/carl-hayman-star-all-black-diagnosed-with-early-onset-dementia monthly 0.5 2025-06-25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/c3e7d887-540d-4667-bd73-8b3a4673b7e0/chayman.jpg Media - Carl Hayman: Star All Black diagnosed with early onset dementia - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/eaf1fd37-e9c6-4d63-b038-0c453a9df339/https___bucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com_public_images_e447c885-1bd9-432e-9690-5e48b0df844d_4722x3092.jpeg Media - Carl Hayman: Star All Black diagnosed with early onset dementia - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.progressiverugby.com/media/progressive-rugby-welcomes-much-needed-focus-on-womens-player-welfare monthly 0.5 2025-06-25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/1635761050206-7KJN10A1R76K845D66FG/%40ProgressiveRug1.png Media - Progressive Rugby welcomes much-needed focus on Women’s player welfare - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/1635761090933-8M1NNIQH5N1LKA8K1JI8/_methode_times_prod_web_bin_15f0ddd6-8bc2-11eb-8f69-0367b6f4fca7.jpg Media - Progressive Rugby welcomes much-needed focus on Women’s player welfare - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.progressiverugby.com/media/england-and-new-zealand-players-to-wear-special-mouthguards-containing-head-impact-monitors monthly 0.5 2025-06-25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/1635667952219-VD5DSYZM8NLAJXWLGIYZ/_121257407_mouthguard.jpg Media - England and New Zealand players to wear special mouthguards containing head-impact monitors - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.progressiverugby.com/media/tommy-bowe-hails-inspiration-caelan-doris-for-handling-of-concussion-issues monthly 0.5 2025-06-25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/1635668797606-RA4M40VYZ9XTR90R2VTY/caelan-doris-injury.jpg Media - Tommy Bowe hails ‘inspiration’ Caelan Doris for handling of concussion issues - Make it stand out Caelan Doris https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/1635668639054-6PNUQUA2OO8HQQDTF2DB/sexton-murray-2.jpg Media - Tommy Bowe hails ‘inspiration’ Caelan Doris for handling of concussion issues - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.progressiverugby.com/media/its-a-real-challenge-supporting-concussed-players-physically-and-mentally monthly 0.5 2025-06-25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/1635670174474-66ZS6MXXELJY6K82EUK6/0_CDF_160819_WalesRugbyTraining42JPG.jpg Media - "It’s a real challenge, supporting concussed players. Physically and mentally” - Make it stand out James Davies https://www.progressiverugby.com/media/ex-rugby-league-internationals-to-sue-over-brain-damage monthly 0.5 2025-06-25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/cd175111-8b81-4993-bde5-2645b748d8f6/_121219295_gettyimages-1620306.jpg Media - Ex-rugby league internationals to sue over brain damage - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/b9f932a8-f426-40df-a21a-27c1b3ffeb86/%40ProgressiveRug.png Media - Ex-rugby league internationals to sue over brain damage - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.progressiverugby.com/media/how-harlequins-and-gloucester-found-gumshield-technology-to-be-performance-and-welfare-game-changer monthly 0.5 2025-06-25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/9a4674a2-180a-40ed-ae1f-325a191308d2/skysports-marcus-smith-harlequins_5554404.jpg Media - How Harlequins and Gloucester found gumshield technology to be performance and welfare game-changer - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/21e12168-b390-4963-9f65-707dc2990b0a/skysports-eoin-power-gloucester_5554430.jpg Media - How Harlequins and Gloucester found gumshield technology to be performance and welfare game-changer - Make it stand out Gloucester head of medical services Eoin Power https://www.progressiverugby.com/media/new-studies-same-old-story-if-experts-cant-agree-world-rugby-owe-it-to-the-players-to-err-on-the-side-of-caution monthly 0.5 2025-06-25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/ca162e99-8823-4672-a510-6b988596cbaf/james-coleman-NtZlkNDesa0-unsplash.jpg Media - New studies, same old story. If experts can’t agree World Rugby owe it to the players to err on the side of caution - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/1d0f2e9f-7b2e-4dab-9494-fe9a6aa8de47/stefan-lehner-fqrzserMsX4-unsplash.jpg Media - New studies, same old story. If experts can’t agree World Rugby owe it to the players to err on the side of caution - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.progressiverugby.com/media/cornish-pirates-install-brain-scanner-to-monitor-player-brain-health monthly 0.5 2025-06-25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/1634487162902-WJZSLOXHUF3KTOER0VF6/CP.jpg Media - Pirates install brain scanner to monitor player brain health - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.progressiverugby.com/media/we-were-the-first-group-of-guinea-pigs-in-professional-rugby monthly 0.5 2025-06-25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/1634306396933-8BYYHZ0BA3J0ZBX4Y0DN/https___bucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com_public_images_8309a3b4-21fa-4eae-8bf8-4bed24719955_2332x3000.jpeg Media - “We were the first group of guinea pigs in professional rugby” - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/1633547960227-BTJYAROV175H7GLIBN7S/%40ProgressiveRug.png Media - “We were the first group of guinea pigs in professional rugby” - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.progressiverugby.com/media/mark-reason-sportswomen-are-the-more-likely-victims-of-the-silent-epidemic monthly 0.5 2025-06-25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/1634026498518-XYVIY90QOIF2DSB3PC93/1633999976282+%281%29.jpg Media - Mark Reason: Sportswomen are the more likely victims of 'the silent epidemic' - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/1634026610679-3AESGAHA5HT7CJ1981ZC/1633999976282.jpg Media - Mark Reason: Sportswomen are the more likely victims of 'the silent epidemic' - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.progressiverugby.com/media/tragedy-in-argentina-lucas-pierazzoli monthly 0.5 2025-06-25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/1633764930993-XY86GOE7UFGVI186AZ27/32708079_2006360586350004_3368271489924071424_n.jpg Media - Tragedy in Argentina: Lucas Pierazzoli   - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.progressiverugby.com/media/coaching-intervention-should-assist-both-the-player-and-reduce-risks-to-those-who-he-is-tackling monthly 0.5 2025-06-25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/1633691436389-HX6UFEBZ37D7T40HB7RE/GettyImages-897749248.jpg Media - “Coaching intervention should assist both the player and reduce risks to those who he is tackling.” - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.progressiverugby.com/media/sam-cane-could-be-one-concussion-away-from-retirement monthly 0.5 2025-06-25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/1633687086501-FBH5EX6R1LE1AKIZ5HFM/stefan-lehner-7Tw9wLnL74w-unsplash+%281%29.jpg Media - Sam Cane “could be one concussion away from retirement.” - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.progressiverugby.com/media/college-rugby-and-concussions-a-ticking-time-bomb monthly 0.5 2025-06-25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/1633547960227-BTJYAROV175H7GLIBN7S/%40ProgressiveRug.png Media - College Rugby and Concussions: A Ticking Time Bomb - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/1633547658590-TMGXW0LNPKSGX3Q0SOK5/livepitch.jpg Media - College Rugby and Concussions: A Ticking Time Bomb - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.progressiverugby.com/media/halliday-world-rugby-is-sleepwalking-its-way-towards-disaster-over-brain-injuries monthly 0.5 2025-06-25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/1633692271315-GV4TBWHZH87ZVDVH606W/Simon-Halliday-EPCR-boss-PA.jpg Media - Halliday: World Rugby is sleepwalking its way towards disaster over brain injuries. - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.progressiverugby.com/media/matt-toomua-to-miss-wallaby-tour-due-to-concussion monthly 0.5 2025-06-25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/1633450667556-H0HVYONPK1RL3PZI7CUH/MT.jpg Media - Matt To'omua to miss Wallaby tour due to concussion - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.progressiverugby.com/media/attwood-every-rugby-player-should-be-willing-to-donate-their-brains-to-research monthly 0.5 2025-06-25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/1629811299275-6FDP1VLUSMFR471H7MVU/2200.jpg.jpg Media - Attwood: “Every rugby player should be willing to donate their brains to research.” - Make it stand out Steve Thompson https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/1633081136839-UZOJ4E7B9G9LONCPJJA3/stock.jpg Media - Attwood: “Every rugby player should be willing to donate their brains to research.” - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.progressiverugby.com/media/new-contact-training-approach-a-bit-of-common-sense-only-question-why-wait-until-2023 monthly 0.5 2025-06-25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/1632481899508-PBWSLW3FXDSAX8S1RVN0/John+Barclay.jpg Media - New contact training approach: “A bit of common sense. Only question - why wait until 2023?” - Make it stand out The guidelines set out advised weekly limits for full contact training (15 minutes), controlled contact (40 minutes) and live set piece (30 minutes) training. World Rugby say the guidance is aimed at reducing injury risk and supporting short and long-term player welfare. They have followed global consultation, including feedback from almost 600 players across elite men’s and women’s competitions, and input from leading strength and conditioning, medical and performance experts. World Rugby say the guidance is being supported by national players’ associations, national unions, international and domestic competitions, top coaches and clubs. What former players have said: John Barclay (Glasgow Warriors/Scarlets and Scotland, 76 caps) “A bit of common sense. World Rugby Limiting contact training by 2023 to 15 minutes a week. 2 hrs 20mins was the worst “offending” team. Remember that session in 2019….on the schedule as a ‘light session’. Great times. Only question - why wait until 2023?” Ryan Lamb (Gloucester/London Irish/Northampton Saints/Worcester Warriors) “The issue has always been in the not regulated contact training. Remember at a club, we had to make 100 tackles on a Tuesday, and I was called an energy sapper for saying that’s insane. "Prepare your nervous system was the excuse” - what for, a car crash?” David Flatman (Saracens/Bath and England, 8 caps) Answering a question whether 15 mins contact was enough contact training. “Fair question mate, but many pros would probably be fine with none tbh…” Conrad Smith (Wellington/Hurricanes/Pau and All Blacks, 94 caps) Smith, who is Head of Player welfare for IRP, said: “I never had a training injury in all my 15 years of playing – I don’t know if I was a bad trainer. I never exceeded these (newly proposed) limits. 15 minutes (contact training) would have been the absolute maximum for me.” https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/1629811843927-FBP4P5DGGJJUNU7R1HC8/0_GettyImages-76332425.jpg Media - New contact training approach: “A bit of common sense. Only question - why wait until 2023?” - Make it stand out Alix Popham https://www.progressiverugby.com/media/progressive-rugby-cautiously-welcome-world-rugby-contract-training-guidance monthly 0.5 2025-06-25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/1629816963795-BIL3YRYF8EV2NLJJ8WCN/5000.jpg.jpg Media - Progressive Rugby cautiously welcome World Rugby contract training guidance - Make it stand out World Rugby CEO Alan Gilpin https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/1630406545177-VSL4H5C4Y5LHE0B9HVDY/_120320658_gettyimages-129888274.jpg Media - Progressive Rugby cautiously welcome World Rugby contract training guidance - Make it stand out World Rugby say the guidance is being supported by national players’ associations, national unions, international and domestic competitions, top coaches and clubs. Earlier this year, the governing body unveiled a six-point plan saying the move was aimed to cement rugby as the most progressive sport on player welfare. These new best-practice guidelines focus on the intensity and frequency of contact training to which professional rugby players should be exposed and have been shaped by consultation with players and coaches as well as leading medical, conditioning and scientific experts. A press release acknowledged that around 35-40 per cent of injuries were sustained in training, an environment that is far more controllable than one of a match while realising that levels must still allow for adequate player conditioning and technical preparation. A spokesperson for Progressive Rugby said: “Progressive Rugby welcome the news of new weekly guidelines for contact training and encourage coaching teams to grasp the opportunity to increase player welfare and availability and enhance performance as demonstrated by Harlequins last season in the Gallagher Premiership. “However, while we applaud this positive move, we also encourage World Rugby to accelerate the proposed timescales for assessing this approach and adopt a mandated approach that has player welfare at its heart as soon as possible. “This is because, while many sides have taken a more sensible approach to contract training, it’s fair to acknowledge that other coaching teams may not embrace the guidelines as wished.” https://www.progressiverugby.com/media/steve-thompson-to-donate-brain-for-chronic-traumatic-encephalopathy-research monthly 0.5 2025-06-25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/1629811299275-6FDP1VLUSMFR471H7MVU/2200.jpg.jpg Media - Steve Thompson to donate brain for chronic traumatic encephalopathy research - Make it stand out Englishman Thompson 43, is one of a group of former players suing rugby’s governing bodies for negligence. The Concussion Legacy Project will use his brain to research chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), which can only be diagnosed after death. Thompson said he was pledging his brain "to make the game safer". He added: "I'm pledging my brain so the children of the people I love don't have to go through what I have gone through. "It's up to my generation to pledge our brains so researchers can develop better treatments and ways to make the game safer." The Concussion Legacy Project is a new brain bank formed by the Concussion Legacy Foundation UK (CLF) and the Jeff Astle Foundation, named after the former England and West Brom striker who died in 2002. A re-examination of Astle's brain in 2014 found he had died from CTE. Astle's daughter Dawn said: "It may be many years before this jigsaw is complete, but by adding each piece, one at a time, it is the only way we shall understand the true picture and so be able to make a better future for others." Thompson played in every match in England's winning 2003 World Cup campaign but told the BBC in December 2020 that he can not remember any of them and put the memory loss down to frequent head knocks during games and training. In July, World Rugby set out a six-point player welfare plan which includes support for ex-players and on Wednesday the global governing body announced guidelines limiting contract training to 15 minutes a week in an attempt to prevent injuries. Addressing the change, Thompson called for contact to be taken out of the game for children and added: "We're going in the right direction but there is still a lot of work to do to make sure the players are safe." He told BBC Sport: "I believe that if we [the players making the legal claim] hadn't have come out, that wouldn't have happened. "We've just got to be proud of these little victories to make the game of rugby a lot safer and for everyone to keep enjoying it. "We're not there to destroy the game, we're there to make it safer so it does carry on." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/1629811346628-8HB15O1SDM57TYA0DYCA/6720-1.jpg.jpg Media - Steve Thompson to donate brain for chronic traumatic encephalopathy research - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.progressiverugby.com/media/in-many-ways-it-is-my-family-who-suffer-most-from-my-injury monthly 0.5 2025-06-25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/1629817198671-BFPV56A1LO1C1QO7AZ4J/4675.jpg.jpg Media - “In many ways it is my family who suffer most from my injury.” - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/1632305383024-H3OXOL5I7MVPC0FOYS5K/AJ.jpg Media - “In many ways it is my family who suffer most from my injury.” - Make it stand out Nothing prepares you for the feeling of utter helplessness as you sit there; desperately scouring what is left of your brain for those three words the neurologist told you to remember some half a minute ago. I really tried hard to recall what he said, repeating the words over and over, but in those intervening 30 seconds he asked another unrelated question and that simple act of distraction wiped clean my memory. Just three simple words, or more the lack of them, brought home to everyone in the room the severity of the injury I suffered three months previously, the damage done whist playing Rugby, the sport I love. Three words to be declared fit and fine, but my mind is blank. That was the moment of comprehension, the realisation that I have permanent brain damage along with all that entails. This is a very difficult to write, physically, mentally and emotionally, but by putting my story into writing and passing on the perspective of someone whose life has been decimated by brain damage, I hope to raise the profile of concussion in rugby. I am not looking to court publicity or to look for sympathy, simply to explain some of what life with permanent disabling brain damage can be like. I want to raise awareness the risk players and coaches take with repeated concussions. In essence I am describing what the “If you carry on you will do permanent damage” actually looks like. Like the vast majority of rugby players in this country, I was just playing for fun on a Saturday afternoon, I had a good job as a Systems Analyst at Unisys and was turning out for my local club Christchurch RFC against St Lo from France, it was May 1997, the ground was hard, but it didn’t matter so much because was a friendly game against a touring side. I have no memory of the actual incident. Apparently, I was tackled as I caught an up and under, he didn’t dump me, but it was a big hard hit and because I had both hands on the ball, I couldn’t protect myself as my head hit the ground. That single moment determined the rest of my life and that of my family. I suffered what medics call a contra coup brain injury, essentially when my head smashed onto hard ground, my brain rebounded into the front of my skull, leaving me with serious and permanent frontal lobe damage. I was to be the one of the “one in a million” who suffers permanent brain damage. I would live to find out how lucky the 999,999 who preceded me without a thought, actually were. Even though my injury was almost 25 years ago, I still suffer lots of problems as a result, I initially wrote them all down but it took up pages explaining them all, but I thought it best to concentrate on a couple of areas where my injuries impact on my family and loved ones. A simple analogy is for people to imagine suffering the worst bits of being very drunk and yet hungover at the same time, the slowness of thought and confusion, poor balance, lack of empathy, disinhibition, the tendency for aggression along with the headache, noise and light sensitivity, the fatigue and the general grumpiness. All of these without the fun bits of alcohol, all this without a break, all day, every day for the rest of my life. One of the major problems I now experience is the fatigue I suffer from the simple act of concentrating. Nowadays I can only process one thought at a time, at best I have a concentration span of about an hour before I need to rest, which is extremely frustrating. Suffering a brain injury doesn’t mean I am stupid, but it does restrict the speed and breadth of my thinking. The knock-on effect is significant, seemingly “normal” activities become extraordinarily difficult, I can’t travel unless I know I have somewhere to rest and recover. Whilst I still love rugby and cricket, I can’t manage to watch a full game, I need to pace myself in everything I do, for every aspect of my life, which because of my memory problems has become a life dominated by lists. https://www.progressiverugby.com/media/cipriani-applauded-for-setting-concussion-example monthly 0.5 2025-06-25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/1632304748056-XDR964YYI3LGHATC267R/DC.jpg Media - Cipriani applauded for setting concussion example - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.progressiverugby.com/media/robshaw-players-could-do-community-service-rather-than-match-bans-to-support-grassroots-game monthly 0.5 2025-06-25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/1631693564428-36912CA6TZ33P186SUFD/1200px-Harlequins_vs_Glasgow_Warriors_%284%29.jpg Media - Robshaw: Players could do community service rather than match bans to support grassroots game - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.progressiverugby.com/media/were-microchipped-mouthguards-the-key-to-harlequins-success monthly 0.5 2025-06-25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/1632254378208-ENYTUO6LV8K9CDECLO57/8053.jpg Media - Were microchipped mouthguards the key to Harlequins’ success? - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.progressiverugby.com/media/chris-robshaw-calls-out-mlr-concussion-protocols monthly 0.5 2025-06-25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/1631693564428-36912CA6TZ33P186SUFD/1200px-Harlequins_vs_Glasgow_Warriors_%284%29.jpg Media - Former England captain Chris Robshaw calls out MLR concussion protocols - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.progressiverugby.com/media/nigel-owens-joins-progressive-rugby-group monthly 0.5 2025-06-25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/1631694842416-5XQYYU4UMIM76MOLEEWA/3737093587.jpg Media - Nigel Owens joins Progressive Rugby working group - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.progressiverugby.com/media/tim-stimpson-i-want-rugby-players-protected-because-i-love-the-game-so-much monthly 0.5 2025-06-25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/1629209665597-41AXOEZWWWNS7ETH17PN/IMG_2908-scaled.jpg Media - Tim Stimpson: “I want rugby players protected because I love the game so much.” - Make it stand out Stock image https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/1631108079961-VBL26P7NOUW90PEC97IK/john-fairclough-155516844.jpg Media - Tim Stimpson: “I want rugby players protected because I love the game so much.” - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.progressiverugby.com/media/nzr-to-trial-expansive-range-o-laws monthly 0.5 2021-09-12 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/1631438220323-ZFTG6356LR0YQQ0Q11J2/89660_wo.png Media - NZR to trial expansive range of community rugby law variations in 2022 - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.progressiverugby.com/media/progressive-rugby-feasibility-of-world-12s-in-player-welfare-driven-sport monthly 0.5 2025-06-25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/1629209665597-41AXOEZWWWNS7ETH17PN/IMG_2908-scaled.jpg Media - Progressive Rugby question feasibility of World 12s in player welfare-driven sport - Make it stand out Stock image https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/1631368849958-PIY1UBG8DNEX3J6LFBJR/%40ProgressiveRug.png Media - Progressive Rugby question feasibility of World 12s in player welfare-driven sport - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.progressiverugby.com/media/freak-eye-injury-left-cardiffs-will-boyde-struggling-to-see-new-born-daughter monthly 0.5 2025-06-25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/1631441951371-I10D3LN1VOLCK3JTZ5VP/_120434748_boyde_snp.jpg Media - Freak eye injury left Cardiff's Will Boyde struggling to see new-born daughter - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.progressiverugby.com/media/minor-rugby-reforms-wont-protect-players-from-suffering-the-same-life-changing-brain-damage-i-did monthly 0.5 2025-06-25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/1632250226470-2TBKTF9CN5CRAX269ERX/PRI_Adam+Hughes.jpg Media - Minor rugby reforms won’t protect players from suffering the same life-changing brain damage I did. - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.progressiverugby.com/media/rugby-is-at-a-crossroads-and-players-must-take-personal-responsibility monthly 0.5 2025-06-25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/1632251943871-MSJ66SX99TVPR0701402/0_GettyImages-1196636306.jpg Media - Rugby is at a crossroads and players must take personal responsibility - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.progressiverugby.com/media/head-injury-checks-for-womens-rugby-season-leading-up-to-world-cup monthly 0.5 2025-06-25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/1632253172532-JZHANEA379M95LZTK8U5/4200.jpg Media - Head injury checks for women’s rugby season leading up to World Cup - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.progressiverugby.com/media/the-lesson-i-learned-from-this-was-doing-your-rfu-head-case-isnt-enough monthly 0.5 2025-06-25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/1630440986870-86EGYF1TIT87E3GG14NV/Youth+Rugby.jpg Media - “The lesson I learned from this was, doing your ‘RFU Head Case’ isn't enough.” - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/1629209665597-41AXOEZWWWNS7ETH17PN/IMG_2908-scaled.jpg Media - “The lesson I learned from this was, doing your ‘RFU Head Case’ isn't enough.” - Make it stand out Stock image https://www.progressiverugby.com/media/rugby-head-impact-study-says-players-cognitive-function-can-decline-after-one-season monthly 0.5 2021-08-31 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/1630406545177-VSL4H5C4Y5LHE0B9HVDY/_120320658_gettyimages-129888274.jpg Media - Rugby: Head impact study says players' cognitive function can decline after one season - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/1630407311968-WYEHFMFBJNR6176PFN5K/_120315237_gettyimages-134633004.jpg Media - Rugby: Head impact study says players' cognitive function can decline after one season - Make it stand out Former Wales international Shane Williams https://www.progressiverugby.com/media/nz-rugby-senior-scientist-rtp-should-be-at-least-two-weeks monthly 0.5 2025-06-25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/1629209665597-41AXOEZWWWNS7ETH17PN/IMG_2908-scaled.jpg Media - NZ Rugby Senior Scientist: ‘‘RTP should be ‘at least’ two weeks’’ - Make it stand out Stock image https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/1631432783495-FXKZ8JLCVNJNRLYDLH1S/stefan-lehner-fqrzserMsX4-unsplash.jpg Media - NZ Rugby Senior Scientist: ‘‘RTP should be ‘at least’ two weeks’’ - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.progressiverugby.com/media/progressive-rugby-welcome-kiwi-concussion-expert-doug-king monthly 0.5 2025-06-25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/1629209665597-41AXOEZWWWNS7ETH17PN/IMG_2908-scaled.jpg Media - Progressive Rugby welcome Kiwi concussion expert Doug King - Make it stand out Stock image https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/1631436534436-IADI3EBT6E83XVJNPKUD/1551040342661.jpg Media - Progressive Rugby welcome Kiwi concussion expert Doug King - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.progressiverugby.com/media/lions-face-big-selection-calls-if-dan-biggar-does-not-clear-concussion-protocols monthly 0.5 2021-08-24 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/1629819053276-3362VCEOGA8S864PBG6T/dan-biggar.jpg Media - Lions face big selection calls if Dan Biggar does not clear concussion protocols - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/1629819223550-FJ73XTV0V46WQW7M9PV6/Marcus-Smith-Lions.jpg Media - Lions face big selection calls if Dan Biggar does not clear concussion protocols - Make it stand out Marcus Smith could yet feature on the Lions bench if Dan Biggar is not cleared to play. (Credit: Getty Images) https://www.progressiverugby.com/media/rugby-players-found-to-have-concerning-damage-to-their-brains-in-study monthly 0.5 2021-09-12 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/1629819427603-8K27BOJEKWPOH1DT0272/rugby-team-getty.jpg Media - Rugby Players Found to Have 'Concerning' Damage to Their Brains in Study - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.progressiverugby.com/media/lions-questioned-over-dan-biggars-inclusion-for-second-test-after-concussion-concerns monthly 0.5 2021-08-24 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/1629818903564-4FO5T3ULX9P6TW03SY9G/1_RUGBYU-RSA-GBR-IRL-LIONS-SHARKS.jpg Media - Lions questioned over Dan Biggar's inclusion for second Test after concussion concerns - Make it stand out Dan Biggar has kept his place in the Lions XV despite a recent head injury ( Image: AFP via Getty Images) https://www.progressiverugby.com/media/elephant-in-room-biggars-role-in-second-test-questioned-over-latest-hia monthly 0.5 2021-08-24 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/1629818382361-9MJ5GV0HKYWTSVO86VHJ/GettyImages-1328161921-2.jpg Media - 'Elephant in room' - Biggar's role in second Test questioned over latest HIA - Make it stand out (Photo by David Rogers/Getty Images) https://www.progressiverugby.com/media/damning-report-on-head-injuries-in-sport-seen-as-turning-point monthly 0.5 2021-08-24 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/1629818017288-0S4SZCY3JG3O0IN2FTJ4/3508.jpg.jpg Media - Damning report on head injuries in sport seen as ‘turning point’ - Make it stand out Leicester City player Ashleigh Plumtre goes through concussion checks during a Women’s Championship match in February. Photograph: Alex Pantling/Getty Images https://www.progressiverugby.com/media/world-rugby-introduces-independent-head-injury-panel-for-tests monthly 0.5 2021-08-24 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/1629817771249-7O19WEB83YBLOT7I1B46/23883.jpg Media - World Rugby introduces independent head injury panel for Tests - Make it stand out England flanker Neil Back bleeds from a head injury during the Pool C Rugby World Cup match against South Africa at the Subiaco Oval in Perth, Australia on 18 October 2003. The upstart Lions went on to beat the Springboks, 25-6. AFP https://www.progressiverugby.com/media/welfare-focused-rugby-law-trials-to-be-implemented-globally monthly 0.5 2021-08-24 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/1629817455704-LRYI13TPY4KPW2E2I4U6/3e696a2f-734d-44b5-bbd9-5101355e7d0b.jpg Media - Welfare-focused rugby law trials to be implemented globally - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.progressiverugby.com/media/george-north-would-be-told-to-retire-were-he-an-amateur-says-dr-barry-odriscoll-f5gp3 monthly 0.5 2021-09-22 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/1629817198671-BFPV56A1LO1C1QO7AZ4J/4675.jpg.jpg Media - World Rugby makes encouraging start with ‘six pillars’ to build a new game - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/1629816963795-BIL3YRYF8EV2NLJJ8WCN/5000.jpg.jpg Media - World Rugby makes encouraging start with ‘six pillars’ to build a new game - Make it stand out Alan Gilpin, the new World Rugby chief executive, wants rugby to be ‘the most progressive, open and collaborative sport’ when it comes to player welfare. Photograph: Ian Gavan/World Rugby/Getty Images https://www.progressiverugby.com/media/gatland-defends-picking-cowan-dickie-after-concussion monthly 0.5 2021-08-24 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/1629816658458-0SATQFTCPDJ5C8T678MV/800.jpeg Media - Gatland defends picking Cowan-Dickie after concussion - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.progressiverugby.com/media/ex-england-international-slams-decision-to-play-luke-cowan-dickie-for-the-lions-8fxtn monthly 0.5 2021-08-24 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/1629304155181-LMDG21WZZ7T2OFJQGFVJ/cropped-Progressive_Rugby_Social.png Media - Lions retain Cowan-Dickie in team against Sharks - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.progressiverugby.com/media/luke-cowan-dickies-lions-selection-denounced-after-recent-head-injury monthly 0.5 2021-08-24 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/1629814284081-C70KIIG4UB15BPRW8CEI/4316.jpg.jpg Media - Luke Cowan-Dickie’s Lions selection denounced after recent head injury - Make it stand out Luke Cowan-Dickie was knocked unconscious in the Premiership final before joining up with the Lions.Photograph: Dan Sheridan/Inpho/Rex/Shutterstock https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/1629815544161-2RI81P6JKB6BLVGCIPK9/3309.jpg.jpg Media - Luke Cowan-Dickie’s Lions selection denounced after recent head injury - Make it stand out Luke Cowan-Dickie in Lions training on Thursday. Photograph: Dan Sheridan/Inpho/Rex/Shutterstock https://www.progressiverugby.com/media/ex-england-international-slams-decision-to-play-luke-cowan-dickie-for-the-lions monthly 0.5 2021-08-24 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/1629815622579-OUXSFCUTSEVC46OU4D3L/pjimage-2021-07-03T165453.444-scaled.jpg Media - Ex-England international slams decision to play Luke Cowan-Dickie for the Lions - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.progressiverugby.com/media/i-am-absolutely-disgusted-a-stain-on-our-great-game-bracken-lashes-lions monthly 0.5 2021-08-24 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/1629813684417-MYIEQI1OY07LBE36HX9D/GettyImages-1153062493.jpg Media - 'I am absolutely disgusted... A stain on our great game' - Bracken lashes Lions - Make it stand out Luke Cowan-Dickie after the Exeter's loss to Saracens https://www.progressiverugby.com/media/other-former-welsh-rugby-players-on-suicide-watch-according-to-alix-pophams-lawyer monthly 0.5 2021-08-24 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/1629811843927-FBP4P5DGGJJUNU7R1HC8/0_GettyImages-76332425.jpg Media - Other former Welsh rugby players 'on suicide watch', according to Alix Popham's lawyer - Make it stand out Alix Popham's lawyer Richard Boardman has been speaking out over concerns for a number of ex-players (Image: Getty Images). https://www.progressiverugby.com/media/tim-stimpson-interview-we-love-the-intensity-of-rugby-but-we-dont-want-it-to-come-at-a-price monthly 0.5 2021-08-24 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/1629811551816-BKROK38SGPZ7ZQUVA2YV/08-stimpson.jpg Media - Tim Stimpson Interview: We love the intensity of rugby but we don’t want it to come at a price - Make it stand out Tim Stimpson is part of the lobby group, Progressive Rugby, which is aiming to protect players from brain trauma https://www.progressiverugby.com/media/progressive-rugby-calls-for-action-on-concussion-in-rugby monthly 0.5 2021-08-24 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/1629292872567-P4WZ2IB5QDNU7ORVWLE2/ezgif-4-e11b5dda315e.jpg Media - Progressive Rugby calls for action on concussion in rugby - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/1629293135988-NOMCHX0G96CRTF2K534D/ezgif-4-5e9fad94d886.jpg Media - Progressive Rugby calls for action on concussion in rugby - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/1629292993297-ZZEFS4IXQ7H64XT95SP4/ezgif-4-16352113832b.jpg Media - Progressive Rugby calls for action on concussion in rugby - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.progressiverugby.com/media/new-lobby-group-wants-urgent-reform-on-player-safety-1 monthly 0.5 2021-09-08 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/1629303049432-G0ZT346IR1YUS5I4BZJL/ipanews_48dfa872-dd9c-4a35-9928-7020ac3325b3_embedded235153773.jpg Media - New lobby group wants urgent reform on player safety - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.progressiverugby.com/media/new-lobby-group-wants-urgent-reform-on-player-safety monthly 0.5 2021-09-08 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/1629303049432-G0ZT346IR1YUS5I4BZJL/ipanews_48dfa872-dd9c-4a35-9928-7020ac3325b3_embedded235153773.jpg Media - New lobby group wants urgent reform on player safety - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.progressiverugby.com/media/james-haskell-calls-on-rugby-to-stop-paying-lip-service-in-sports-battle-against-concussion monthly 0.5 2021-09-08 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/1629303222560-JKW2YK7LUNE1TN809BUU/GettyImages-1147508240.jpg Media - James Haskell calls on rugby to stop ‘paying lip service’ in sport’s battle against concussion - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.progressiverugby.com/media/concussion-in-rugby-we-can-do-much-much-more-and-paying-lip-service-to-it-has-to-stop-now monthly 0.5 2021-09-08 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/1629302897236-WHX1ER9ASEI8WQ6HRDJB/ipanews_48dfa872-dd9c-4a35-9928-7020ac3325b3_embedded235153773.jpg Media - Concussion in rugby: 'We can do much, much more and paying lip-service to it has to stop now' - Make it stand out Former England rugby player James Haskell https://www.progressiverugby.com/media/rugby-union-warned-to-act-or-face-extinction-within-a-couple-of-generations monthly 0.5 2021-09-08 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/1629302249537-7NUIOX49FMO4YRFLSWS1/0_Japan-v-Russia-Rugby-World-Cup-2019-Group-A.jpg Media - Rugby union warned to act or face "extinction within a couple of generations" - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/1629302309729-27MRTUKWHKQYG5EJ9G4Z/0_Rugby-Union.jpg Media - Rugby union warned to act or face "extinction within a couple of generations" - Make it stand out World Cup winner Steve Thompson (centre) is among the signatories ( Image: Action Images) https://www.progressiverugby.com/media/new-safety-group-demands-action-to-fix-broken-sport monthly 0.5 2021-08-31 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/1629384820437-4CG6XIAMJ8TYS0CLZ38Q/i.jpg Media - New safety group demands action to fix 'broken' sport - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.progressiverugby.com/media/concussion-in-sport-james-haskell-involved-in-progressive-rugby-group-urges-world-rugby-to-tackle-brain-trauma monthly 0.5 2021-08-31 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/1629383554847-J0XTD0ENTKQYQBAXJWM5/skysports-james-haskell-rugby_5276593.jpg Media - Concussion in sport: James Haskell, involved in Progressive Rugby group, urges World Rugby to tackle brain trauma - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/1629383750865-E8T305U7RZQLK9JQ9229/skysports-northampton-saints_5230656.jpg Media - Concussion in sport: James Haskell, involved in Progressive Rugby group, urges World Rugby to tackle brain trauma - Make it stand out The prevalence of concussions in rugby union has been under sharp scrutiny in recent months https://www.progressiverugby.com/media/new-group-urges-action-on-concussion-in-rugby monthly 0.5 2021-09-08 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/1629292872567-P4WZ2IB5QDNU7ORVWLE2/ezgif-4-e11b5dda315e.jpg Media - New group urges action on concussion in rugby - Make it stand out Steve Thompson says he has no recollection of his part in England’s glorious 2003 campaign in Australia (Lynne Cameron/PA) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/1629293135988-NOMCHX0G96CRTF2K534D/ezgif-4-5e9fad94d886.jpg Media - New group urges action on concussion in rugby - Make it stand out James Haskell retired in 2019 (Steven Paston/PA) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/1629295516286-9EAL2XPZRFELJ0ZST1ME/4103-2735-2.11697029.jpg.gallery.jpg Media - New group urges action on concussion in rugby - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/1629292993297-ZZEFS4IXQ7H64XT95SP4/ezgif-4-16352113832b.jpg Media - New group urges action on concussion in rugby - Make it stand out Former Wales number eight Alix Popham is another ex-player backing the Progressive Rugby lobby group (David Davies/PA) https://www.progressiverugby.com/media/former-rugby-internationals-james-haskell-and-jamie-cudmore-say-the-game-faces-extinction-if-it-doesnt-reform monthly 0.5 2021-09-08 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/1629377488372-QBYP0Z2MI8Q6D1VWFPZP/james-haskell-of-england-is-tackled-by-maxime-machenaud-of-news-photo-1613647371.jpg Media - Former Rugby Internationals James Haskell and Jamie Cudmore Say the Game Faces Extinction If It Doesn't Reform - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.progressiverugby.com/media/james-haskell-amp-jamie-cudmore-launch-new-lobby-group-for-player-safety monthly 0.5 2021-09-08 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/1629377311984-9FB8IDXLFVKG9WQ4K0LP/ImageforinApparticle-2021-02-18T100326.842.png Media - James Haskell & Jamie Cudmore launch new lobby group for player safety - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.progressiverugby.com/media/alix-popham-we-knew-our-bodies-would-be-in-bits-we-had-no-clue-our-brains-were monthly 0.5 2021-08-24 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/1629808178254-U41R01CTXQ293G9NJ9FH/GettyImages-933081634-2-1200x630-696x365.jpg Media - World Rugby issues response to concussion demands of new Progressive Rugby lobby group spearheaded by James Haskell - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.progressiverugby.com/media/steve-thompson-i-cant-remember-winning-the-world-cup monthly 0.5 2021-08-24 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/1629811346628-8HB15O1SDM57TYA0DYCA/6720-1.jpg.jpg Media - Steve Thompson: 'I can't remember winning the World Cup' - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/1629811299275-6FDP1VLUSMFR471H7MVU/2200.jpg.jpg Media - Steve Thompson: 'I can't remember winning the World Cup' - Make it stand out Thompson celebrates winning the 2003 World Cup. He can no longer remember being in Australia let alone lifting the trophy. Photograph: Odd Andersen/AFP/Getty Images https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/1629811075524-38BF7R0LDYXXUE16801T/6720.jpg.jpg Media - Steve Thompson: 'I can't remember winning the World Cup' - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.progressiverugby.com/media/world-rugby-issues-response-to-concussion-demands-of-new-progressive-rugby-lobby-group-spearheaded-by-james-haskell-b3z5r-k4x4k monthly 0.5 2021-08-24 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/1629809251120-750MHE14D1IQS6PUT9RR/ezgif-4-8306449440da.jpg Media - Alix Popham: ‘We knew our bodies would be in bits. We had no clue our brains were' - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/1629809329487-GGBJ5M3HL7IS0ECTGFRG/ezgif-4-1ab83b9b60ff.jpg Media - Alix Popham: ‘We knew our bodies would be in bits. We had no clue our brains were' - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.progressiverugby.com/media/fourth-rugby-player-dies-in-france-in-space-of-eight-months-after-losing-consciousness-following-tackle monthly 0.5 2021-08-24 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/1629810167469-QKEXJO345DTGZYTWEUW5/France.jpg Media - Fourth rugby player dies in France in space of eight months after losing consciousness following tackle - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.progressiverugby.com/media/george-north-would-be-told-to-retire-were-he-an-amateur-says-dr-barry-odriscoll monthly 0.5 2021-08-24 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/611bc3db7297842da55b93d6/1629808822176-LTI1WKW7AF7ETOA4EDIP/_93069250_george_north_concussion_getty-1.jpg Media - George North would be told to retire were he an amateur, says Dr Barry O'Driscoll - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.progressiverugby.com/media/category/World+Rugby monthly 0.5 https://www.progressiverugby.com/media/category/HIA monthly 0.5 https://www.progressiverugby.com/media/category/Player+Welfare monthly 0.5 https://www.progressiverugby.com/media/category/laws monthly 0.5 https://www.progressiverugby.com/media/category/CTE monthly 0.5 https://www.progressiverugby.com/media/category/concussion monthly 0.5 https://www.progressiverugby.com/media/category/Elite monthly 0.5 https://www.progressiverugby.com/media/category/head+injury monthly 0.5 https://www.progressiverugby.com/media/category/Community%2FYouth monthly 0.5 https://www.progressiverugby.com/media/tag/App monthly 0.5 https://www.progressiverugby.com/media/tag/Wales monthly 0.5 https://www.progressiverugby.com/media/tag/contact+training monthly 0.5 https://www.progressiverugby.com/media/tag/south+africa monthly 0.5 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