First Brain Injury case involving Irish players about to be filed

Very sad to see these men suffering.

Unfortunately im sure there will be allot more suffering and more cases as a result.

https://www.rte.ie/sport/rugby/2022/0929/1326135-ex-irish-rugby-players-to-sue-irfu-in-concussion-case/

It's sad to see Jackman talking about safety in rugby.

I have some of his first season as a pundit seared into my brain where he would talk about how it was a players duty to falsify baseline concussion assessments. That way the doctors could ask basic questions like 2+2 and he could get it wrong by answering 5 during a hia and still get back onto the field.

When he mentions the word safety I always want to throw up a little.

It’s mad. We watch our high profile players get obvious brain injuries on the field. They stagger off the field only to play again a couple of weeks later. We all know the players who are going to have severe side effects in a few years time but the rugby community won’t talk about it, just let the players sustain further damage.

Legal cases like this will finally result in the rules of rugby significantly changing.

I wonder if James Ryan is a lesser player due to his concussions? He's svery good and plays at a great level but, is he ever going to be the dominant player he once was?

He is a lad that I cringe at when I see him make tackle. I doubt that he's going to have a long career! Eventually, his health must come 1st?

Rugby is shooting itself in the foot with the disparity of the officiating at the breakdown. I'm not sure if there's a high % of concussions due to the clusterfucks that we see at the breakdown.

I've no answer to making rugby safer other than to get officials on the same page with regards to the breakdown. Maybe longer bans for high hits and reckless play would help?

Have the dangers of repeated concussions not been well known for a long time? The NFL started looking at it in the 90s.

Maybe I am looking at this from a different pov but, if you do get concussions, you know it. It's got to be on the players too!

You would know that you are incapable of playing! Why not stand down? Obviously, the franchise is at fault as are the medical team but, there must be liability on the player. Is the player not insisting that he be rested? The players have to put their health first. If they are not feeling right, they should speak up.

The lawsuits are overdue. The affected players deserve compensation and future players need protection. But, I think that some responsibility lies with the players.

After the latest Sexton head injury I hope, for his own sake, he's not rushed back, or rushes himself back. The images of him at the RDS awards (post surgery) tugged at the heart strings. He must be protected from himself.

Since Sextons 12 week break in 2014 (when he had 4 'potential' concussions) I've counted 12 Head impacts of which 7 of them I classed as 'potential' concussions (Failed HIA 1).

Just to note I would actually class most of these head impacts as a concussion.

“It is most unfortunate and I feel bad for the club,”....“but I’m still not feeling 100%, and with injuries like this it’s not worth taking any risks.” - Sexton Dec 2014

In his first game back after Concussion stand-down:

v France 14th Feb 2015 Head Impact No.1 - Split by Basteraud in head to head collision. Went off field 44'-55'. Came back on to fin game.

+15days v England 01st March 2015 - Sexton 54' Hamstring

v Wasps Jan 23rd 2016 Head Impact No.2 - Head clash 9' HIA* Potential Concussion No.1

Leinster head coach Leo Cullen said Sexton had failed his HIA, while the province’s official Twitter account also tweeted that the out-half had failed the HIA.

*However, Cullen said this afternoon that Sexton had passed the HIA, but added that the province’s doctor wasn’t 100% satisfied to send Sexton back into the game.

+15 days v Wales 7th Feb 2016 Head Impact No.3 - Sexton 75'. No HIA*

*"I'm okay now, I just got a bang on top of the head and it just compressed my neck a little bit. But I'm fit to go and really looking forward to it.

+6 days v France 13th Feb 2016 - Late hit by Maestri 14' - Sexton 69'

"Johnny Sexton, with his neck and shoulder, it's more of a whiplash injury,"

So how many concussions have you had? - IT Feb 27th 2016

“There were other occasions when I had one or two minor symptoms. It’s a grey area, but I’d say I’ve had two proper ones. Two,” - Sexton

https://www.irishtimes.com/sport/full-steam-ahead-johnny-sexton-speaks-his-mind-1.2550374

+14 days v England 27th Feb 2016 - Sexton 76'

v Scotland 19th March 2016 Minor Head Impact from Dunbar suplex on Sexton 67' - Sexton YC 76'

v Montpelier 13th Jan 2017 Head Impact No.4 - Steyn RC 27' Clothesline to the head* - Sexton 69' HIA*

*Passed HIA 1 in four to six minutes & Leinster said it was to the neck

https://www.the42.ie/johnny-sexton-leinster-castres-3189498-Jan2017/

+ 8 days v Castres 22nd Jan 2017 - Sexton 22' Calf injury

v Wales 10th March 2017 Head Impact No.5 - Davies knee to head - HIA*

*Passed HIA 1 and returned to play.

+ 8 days v England 18th March 2017 - Played 80'

v Exeter 16th December 2017 Head Impact No.6 - Kvesic shoulder to head - Sexton 3' HIA* Potential Concussion No.2

*Failed HIA 1

+16 days v Connacht 01st Jan 2018 - Played 80'

v Scotland Feb 9th 2019 Head impact No.7 - Sexton 24'** HIA* Potential Concussion No.3

*Failed HIA 1

**Bang to head 17' and Played on. Taken off 24'

+15 days v Italy 24th Feb 2019 - Sexton 78'

v Connacht 2nd Jan 2021 Head impact No.8 - Sexton 24' HIA* Potential Concussion No.4

*Failed HIA

+36 days v Wales 7th Feb 2021 Head impact No.9 - Knee to head - Sexton 75' HIA* Potential Concussion No.5

*Failed HIA 1 and presumably 2 & 3

+20 days v Italy 27th Feb 2021 - Sexton 80'

v Exeter 10th April 2021 Head impact No.10 Sexton 27'** HIA* Potential Concussion No.6

*Failed HIA 1

**Shoulder to head on 23' and Played on. Taken off 27'.

v Wales 5th Feb 2022 - Josh Adams YC for shoulder charge into Sexton 48' - Sexton 64'

v NZ 2nd July 2022 Head impact No.11 - Sexton 31' HIA* - I think he was concussed and should have been sent home.

*Failed HIA 1 & passed HIA 2 & 3

+ 7 days v NZ 9th July 2022 - Sexton 74' - Played one of the games of his life.

v Connacht 1st Jan 2023 Head impact No.12 - Head on head - Sexton 63' HIA* Potential Concussion No.7

*Failed HIA & has an operation on injury Jan 3rd (?Broken Cheekbone?)

+ 33 days v Wales 4th Feb 2023

I also thought he should have retired. After the WC would have been the time. Amazingly he played prob the greatest rugby of his career from Nov 21 - Nov 22.

Cant remember what Hook actually said. Generally the commentary about concussion is inflammatory. One of the reasons is because the concussion information flow coming from the national team and provinces is usually grey and sometimes contradictory.

The NZ tour (Sexton and Loughman) and Nov internationals (White) just underlined that the concussion protocols are not fit for purpose.

With all the cameras, tmo, medics and independent doctors they make significant errors. I dont want to be hyperbolic but these are errors that impact lives.

https://www.nzrugby.co.nz/news-and-events/latest-news/nz-rugby-statement-on-ireland-prop-jeremy-loughmans-head-injury-assessment/

https://www.bbc.com/sport/rugby-union/63792321

If there is a head impact and a suspected concussion the player should go off and undergo the HIA. But they must stay off and not return to play for at least 16 days.

If you introduce that then you need to introduce proper sanctions against players that target the head in tackling and when carrying the ball.

I don't know how you can ensure that someone like Sexton isn't targeted to get him removed early in the game and the opposition only loses a player for 10mins.

That's one of the many dilemma's.

But if you put player safety first. And I reiterate if it truly was a safety first culture then the players would not return to the pitch after a HIA.

Put the players safety first then come up with proper sanctions. Not the other way around.

Admittedly I don't know what the proper sanctions are even now (tmo, mitigation, disciplinary hearings etc) or if they are ever going to be able to do it.

Dare I mention the Black card?!? Impact to head from Player A on Player B. Player B goes off for HIA (And cannot return). Player A is given black card and TMO review before deciding on YC or RC (or even no sanction if accidental).

I'm not sure what your point is. You said the penalty for deliberately targeting the head was a yellow card. this is incorrect.

We've all seen players that caused head injury to a player stay on the field, get 10 mins, get a red card and then we have had cards being rescinded but all of that is how we currently manage Head injuries.

I was replying to a post that said (with some merit) that in the future that it would be mandatory for anyone who receives a bang to head should be removed from the field of play for the duration of the game. From a health of the player pov that's good but then you need to ensure the opposition doesn't gain from that mandatory decision. How do you then deal with players that target a player like Sexton to have him removed from play. Surely the culprit needs an automatic sanction too.

The current card sanction has nothing to do with what was being talked about as currently a player who receives a bang to head can remain on the field.

We are discussing a situation where WR might bring in a mandatory removal from the field for any player who receives a bang to the head.