World Rugby requests full report from WRU after George North incidents

http://www.theguardian.com/sport/2015/feb/07/world-rugby-request-report-george-north-wales

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World Rugby has asked Wales to explain why George North, who missed a match in the autumn through concussion, was allowed to play on against England in Cardiff after appearing to be momentarily knocked out.

The Wales wing spent eight minutes off the field being assessed during the first half, having received an accidental kick in the face, but Wales admitted their medical team did not realise he had taken another blow to the head after treating him following a collision with his team-mate Richard Hibbard. A social media storm quickly blew up, with the Friday match watched by a TV audience of nearly nine million who, unlike the Wales medical team, had seen exactly what happened to the 22-year-old Lion.

“World Rugby has requested a full report from the Welsh Rugby Union following an apparent head injury sustained by George North in the second-half against England,” the governing body, formerly the International Rugby Board, said in a statement. “Having undertaken an initial review of the broadcast footage, World Rugby is seeking to establish from the WRU whether all concussion management protocols were appropriately followed.

“Concussion management and education are at the heart of World Rugby’s player welfare strategy designed to protect players at all levels of the game and promote the very highest standards of education, coaching and medical care.”

The Welsh Rugby Union said North showed no symptoms of concussion after being examined post-match, but its medical team then became aware of the nature of the injury he had suffered in the collision with Hibbard. “Retrospective video review of the second incident identified the mechanism of injury which was previously unsighted on the field of play,” the WRU said. “This review has warranted the medical team to manage the player as concussed, although the player currently has no signs and symptoms.”

Wales play Scotland at Murrayfield a week on Sunday. North has to be free of any symptoms of concussion six days before the match to be available for selection, along with the prop Samson Lee who also left the field on Friday night concussed, 10 minutes before the end.