IRFU chief uses Lee Keegan concussion failings to highlight strength of rugby protocols

Just about everyone involved in the decision to keep Lee Keegan on the pitch against Cork, including the player himself, will admit it was a mistake.

The Mayo defender was involved in a sickening clash of heads, on Sunday, yet argued his case to stay on. He was successful but, minutes later, was withdrawn from the fray. It was later confirmed that Keegan had been concussed. The GAA is now under greater scrutiny in terms of concussion and player welfare. The days of players just getting on with it - after a blow to the head - are almost behind us, but not yet. While the association, and the Gaelic Players Association, will both role out further concussion awareness campaigns in the coming months, the IRFU is well down that road. Concussion has been dragged into the open, in rugby, now and Irish internationals Kevin McLaughlin and Declan Fitzpatrick have both retired due to the head injury in the past 12 months. Retirement due to concussion is a growing trend. Generally speaking, impacts in rugby happen more often and with greater force than in GAA. That does not mean concussion is not a serious issue for footballers and hurlers. Addressing the issue of concussion on Newstalk Breakfast, IRFU chief executive Philip Browne mentioned the shortcomings in the Keegan incident to highlight the progress rugby has made to cope with concussions.

"In the international game, we have the Head Injury Assessments, which, in many ways, may have prevented what happened in the Mayo game where a player was left on the pitch and a discussion was held with the player who didn't want to come off the pitch. In rugby, with the HIA protocols now, that discussion now happens in a less fevered environment, under the stand, where a doctor can clearly have a conversation with a player, assess if it is a suspected concussion and if it is suspected as a concussion at all, the player comes off the pitch."

One might argue that if a player is removed from the pitch to undergo a HIA that a suspicion of concussion is there and the player should be removed from play regardless. Browne also dealt with concerns over the safety of Johnny Sexton, who sustained four concussions in less than 12 months before returning in time for the 2015 Six Nations. Sexton took another blow to the head on January 23 but Leinster Rugby maintain he was not concussed. Browne said, "There is absolutely no way that the national team or the IRFU would be playing, or messing, about with the health of our players."