World Rugby issue statement on George North and say he should not have stayed on the pitch

The game’s governing body have outlined the results of their investigation into the big talking point from the first weekend of the Six Nations

After days and days of debate on the rights and wrongs (almost all wrongs) of Wales’ George North staying on the pitch after two serious blows to the head against England on Friday night, World Rugby have published the findings of their investigation into the incident.

They say that North should not have played on past the 61st minute, when he suffered the second blow, but they also say that they accept that the Welsh team followed all the steps and that they did not see the second bang to the head.

They also announced that new steps will be put in place to hopefully ensure a similar incident doesn’t happen again.

Here is the full statement:

Following a full post-incident review, World Rugby believes that Wales player George North should not have remained on the field of play following a head impact in the 61st minute of the Wales versus England RBS 6 Nations match at the Millennium Stadium on Friday night. 

The World Rugby head injury protocol clearly states that a player should be immediately and permanently removed from the field of play where there are any visible symptoms or suspicion of a potential concussion. 

However, following thorough discussions and input from the independent expert Concussion Advisory Group, World Rugby accepts the WRU’s explanation that neither the team medical staff nor the independent doctor had sight of the incident and understands that the medics acted within the framework of information they had at the time and would have taken a different course of action had they had direct pitch-side visibility or access to the same broadcast footage seen by those watching on television. 

The impact was the second sustained by the player in the match, following a first half temporary removal for a head injury assessment. Having reviewed the incident report, World Rugby can confirm that the WRU followed correct protocols when assessing North following this first incident. The WRU has outlined that the player continues to undergo close medical supervision and is undertaking supervised graduated return to play protocols. 

Player welfare is World Rugby’s number-one priority and the incident highlights the importance of ensuring that medical staff are given the best-possible level of support to minimise the chance of a repeat incident and further enhance the protection and support of players. 

World Rugby will be immediately investigating, evaluating and promoting the implementation of the following measures: 

1. World Rugby will investigate the practicality of the television match official technology being expanded to identify head injuries as they happen on the field.
2. All elite competitions will be requested to provide pitch-side video for medical staff.
3. All elite tournaments will be encouraged to adopt the Rugby World Cup 2015 player welfare standards. 

Independent medics and video review are a important feature of the Rugby World Cup 2015 player welfare standards announced in November 2014 that will operate at all 48 Rugby World Cup matches and also a central feature of other World Rugby tournaments and events. 

This approach also includes defined team and event medical staff minimum standards, mandatory completion of World Rugby concussion education, compulsory pre-tournament concussion baseline testing and a raft of other education modules aimed at further strengthening player welfare. It is World Rugby’s intention that these standards are implemented universally. 

Concussion management and education is 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.

World Rugby would like to thank the WRU for its full cooperation and welcomes the proposed initiatives by the union to strengthen further the ability to correctly identify head impacts on the field of play. 

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