Under the new guidelines amateur adult rugby players who suffer a head injury will be required to wait a minimum of 19 days before returning to action, while that period is extended to 23 days for amateur players under the age of 19.

Professional and elite age-group players - considered to be in an enhanced care setting and with closely-supervised access to medical experts - will have minimum stand-down periods of six days for adults and 12 for those aged 17 to 19 years old.

New education measures include a mandatory player safety course for RFU licensed coaches and additional promotional materials that add to existing resources, such as the "Headcase" campaign launched by the RFU last year in conjunction with the Headway charity.

The stand-down period includes rest and a Graduated Return To Play (GRTP) phase which will be determined by the player's recovery and informed by clinical assessment.

The RFU says that these stand-down periods are to be seen as the minimum periods before a player can return to play and may be longer where appropriate.

Former England player Joe Worsley is helped from the pitch after suffering a concussion during a Six Nations Championship match ©Getty Images



"We hope everyone involved in the game - parents, players, coaches and medics - take the rationale for the changes on board and find it helpful in managing concussion in conjunction with the online Headcase resources the RFU provides and the guidance we've made widely available to the game through coaching, refereeing and medical education," said RFU community rugby medical director Mike England.

"Expert advice is that concussion should be managed on an individual basis.

"There is a need, however, for more clarity and guidance to reinforce the message that players need time to recover fully before returning to play and that young players, in particular, need to be managed more conservatively than adults.

"What hasn't changed is that being able to return to play is still a clinical decision based on an individual player's recovery."

The guidelines, which come into effect immediately, have been put in place following revised guidelines from the International Rugby Board (IRB) and have been approved by the Professional Game Board and the Community Game Board, who oversee the game in England.

The immense physicality of modern rugby has increased the risk of head injuries and concussions ©Getty Images



In January the RFU announced that all professional players and coaches in England will take part in a compulsory concussion education programme before the start of next season.

However, an RFU report released last month revealed that concussion was the most common injury in the 2012-2013 Premiership season, a slight rise from previous seasons, which the RFU put down to an increase in awareness.

In 2012, the IRB became a signatory to the Zurich Consensus statement on concussion which stipulates that players should not be allowed to return to play after a diagnosed concussion and should not return to play or train on the same day.

Simon Kemp, the RFU's chief medical officer, says the new standards being implemented by the governing body in England will provide clearer and more consistent guidance throughout the game at all levels.

"The revised guidelines are consistent with the IRB guidelines and the Zurich Consensus statement and will bring greater consistency to the management of all players but especially the concussed player over 16 years old who is part of the performance pathway," he said.

"They recognise that not all players can presently access the same level of concussion care but will act as a driver for the development of enhanced care settings in clubs, universities and schools."

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