A Rugby Football Union (RFU) report highlights that concussion was the most common injury in the 2012-2013 Aviva Premiership season, with 54 incidents in matches and five in training.

The incidence of match concussion was 6.7 per 1,000 player hours, which equates to one concussion reported per team every four matches.

That represents a rise from 5.1 concussions per 1,000 hours from the previous season and is higher than the average of 4.6 per 1,000 player hours over the last decade.

However, the RFU claims the increase in incidents of concussion is likely to be related to increased awareness, greater focus on and understanding of criteria for diagnosis, together with the introduction of Pitchside Suspected Concussion Assessment (PSCA) trialled in the Premiership in 2012-13.

The PSCA was developed in 2012 by a specialist independent working group on behalf of the IRB, and is designed to give teams and match doctors time to assess cases in which concussion is not immediately apparent.

Previously, players were being left on the field if it was unclear if a player was concussed.

Concerns over concussion to rugby players have come into sharp focus in recent months.

Former Gloucester and England flanker Andy Hazell was forced to retire this year due to concussion ©Getty Images



In November last year, a Belfast coroner declared that 14-year-old Ben Robinson died from "second impact syndrome" as a result of a head injury sustained in a schools rugby match in Northern Ireland in 2011, while former England international Andy Hazell was forced to retire earlier this month after sustaining a concussion injury in a pre-season match last summer.

"The figures show the importance of our focus on concussion in recent seasons," said chief medical officer at the RFU, Dr Simon Kemp.

"Concussive injuries - and the way return to play is managed - are being investigated more closely as a result."

Last month, 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.

In 2012, the IRB became a signatory to the Zurich Consensus statement on concussion, leading to a revision of its Regulation 10.

It now stipulates that athletes should not be allowed to return to play after a diagnosed concussion and should not return to play or train on the same day, and goes on to outline an approach to help physicians determine when an athlete might be safe to return to sport.

The new independent advisory group will advise the IRB on all areas of concussion and is made up of leading experts Professor Caroline Finch of the University of Australia; Professor Bob Cantu of Boston University; Dr Willie Stewart of NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde and Glasgow University; and South African sports physician Dr Jon Patricios.

"Player welfare is the IRB's number one priority and as a sport, rugby is committed to the continued delivery of best-practice concussion management and education strategies across all levels of the Game," said the IRB's chief medical officer, Dr Martin Raftery.

"Our approach is to use evidence-based research and expert recommendation and I am delighted that these leading experts have agreed to form this critical group.

"Their wealth of knowledge and expertise will ensure that rugby has access to the best-possible advice in the continued drive to enhance concussion management and education in our sport."

The PSCA system has been in use since 2012 ©Getty Images




The IRB also launched a concussion management education website in 2012, designed to provide information and guidance on detecting and dealing with concussion and comprises of modules to cover situations where the player may or may not have access to a medical practitioner and/or healthcare professional when sustaining a suspected concussion.

Last year, the IRB launched its Recognise and Remove campaign and says that this year it will be focusing on education and implementing a programme that will cover all IRB tournaments as well as core delivery standards for member unions.

Contact the writer of this story at [email protected]


Related Stories
November 2013: Dealing with concussion safely is key issue in all forms of rugby, claims IRB Medical Commission