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Ex-player Hankin sues Saracens and teammate over incident in Budapest bar

By Online Editors
Matt Hankin

An ex-Saracens player is bringing a lawsuit against the club, a club doctor and a teammate following what he alleges was a career-ending injury suffered in a Budapest bar. Matt Hankin says the incident in 2015, where he was hit on the head with a fire extinguisher while wearing a metal helmet, resulted in a concussion that led to the end of his Saracens career.

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The now 27-year-old was a part of the England U20 side that won the Junior World Championship in 2013 and had looked to be on a path to higher honours, until his retirement in 2018.

According to The Sun, the former openside is now suing Saracens, club doctor Ademola Adejuwon and prop Richard Barrington.

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Papers lodged in the High Court on Friday and seen by the newspaper say that Barrington “…caused injury to the claimant by striking him on the head whilst he was wearing a metal helmet with a fire extinguisher”.

Hankin claims that when he returned to the Saracens training centre following the trip, staff were negligent in allowing him to return to play three weeks later despite the concussion that had been sustained in Budapest. He claims he was injured again, compounding the effects of concussion.

“He (Hankin) has not returned to play rugby since 3 October 2015 when his employment with the Appellant came to an end in June 2018, when his contract came to an end.”

In an interview with the RPA in 2018, Hankin said: “I used to get home and just break down… I couldn’t watch telly, I couldn’t go out. I was a prisoner in my own home. If my friends were to come round, I felt like I couldn’t entertain and be the person I was.

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“I felt like I had to be upbeat as I didn’t want to bring other people down. You have this barrier up the whole time.

“There was one point where I couldn’t leave the flat. And there are those mental factors that get you in that downward spiral.”

Saracens denied liability in a statement given to The Sun and declined to comment further.

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Trevor 5 minutes ago
Will forgotten Wallabies fit the Joe Schmidt model?

Thanks Brett.. At last a positive article on the potential of Wallaby candidates, great to read. Schmidt’s record as an international rugby coach speaks for itself, I’m somewhat confident he will turn the Wallaby’s fortunes around …. on the field. It will be up to others to steady the ship off the paddock. But is there a flaw in my optimism? We have known all along that Australia has the players to be very competitive with their international rivals. We know that because everyone keeps telling us. So why the poor results? A question that requires a definitive answer before the turn around can occur. Joe Schmidt signed on for 2 years, time to encompass the Lions tour of 2025. By all accounts he puts family first and that’s fair enough, but I would wager that his 2 year contract will be extended if the next 18 months or so shows the statement “Australia has the players” proves to be correct. The new coach does not have a lot of time to meld together an outfit that will be competitive in the Rugby Championship - it will be interesting to see what happens. It will be interesting to see what happens with Giteau law, the new Wallaby coach has already verbalised that he would to prefer to select from those who play their rugby in Australia. His first test in charge is in July just over 3 months away .. not a long time. I for one wish him well .. heaven knows Australia needs some positive vibes.

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B
Bull Shark 4 hours ago
Jake White: Are modern rugby players actually better?

Of the rugby I’ve born witness to in my lifetime - 1990 to date - I recognize great players throughout those years. But I have no doubt the game and the players are on average better today. So I doubt going back further is going to prove me wrong. The technical components of the game, set pieces, scrums, kicks, kicks at goal. And in general tactics employed are far more efficient, accurate and polished. Professional athletes that have invested countless hours on being accurate. There is one nation though that may be fairly competitive in any era - and that for me is the all blacks. And New Zealand players in general. NZ produces startling athletes who have fantastic ball skills. And then the odd phenomenon like Brooke. Lomu. Mcaw. Carter. Better than comparing players and teams across eras - I’ve often had this thought - that it would be very interesting to have a version of the game that is closer to its original form. What would the game look like today if the rules were rolled back. Not rules that promote safety obviously - but rules like: - a try being worth 1 point and conversion 2 points. Hence the term “try”. Earning a try at goals. Would we see more attacking play? - no lifting in the lineouts. - rucks and break down laws in general. They looked like wrestling matches in bygone eras. I wonder what a game applying 1995 rules would look like with modern players. It may be a daft exercise, but it would make for an interesting spectacle celebrating “purer” forms of the game that roll back the rules dramatically by a few versions. Would we come to learn that some of the rules/combinations of the rules we see today have actually made the game less attractive? I’d love to see an exhibition match like that.

29 Go to comments
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