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'Grave mistake' - Tomas Francis available for Wales selection despite warning

By PA
Tomas Francis of Wales looks on during the Guinness Six Nations Rugby match between England and Wales at Twickenham Stadium (Photo by David Rogers/Getty Images)

Wales assistant coach Gethin Jenkins says that prop Tomas Francis is available for selection to face Guinness Six Nations opponents France on Friday.

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Ospreys forward Francis suffered a head injury midway through the first half of Wales’ Six Nations loss to England nine days ago.

And Professor John Fairclough, a leading surgeon who has previously worked with the Welsh Rugby Union, believes it would be “a grave mistake” if Wales select Francis against France.

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Television footage showed Francis staggering following a clash of heads with team-mate Owen Watkin, and he also appeared to lean on the post pads for support.

The 29-year-old was subsequently removed from the pitch for a head injury assessment that he passed, before returning and playing until the 56th minute.

Player welfare lobby group Progressive Rugby wrote an open letter to World Rugby, the WRU and the Six Nations last week expressing its concern over an episode currently being reviewed by Six Nations Rugby.

Progressive Rugby says that Francis’ situation necessitated an immediate and permanent removal from the pitch, with no HIA required.

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Jenkins said that Francis, plus Watkin and wing Josh Adams, who also suffered head knocks at Twickenham, are available for Les Bleus’ Cardiff visit.

“I don’t think the review has been finished yet. We will wait to see what comes of that,” Jenkins said.

“The people in charge and the medical people will have gone through all that, and I am sure the review will see what comes of it.

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“The HIA process has been in place for a long time now, and players and staff, we all abide by it. We’ve got to back what has happened there, and if anything else comes out of it, it comes out of it.

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“The player has passed all the protocols, done his gradual return to play, ticked off all his contact boxes, and he is available for selection.”

But Fairclough, who is involved with Progressive Rugby, said in a statement released by the lobby group on Monday morning: “Like any Welsh fan, I want to see Tomas Francis in the Welsh team because he is a terrific player and would be key against a very good French side.

“But I have carefully reviewed the footage numerous times, and in my expert view it is beyond any doubt that Tomas had suffered a brain injury.

“As someone who has taken an oath to protect life, I can’t, in all good conscience, fail to highlight that I think him playing the next game puts him at unnecessary risk of serious harm, whether that be now or in the future.

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“The serious features displayed by Francis should outweigh the results of any subsequent assessment indicating that he is sufficiently recovered in time to return for the French game.

“Wales may claim that he has been ‘passed fit’. For me that would be a grave mistake.”

Wales head coach Wayne Pivac is due to name his starting line-up on Wednesday for the fourth game of Wales’ Six Nations campaign.

They face an unbeaten French side in Cardiff, with Les Bleus two wins away from a first Six Nations title and Grand Slam since 2010.

On the challenge facing Wales against France, defence specialist Jenkins added: “They have got some big forwards, some big players and some dangerous players. We are going to have to step up physically and meet them face to face.

“They have been a top team for a while. Getting them to click is probably the biggest worry for all teams.

“They have got such a big player base, such financial clout in terms of their league and what they are bringing through in terms of athletes.

“A strong France is obviously not good news for some of the other international teams, including ourselves, but we will do our homework, look at where we can attack them and where we can impose our game-plan on them.”

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Jon 8 hours ago
Jake White: Are modern rugby players actually better?

This is the problem with conservative mindsets and phycology, and homogenous sports, everybody wants to be the same, use the i-win template. Athlete wise everyone has to have muscles and work at the gym to make themselves more likely to hold on that one tackle. Do those players even wonder if they are now more likely to be tackled by that player as a result of there “work”? Really though, too many questions, Jake. Is it better Jake? Yes, because you still have that rugby of ole that you talk about. Is it at the highest International level anymore? No, but you go to your club or checkout your representative side and still engage with that ‘beautiful game’. Could you also have a bit of that at the top if coaches encouraged there team to play and incentivized players like Damian McKenzie and Ange Capuozzo? Of course we could. Sadly Rugby doesn’t, or didn’t, really know what direction to go when professionalism came. Things like the state of northern pitches didn’t help. Over the last two or three decades I feel like I’ve been fortunate to have all that Jake wants. There was International quality Super Rugby to adore, then the next level below I could watch club mates, pulling 9 to 5s, take on the countries best in representative rugby. Rugby played with flair and not too much riding on the consequences. It was beautiful. That largely still exists today, but with the world of rugby not quite getting things right, the picture is now being painted in NZ that that level of rugby is not required in the “pathway” to Super Rugby or All Black rugby. You might wonder if NZR is right and the pathway shouldn’t include the ‘amateur’, but let me tell you, even though the NPC might be made up of people still having to pull 9-5s, we know these people still have dreams to get out of that, and aren’t likely to give them. They will be lost. That will put a real strain on the concept of whether “visceral thrill, derring-do and joyful abandon” type rugby will remain under the professional level here in NZ. I think at some point that can be eroded as well. If only wanting the best athlete’s at the top level wasn’t enough to lose that, shutting off the next group, or level, or rugby players from easy access to express and showcase themselves certainly will. That all comes back around to the same question of professionalism in rugby and whether it got things right, and rugby is better now. Maybe the answer is turning into a “no”?

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john 11 hours ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

But here in Australia we were told Penney was another gun kiwi coach, for the Tahs…….and yet again it turned out the kiwi coach was completely useless. Another con job on Australian rugby. As was Robbie Deans, as was Dave Rennie. Both coaches dumped from NZ and promoted to Australia as our saviour. And the Tahs lap them up knowing they are second rate and knowing that under pressure when their short comings are exposed in Australia as well, that they will fall in below the largest most powerful province and choose second rate Tah players to save their jobs. As they do and exactly as Joe Schmidt will do. Gauranteed. Schmidt was dumped by NZ too. That’s why he went overseas. That why kiwi coaches take jobs in Australia, to try and prove they are not as bad as NZ thought they were. Then when they get found out they try and ingratiate themselves to NZ again by dragging Australian teams down with ridiculous selections and game plans. NZ rugby’s biggest problem is that it can’t yet transition from MCaw Cheatism. They just don’t know how to try and win on your merits. It is still always a contest to see how much cheating you can get away with. Without a cheating genius like McCaw, they are struggling. This I think is why my wise old mate in NZ thinks Robertson will struggle. The Crusaders are the nursery of McCaw Cheatism. Sean Fitzpatrick was probably the father of it. Robertson doesn’t know anything else but other countries have worked it out.

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