Premiership Rugby to ramp up concussion surveillance with new 2019/20 matchday initiative
Premiership Rugby’s new 2019/20 season initiative will see independent matchday doctors in place at all Gallagher Premiership Rugby, Premiership Rugby Cup and European home matches.
This initiative – funded by the 13 member clubs – has the support of the key stakeholders in English Rugby – Premiership Rugby, the RFU, the RPA and World Rugby.
The role of the matchday doctor is to be responsible for decisions on matchday regarding a replacement for blood and head injuries. As part of their role they oversee the implementation of the head injury assessment and will work in collaboration with team doctors and medical staff to support head injury decision making during the match.
Why are we bringing them in?
Player welfare is right at the top of the agenda and Premiership Rugby believes this is the next stage, building on from the introduction of Hawkeye – to help ensure the identification of head injuries on the pitch – and to support the head injury assessment process.
(Continue reading below…)
Independent match day doctors have been operating on the international stage for a long time and therefore this will bring the domestic game in England closer in line with best practice and the international standard.
It is hoped the initiative will take some pressure off the team doctors. The introduction of independent matchday doctors means there will be another set of eyes and ears for them to collaborate with when it comes to their decision making around head injuries.
It gives the capacity to undertake more simultaneous head injury assessments (HIA) on players. At the moment there is a 10-minute minimum and maximum amount of time for the HIA to take place. If two or even three HIAs occur at the same time, it is a running clock and Premiership Rugby will now have the ability with more hands-on deck to handle multiple HIAs.
Prem Rugby Launch well under way ??
New season, new kits, same big name stars ? pic.twitter.com/O3WpkDfzG6
— Premiership Rugby (@premrugby) September 11, 2019
How will it work?
For the 2019-20 season in all Gallagher Premiership Rugby, Premiership Rugby Cup and European home matches there will be: a team doctor, an immediate care doctor (appointed by the home team) who is there to support and undertake emergency care and a matchday pitch-side video reviewer (MPVR) who sits near the pitch reviewing the match through the Hawkeye system, and to aid decision making.
In addition, now there will also be an independent matchday doctor who will sit with the matchday pitch-side video reviewer and the Hawkeye technician close to pitchside and will be able to keep his eyes on the match. Together as a team, they will look after head injury management of players.
The decision as to whether a head injury assessment is required and subsequently if a player can return to play sits with the independent matchday doctor. However, it will always be a collaborative and supportive process. All decisions will be made in discussion with the team doctors who know the players well and will be able to share these experiences and insights with the matchday doctor. They will always review the video together.
England settling into the way of life in Japan with Steve Borthwick providing an update on Joe Launchbury https://t.co/zQiIsCfzjo
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) September 11, 2019
In terms of who carries out the HIA, there are a couple of options. In the pre-match meeting, the team doctor will decide if they carry out the HIA with the matchday doctor observing or if they delegate to the independent matchday doctor. In either case in terms of the decision about whether the player returns to play this will always be a discussion and a collaboration between the team doctor and matchday doctor.
“This new initiative continues the evolution of our player welfare strategy, following on from the introduction of the head injury assessment and our use of the Hawkeye system to help better identify injuries during matches,” said Matt Cross, Premiership Rugby’s research and development manager.
“Our clubs are at the forefront of the latest player welfare initiatives and with us, will continue to drive world-class standards in the care of our players.”
WATCH: The RugbyPass documentary Knocked sees players, referees, medics and the sport’s bodies give a unique insight into concussion and what is being done to combat it
Comments on RugbyPass
Big difference from the Saders. Forwards really muscled up and laid a solid platform. Scooter brought some steel and I liked the loosie combination. Newell has been rather disappointing this season but stepped up big time - happy also to see Franks dot down. He should do that more often! Reihana had a good game and there seems to be more flair and invention with him in the saddle. McNicoll plays well from the back and is reliable plus inventive when he joins the line. Keep it up chaps!
3 Go to comments🤦♂️🤣 who cares who’s the best . All I know is the All Blacks have the star coach but have few star players now …
29 Go to commentsJe suis sûr que Farrell est impatient de jouer avec Lopez et Machenaud et d’être entraîné par Collazo… 🤭
1 Go to commentsAn on field red (aka a full red) in SRP must surely carry a bigger suspension than a red card given by the bunker as that carries a 20 minute team punishment. Had Damon Murphy abdicated his responsibility as a ref and issued both Drua players a yellow, which would have been upgraded to a 20 minute red by the bunker, that would have killed Australia and New Zealand’s push for the 20 minute red to be trialled globally from July this year.
11 Go to commentsEver so often you all post a Danny Care story that isn’t the announcement that he has finally re-signed for one more, victory tour season at Quins and I’m just like, “well you fooled me again!” My absolute favorite player ever, we need to make his final year at the Stoop (and Twickers) official already. I know he supposedly snubbed France but I won’t feel better until he signs.
1 Go to commentslate hit what late hit it wasn’t at all late and can clearly see he was committed before the tackle
1 Go to commentsChristian Lio -Willies 2 try perfomance was a standout. As was captain Scott Barrett. Up front was where the boys won it.They are a great team and players. Fantastic Crusaders , you can keep going.
3 Go to commentsI don't know how the locals feel about that? I guess if you call yourselves the Worcester Wasps that might be appease. But really we need more teams in the Premiership in my view so they are not padding it out as they are at the moment. It might curtail so many players going abroad as well
5 Go to commentsNZ 😭😭😭is certainly rivaling England for best whingers cup!😭😭😭 !!!
29 Go to commentsYup. New Zealand won 3 out of 10 world cups played. SA 4 out of 8 attempts 30 Vs 50 per cent.🤔🤔
29 Go to commentsShould've done this years ago. Change Saturday kick off times to around 11am. Up and off and back home before 3pm, limit travel time too. Allows players to actually do something else with their Saturday that's family oriented or being rugby fans they could ‘watch’ pro rugby. Increases crowds etc. How can anyone that enjoys grassroots and pro rugby have to choose between the two on Saturdays?
9 Go to commentsI bet he inspired those supporters just as much.
1 Go to commentsBen Smith Springboks living rent free in his head 😊😂
67 Go to commentsGood to hear he would like to play the game at the highest level, I hadn’t been to sure how much of a motivator that was before now. Sadly he’s probably chosen the rugby club to go to. Try not to worry about all the input about how you should play rugby Joey and just try to emulate what you do on the league field and have fun. You’ll limit your game too much (well not really because he’s a standard athlete like SBW and he’ll still have enough) if you’re trying to make sure you can recycle the ball back etc. On the other hard, you can totally just try and recycle by looking to offload any and everywhere if you’re going to ground 😋
1 Go to commentsThis just proves that theres always a stat and a metric to use to justify your abilities and your success. Ben did it last week by creating an imaginary competition and now you did the same to counter his argument and espouse a new yardstick for success. Why not just use the current one and lets say the Boks have won 4 world cups making them the most successful world cup team. Outside of the world cup the All Blacks are the most successful team winning countless rugby championships and dominating the rankings with high win percentages. Over the last 4 years statistically the Irish are the best having the highest win rate and also having positive records against every tier 1 side. The most successful Northern team in the game has been England with a world cup title and the most six nations titles in history. The AB’s are the most dominant team in history with the highest win rate and 3 world cups. Lets not try to reinvent the wheel. Just be honest about the actual stats and what each team has been good at doing and that will be enough to define their level of success.
29 Go to commentsHow is 7’s played there? I’m surprised 10 or 11 man rugby hasn’t taken off. 7 just doesn’t fit the 15s dynamics (rules n field etc) but these other versions do.
9 Go to commentsPick Swinton at your peril A liability just like JWH from the Roosters Skelton ??? went missing at RWC
14 Go to commentsLike tennis, who have a ranking system, and I believe rugby too, just measure over each period preceding a world cup event who was the longest number one and that would be it. In tennis the number one player frequently is not the grand slam winner. I love and adore the All Blacks since the days of Ian Kirkpatrick when I was a kid in SA. And still do because they are the masters of running rugby and are gentleman on and off the field - in general. And in my opinion they have been the majority of the time the best rugby team in the world.
29 Go to commentsHaving overseas possessions in 2024 is absurd. These Frenchies should have to give the New Caledonians their freedom.
21 Go to commentsBell injured his foot didn’t he? Bring Tupou in he’ll deliver when it counts. Agree mostly but I would switch in the Reds number 8 Harry Wilson for Swinton and move Rob Valentini to 6 instead. Wilson is a clever player who reads the play, you can’t outmuscle the AB’s and Springboks, if you have any chance it’s by playing clever. Same goes for Paisami, he’s a little guy who doesn’t really trouble the likes of De Allende and Jordie Barrett. I’d rather play Carter Gordon at 12 and put Michael Lynagh’s boy at 10. That way you get a BMT type goalkicker at 10 and a playmaker at 12. Anyways, just my two cents as a Bok supporter.
14 Go to comments