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PRO14 concussion study has left professor 'fearful' for the future
A leading brain injury academic believes rugby union could be “a lot more aggressive” in tackling contact reduction in the sport. Professor Damian Bailey is co-author of a PRO14 concussion study by the University of South Wales aimed at understanding how recurrent contact impacts the brain long-term.
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Professor Bailey’s group spent time with a team in the United Rugby Championship – previously the PRO14 – during pre-season before the 2020/21 campaign, across 31 games and then after the season finished assessing concussion and brain impacts.
Their findings, to be published on Wednesday, included players suffering a blood-flow decline to the brain and cognitive function after just one season. The latest research follows a launch of legal action by around 200 former players – some suffering from early-onset dementia – against World Rugby, the Rugby Football Union and Welsh Rugby Union, claiming insufficient protection from risks due to concussion and head contact.
“I am certainly fearful for the younger kids engaging in sport,” said Bailey. “I want them to be physically active, but we are still unclear in terms of what the recurrent contact incurred over a playing life-span can have on the retired brain.
“There is sufficient evidence now for us to start tackling this head-on, and to consider interventions to manage it perhaps better than we are currently are, and for more studies to be supported.
Quarrie has become the latest expert to voice his concern around the current HIA protocols. #concussion @ProgressiveRug https://t.co/DtW5PSJKGy
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) August 30, 2021
“There is more surveillance, but we could be a lot more aggressive in terms of reducing contact in training. We could be much more aggressive in terms of substitutes not coming on fresh for the ‘big hits’, and also to be a lot more comprehensive in the way we screen players.” Professor Bailey, who attended the same Bridgend school as former Wales rugby stars Rob Howley and Scott Gibbs, added: “We followed players over a single season, and the focus is to try to understand how over the long term recurrent contact impacts the brain.
“When a professional rugby player playing 15-20 years of rugby at the top end retires, does his brain fare better or worse than an age-matched, non-contact, fitness-matched comparison? Being physically fit is the best medicine for the brain. Because players have got this high level of aerobic fitness, it does to some extent mask the impairments if they exist.
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“I have worked with professional boxers, and the vast majority of injury to the brain is incurred during sparring and training. It’s not the big hit, the big knockout punch, it is that cumulative exposure, and that is what we think is going on with rugby.
“This cumulative building up of these contact events impairs the way brain regulates blood flow to itself. The brain is a super expensive organ to run – the most expensive in the body to run as far as fuel is concerned – and when we impair that, this is where the trouble starts.
“This is probably the unifying feature of dementia over the lifespan that we see this reduction of blood flow to the brain. You have got super-fit, super-conditioned players, but yet we are seeing the way the brain is regulating flow to itself is impaired.
“Based on taking blood samples from the players, we think that is because we haven’t got enough of the good molecule, which the brain needs, and we think that is because of the inflammation – the mechanical damage – that is occurring as a result of the recurrent contact.
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“We are not out there to try and stop the game of rugby – we are out there to make it safer. If you watch the sport at the top end, these are big impacts going in. I wasn’t surprised in terms of what we found. My big concern is the guys who are in retirement that are suffering from a poor quality of life.”
New lobby group Progressive Rugby, which is backed by leading players and sports doctors, welcomed the research. “This concerning study is yet more evidence that our wonderful game of rugby is not safe in its current format and needs to adapt to survive,” said a Progressive Rugby spokesperson.
“The findings further support Progressive Rugby’s stance that the existing return to play protocol is not fit for purpose and that a twelve-day absolute minimum period should be adopted immediately to help protect players while vital research continues.”
World Rugby added that it “welcomes all research that can inform and support our recently launched strategy to cement rugby as the most progressive sport on player welfare”. A spokesperson said: “The welfare of the global rugby family is and always will be our number one priority.
“We will always be guided by medical and scientific consensus to inform our concussion education, prevention and management strategies, and to make the sport as safe and accessible as it can be for all. World Rugby recently committed to double our investment in player welfare and new concussion research and initiatives.
“We are currently undertaking a wide-ranging evaluation of contact training volume across the game and look forward to the results of the ongoing Otago rugby community head impact detection study, which is the largest ever study of playing and training head impacts in men’s and women’s community rugby. Both will inform the further introduction of guidelines and preventative measures that best support the welfare of all players.”
"Concussion is obviously an emotive area and there will be many opinions on this and we welcome those…"#LionsRugbyhttps://t.co/ybK8fiV5Mv
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) July 14, 2021
Comments on RugbyPass
Says much about the player picking this gig over the easier and bigger rewards offered to him in Japan. Also says a lot about the state sanctioned tax benefits the Irish Revenue offers pro rugby players, with their ten highest earning years subject to an additional 40% tax relief and paid as a lump sum, in cash, at retirement. Certainly helps Leinster line up the financial ducks in a row to fund marquee signings like this!!! No other union anywhere in world rugby benefits from this kind of lucrative financial sponsorship from their government…
4 Go to commentsTrue Jordie could earn a lot more in Japan. But by choosing Leinster he’ll be playing with 1 of the best clubs in the world and can win a champions cup and URC…..
6 Go to commentsThanks for that Marshy, noticed you didn't say who is gonna win it. We know who ain't gonna win it - your Crusaders outfit. They've gone from having arguably the best Super Rugby first five ever, to having a clutch of rookies. Hurricanes all the way!
1 Go to commentsGeez you really have to question the NRLs ability to produce players of quality. Its pathetic. Dont the 25mil in Aus produce enough quality womens players. Sad.
1 Go to commentsBulls fan here, and agree 100% with the conclusion (and little else) of this article. SA sides should absolutely f-off from the champs cup until we get fair scheduling, equal support for travel arrangements and home semis. You know, like all the european teams get.
23 Go to commentsI’m yet to see why Grace would be an ABs contender. He’s pedestrian and lacks the dominance required of a top flight 8.
10 Go to commentsGee my Highlanders were terrible. They have gone backwards since the start of the season. The trouble began when we left Millar behind to prep as the 10 against the Brumbies and he was disconnected from the team that came back from Aussie. We rested Patchell for that game and we blew an avalanche of ball in good attacking positions in the 1st half. Against the Rebels we seem to of gone into a pod system with forwards hanging off from the breakdown leaving Fakatava to secure our ball!
80 Go to commentsPot Kettle, the English and French teams have done it for years.
23 Go to commentsHas virtually played every minute of previous games. Back row of Li Lo Willie , Grace and Blackadder would be the 1. Crusaders issue is a very average 1st 5 who cannot run. Kicking in general play is also below par They need to put Yong Kemara in. He must have so.e talent for them to bring him down from Waikato. Hoehepa would struggle to play in so.e club sided
10 Go to commentsI hope this a good thing making all these changes!
3 Go to commentsThe Hurricanes are good, especially with a decent coach now. However, let’s be real, the Crusaders and Chiefs are clearly a good degree weaker without the players they’ve lost overseas now. The Canes lost one player. It’s also why the aussie teams ‘seem’ to be stronger.
9 Go to commentsOr you could develop your own players instead of constantly taking from the SH competition and weakening it in the process? With all the player and financial resources these unions have compared to SH countries you’d think they could manage that, or is weakening the SH comps and their national sides an added bonus? Probably.
3 Go to commentsNot so fast Aaron, we might need you in black yet lol. God knows he’d be a lot less nerve-racking than hot and (very) cold players like Perofeta. It’s really a shame Reuben Love isn’t playing 10, we’ve got enough 15 options.
4 Go to commentsAnd those from the NH still seem to be puzzled (and delighted) why NZ’s depth isn’t what it once was. Over 600 NZ players overseas, that’s insane. This sort of deal is why Super Rugby coaches have admitted they struggle now to find enough quality to fill out their squads.
6 Go to commentsArticle intéressant ! La question devrait régulièrement se poser pour les jeunes français originaires de Nouvelle-Calédonie, Wallis-et-Futuna et de Polynésie entre la Nouvelle-Zélande et la Métropole… Difficile pour la fédération française de rugby de se positionner : soit le choix est fait de dénicher les jeunes talents et de les faire venir très tôt en Métropole, au risque de les déraciner, soit on prend le risque de se les faire “piller” par les All Blacks qui, telle une araignée, essaye de récupérer tous les talents des îles du Pacifique… À la France de se défendre en développant l’aura du XV de France et des clubs français dans ses collectivités d’Outre-mer !
3 Go to commentsWrong bay. He needs to come to the REAL BAY which is Bay Of Plenty and have a crack at making the Chiefs.
3 Go to commentsIs Barrett going play full back??? They already have all the centers…
16 Go to commentsForgive my ignorance, I might not fully understand so would appreciate clarification: Didn’t the Bulls have to fly with three different carriers, paid for by the South African Rugby Union, whilst Edinburgh got a chartered flight sponsored by EPCR? Also, as far as I understand it South African teams don’t yet share in the revenue from the competition and are not allowed to host Semi-finals or Finals at home. Surely if everyone wants South Africans to “take the competition seriously” then they must make South Africans feel welcome, allow them to share in the revenue, and give them the same levels of access as the teams from the other countries. Just a reminder that South Africa has a large and passionate Rugby audience. Just by virtue of our teams being a part of these competitions means that more of us are likely to watch the knockout games, even if our teams haven’t qualified. It would be silly to alienate such a large audience by making them feel unwelcome.
23 Go to commentsFirst of all. This guy is very much behind the curve. All the bleating, whingeing, whining and moaning took place days ago already. Not adding anything to the topic other than more bleating, whingeing, whining and moaning. 🍼 Second of all, not one mention of the fact that South African teams can’t get home semi finals or finals. The tournament was undermined and devalued by the administrators. 🤡 Thirdly, football teams often have to juggle selections in mid week games, premier games, champions league games etc. and will from time to time prioritize certain titles over others. 🐒 And lastly FEK Neil, and anyone else for that matter, for insisting on telling teams how to manage themselves. If they make what is largely a business decision that suits them and doesn’t suit you - tough shite. 💩 It’s not rocket science as to why the Bulls did what they did. If this guy is too slow to figure it out (and is deliberately not mentioning one of the key reasons why) then he isn’t a journalist. He should join the rest of us pundit plebs in comments section. 🥴
23 Go to commentsSo the first door to knock on Rob is Parliament followed by HMRC. The Irish Revenue deliver a 40% tax relief rebate on the HIGHEST EARNING TEN YEARS of every pro Irish rugby players contract earnings at retirement. That goes a long way to both retaining their best talent and freeing up wages for marquee players. Who knows, if that had been in place in the UK, you might not have been able to poach Hoggy and Jonny Gray from Glasgow…!!!
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