The father of a teenager who died after sustaining head injuries during a schools rugby match says the Tomas Francis incident at Twickenham made him sick to his stomach.
Benjamin Robinson, a star centre for Carrickfergus Grammar in Northern Ireland, was 14 when, in 2011, he became the first player in the UK to have his death recorded as second impact syndrome as a result of rugby.
After being checked for concussion three times following blows to the head during the game against Dalriada, he was allowed to play on and then collapsed, later dying in hospital.
His father Peter was not at the match, but has relived the tragedy hundreds of times because of a video tape filmed by a member of the crowd.
He has become an ardent campaigner over the dangers of concussion and brain injuries for young sportspeople.
So he was deeply troubled by what he witnessed during the Six Nations clash between England and Wales at Twickenham on Saturday.
TV footage captured Welsh prop Tomas Francis staggering near his own try line after a clash of heads with team-mate Owen Watkin in the 20th minute.
The Ospreys tighthead appeared to have to use the pads of the posts to hold himself up after getting back to his feet.
He initially remained on the pitch after being checked by a medic before being removed to undergo a HIA, which he duly passed, resulting in him returning to the pitch around 10 minutes later.
This has provoked huge debate as, under World Rugby laws, any player who shows visible signs of balance disturbance/ataxia after a head blow should be removed immediately and permanently from a match without a HIA.
Now Robinson has spoken out about what happened.
Quoted on the website of lobby group Progressive Rugby, he said: “I feel like a broken record on this.
“We’ve had deaths and unfortunately our son was one of them all because a brain-injured player wasn’t removed and allowed back on the field.
“Seeing Francis stagger around was shocking and upsetting and made me sick to my stomach.
“But those emotions were replaced by utter disbelief and anger when he was allowed to undergo an HIA and then unforgivably return to the field.
“At the end of the day, the system put in place to protect players failed on Saturday.
“The fact that this player showed clear signs of a brain injury and was still able to pass a HIA sends a terrible message.
“What gets to me, World Rugby have educated us all on the signs and symptoms of brain injury and the HIA process, so they shouldn’t be surprised when it’s called out.”
Progressive Rugby sent an open letter to World Rugby, the WRU and Six Nations saying the situation demonstrated a “clear flagrant breach of HIA protocol”.
The letter said: “Progressive Rugby is concerned that the events demonstrate that individual who have incurred brain injury have continue to be permitted to play which will place them at likelihood of risk.
“We consider the incident demonstrates a clear flagrant breach of HIA protocol that potentially puts both the short-term and long-term health of an elite athlete at risk.
“It is our major concern that the public has observed that in Rugby Union individuals have incurred brain injury and been permitted to continue to play.
“Until satisfactory explanations are provided, we remain unable to accept World Rugby’s assertion that player welfare is the game’s number one priority.”
After the match, Pivac was asked about Francis and centre Watkin, who both left the field before returning.
He said: “They go through some testing behind the scenes. They both passed the testing so they’re allowed to play on. They’ll go through more testing after and if they clear that, they’ll be allowed to train.”
The WRU has not commented on the episode.
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