Progressive Rugby, the lobby group of former players and medical practitioners for improved treatment of brain injuries in rugby, has condemned the selection of Johnny Sexton for Ireland’s second Test against New Zealand in Dunedin on Saturday , insisting it demonstrates a “failing” in concussion protocols.
Sexton was removed after half an hour of Ireland’s 42-19 defeat in the first Test last Saturday for a head injury assessment (HIA), which he failed. A directive from World Rugby only a week earlier had insisted that under incoming protocols, any player “with a history of concussion or who has been removed from a match with obvious concussion symptoms will sit out of competitive action for a minimum of 12 days”.
