Former Wales captain Ryan Jones is taking legal action against rugby’s governing bodies after being diagnosed with early onset dementia at the age of 41.
The 75-cap Grand Slam-winning forward revealed his diagnosis in an emotional interview with The Sunday Times where he said he felt like his “world was falling apart”. You can read his powerful and moving comments here.
Now it’s been confirmed he has joined a group taking legal action against the game’s authorities for alleged negligence in failing to protect players from the risks caused by concussion. Another former Welsh international Alix Popham is among some 185 ex-players involved in the landmark case, as is English World Cup winner Steve Thompson.
The action is being taken against World Rugby, the Welsh Rugby Union and the RFU. Up until resigning in October 2020, Jones was a high ranking employee of the WRU, in the role of Performance Director.
Richard Boardman, of Rylands Legal, represents the rugby union players in the lawsuit as well as a further 75 former rugby league players in a separate action against the Rugby Football League.
He told the Daily Mail : “It’s a ticking time bomb. The vast majority of the former players we represent love rugby and don’t want to see it harmed in any way. They just want to make it safer so current and future generations don’t end up like them. These issues aren’t restricted to older generations, but current players too. Elite union players from the northern hemisphere have just finished a season which has lasted 11 months.
“This is why some of the claimants are asking rugby’s governing bodies to make a number of immediate and urgent changes to save the sport, such as a mandatory limit on contact in training, shorter playing seasons, reducing the number of non-injury substitutions and having a more effective pitch-side diagnostic tool than the current head injury assessment protocol.
“Other developments could be setting up a brain injuries passport, using independent neurology experts for research and guidance and extending the return-to-play period following a concussion.”
Lloyd Jones, whose rugby-playing father Peter died from dementia caused by repeated head blows, is part of the legal action. He said he hoped the involvement of Ryan Jones would “kick-start a motion to have a change in the future of rugby”.
“It’s a huge landmark. He’s a British Lion and has been captain of Wales,” he told the BBC. “He’s been on the scene for so long and this is going to shock and upset a lot of people. It’s going to hit home.”
Safety campaign group Progressive Rugby commented: “It is time for everybody involved in the game to prioritise individual player welfare. If that means protocols erring on the side of caution and players being rested and missing games, it is a small price to pay to try and protect the long-term health of its participants.
“We can, and must, make the game of rugby union as safe as possible so that future generations aren’t deprived of all the wonderful things it can offer.”
Welsh Labour MP and former rugby international Tonia Antoniazzi told the BBC : “We love rugby, Welsh people love rugby, we’re not going to stop playing rugby. But we’ve got to seriously look at how we play the game moving forward. We don’t want to have a future of international rugby players coming out with news like Ryan has this week because it’s heart-breaking.”
In a statement, World Rugby said it could not comment on the legal action, but added it was saddened by Jones’ diagnosis.
“We care deeply about every member of the rugby family and constantly strive to safeguard and support our players, driven by a clear commitment to further cement rugby as the most progressive sport on player welfare,” the spokesperson said.
“Rugby is a leader in sport in the identification, prevention and management of head injuries, always acting on the latest science, evidence and independent expert guidance.
“We never stand still and proactively fund research, embrace innovation and explore technology that can make the sport as accessible, inclusive and safe as possible for all participants. We make available a wide range of support for former players, including free access to brain health consultation with leading experts, mental wellbeing education and advice.”
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