A major change to the regulations on concussion management will be announced next week, with World Rugby ready to extend the compulsory stand-down period for affected players to 12 days with effect from 1 July.
At present a top-level player who fails a head injury assessment (HIA) is permitted to take the field again as early as the following weekend if they follow a graduated sequence of return-to-play protocols. The new policy will extend that stand-down period by five days.
