Well, the long wait is over and the Rugby World Cup has kicked off in style, with an amazing opening ceremony at the Home of Rugby, and England winning their opening game. This was shortly followed by the incredible upset of Japan beating two times World Cup winners South Africa at the Community Stadium in Brighton. A crowd with many new rugby supporters witnessed one of the biggest upsets in rugby ever. Japan take on Scotland next at Gloucester, that traditional rugby stronghold, where I will be overseeing the medical services. This is followed by Argentina v Georgia on Friday, and then on the road up to the iconic football stadium at Villa Park for two games this weekend.
I have been really impressed how much World Rugby and England 2015 have put player safety to the forefront in this tournament, with significant investment in the player medical care. This includes the new Hawkeye head injury review system; a pretty impressive bit of kit; with 16 – 24 cameras (depending on the venue) around the pitch fed through to two independent doctors, one pitch-side and one in the medical room, who are able to review incidents in real time and slow motion from multiple angles. This can then be fed through to a screen near the team benches and shown to team doctors if required. While this certainly adds to the ability to recognise suspected concussions, the basic principles of RECOGNISE and REMOVE are still at the forefront of the medics minds, having met with them all last week.
These are the same principles that are at the core of the National Concussion Guidelines for the Education Sector that I helped develop for the Sport and Recreation Alliance earlier this year. With many young people expected to be inspired by the World Cup and trying their hand at rugby this autumn we felt it essential that these guidelines were in place in time for the start of this school term. This was a great initiative for which the Alliance should be applauded.
While my focus is on the World Cup, life goes on back at the office and we are finalising a couple of new concussion resources for schools; an interactive online education module for teachers and parents, and a short animated video aimed at young players that can be used on social media and in the classroom.
If you are on the pitch over the next few weeks, remember that the enjoyment and safety of the players comes first. This is a great game that is being showcased at the moment and if we provide a great experience for players they will hopefully join the Rugby Family and gain from all the benefits it can bring.
Blog by Dr Mike England, Community Rugby Medical Director, Rugby Football Union.
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