The IRB backed new measures to protect players suffering from concussion and commissioned a major study into the risk of head injuries in the game.
Amid growing concern about the potential for high-impact sports to cause permanent brain injuries, the IRB said national rugby unions would trial the new measures in their domestic competitions.
Under the trial, players with suspected concussion will be sidelined for five minutes while they undergo a medical assessment by both the team doctor and an independent physician.
In a change from current rules, both the independent medic and the match referee will have the power to order the player from the field. The player will be temporarily replaced from the bench while the assessment is conducted.
"For the first time we are able to offer a standardised procedure of assessment that replaces an on-field 'on-the-run' assessment and is based on medical best practice," IRB chief medical officer Martin Raftery said.
"It provides an extra layer of protection for our athletes."
The New Zealand Rugby Union (NZRU) said the new measures would be used in this season's ITM Cup, the professional domestic league that is a tier down from the Super 15 competition.
The IRB also commissioned an Auckland University study that will examine the potential long-term effects of head knocks on rugby players.
The study will compare the neuro-psychological health of 200 former elite rugby players, 200 ex-community rugby players and 200 former athletes who did not play rugby.
In the United States, a major lawsuit involving more than 2,000 former National Football League players was filed in June accusing the NFL of ignoring and concealing the risk of brain injury, a claim the organisation denies.
Unlike in gridiron, rugby union players do not wear helmets during matches.
Raftery played down comparisons between rugby and gridiron, saying the NFL only banned hits to the head in 2010, while they had never been allowed in rugby union.
"The evidence supporting the theory that collision sports have a negative effect on cognitive function has been questioned by many scientists," he said.
"However, it is prudent to undertake these studies in order to broaden our understanding of concussion and ensure that we deliver the best possible player welfare framework for our athletes."
A study into concussion released last week by New Zealand's Massey University found many players and officials at last year's Rugby World Cup "appeared oblivious to the seriousness of such injuries".
After reviewing video footage of all the tournament's 48 matches, researchers said many players with suspected concussion were allowed to play on and were not sidelined for three weeks, as IRB rules stipulate.
It also found television commentators dismissed the impact of concussion, with one joking that a player was wobbling "like a drunken rhino" and offering advice such as "smelling salts, that ought to do the trick".
Comments
ArmchairGeneral says...
A good practical rule change with safety in mind. Surprising!
Posted 09:21 07th August 2012
markpat says...
This is at least a step in the right direction.
Although comparisons can't be drawn between the hits in gridiron adn rugby, the effects of concussion can. As I posted on another thread, there have been a few high-profile cases of ex-NLF players committing suicide due to ongoing health and psychological issues, as a result of repeated concussions.
Some of the instances of players being allowed to carry on playing have been ridiculous - Gio Aplon, this year, for example.
Also. good to see that it is being treated similarly to a blood substitution.
Posted 15:35 06th August 2012
rugby_rockstar says...
Pleased to hear about it, just get frustrated at the amount of time law changes take to be implimented. Still waiting for the 23 man squad rules that eliminate uncontested scrums to be implimented at test match level and they have been used sucessfully at club level up north for about three years!!!! Good grief, no wonder the IRB are percieved as an inept, impotent and pathetic waste of time.
Posted 11:41 06th August 2012
APV1 says...
A good idea. A bit like a blood-bin, it gives the professionals time to assess the player correctly, without the spotlight literally focusing in on them. Whilst they are always given the time on the pitch, I imagine that there is pressure (for the player, if no-one else) to carry on. Whether the pressure is real, or imagined, all players want to carry on. By taking them off the pitch and to a place of calm for the assessment, I think a better assessment will be possible.
Posted 10:46 06th August 2012
atg77 says...
About time.
Posted 19:05 05th August 2012