All Blacks star’s surprise admission over rugby’s new technology

Despite being bemused when he was taken off the field during the Chiefs’ win over the Crusaders in last Friday’s Super Rugby Pacific opener in Hamilton, Anton Lienert-Brown said he is in favour of smart mouthguards.

The All Blacks centre left the field in controversial circumstances during the closing stages of the home side’s 33-29 victory Super Rugby Pacific opener in Hamilton when forced to undertake a head injury assessment (HIA).

Lienert-Brown departed reluctantly and had a confused look on his face about a supposed head knock which had just occurred.

The new smart mouthguards, which were introduced at Super Rugby Pacific level after World Rugby mandated them across elite tournaments from the beginning of this year, are designed to better protect players against concussion.

Built-in bluetooth technology is being used to measure the G-force of every head impact and transmit data to the sideline, where matchday doctors can better identify players who require HIAs.

Dodgy bluetooth to blame

However, it appears that a dodgy bluetooth connection was to blame in Friday’s encounter as Lienert-Brown’s head knock coming much earlier in the game, and there was a delay in the data transmission to the sideline. It was a similar situation for Crusaders second-row Quinten Strange, who also looked confused when forced off the field during the first half.

After the match, Crusaders captain Scott Barrett admitted that he was not a fan of the new mouthguards, branding them “a step too far” and calling it “frustrating for a player” when they are being dragged from a game and then there’s uncertainty over the reasons for taking you off.

But although he was in the eye of the storm, Lienert-Brown said he supported the mouthguards, explaining that his reaction was more to do with the state of the game rather than grievances with the technology.

“It came across as a lot of confusion and frustration, but I don’t want that to leave a message that I don’t support what’s going on,” he told Stuff. “I do know that this is in the best interests of players and our future and our welfare.

“Five minutes to go, we were behind, I’m a competitor… I know the protocols, but at the time, I didn’t feel like I needed to be pulled off.

“But, hey, this technology’s here for our best interests, and that’s definitely something I don’t want to knock.”

Lienert-Brown, who subsequently passed his HIA and will be available to face the Brumbies in Sunday’s Super Round encounter in Melbourne, said he watched footage of his knock after the game, but did not want to comment on the specifics of it.

While the mouthguards have been mandated, players can still choose not to use one, wearing a normal one instead, but it would make them ineligible for an HIA1 test on the sideline, and see them instead fall into the same ‘recognise and remove’ protocols as those players in the community game.

Expects improvements

When asked if he knew of any players who are prepared to go down that route, Lienert-Brown said he would not comment on anyone else but himself.

“I was wearing the mouthguard because I back the technology, and I know it’s in our best interests,” he said. “I definitely support it. I know how I reacted on Friday night; it probably looked different, but you’ve got to understand the circumstances of the game and what’s going on.”

And while some players have raised concerns over the new mouthguards’ discomfort, Lienert-Brown labelled them “real comfy, not too dissimilar to what we’ve been wearing in the past”.

He added that while the issue came to the fore in the opening game, there weren’t any other dramas relating to it in other Super Rugby Pacific matches, and he expects there to be improvements as players and medical experts work together.

“Like we all know, anything in life, when something’s new, you can’t expect it to be perfect,” added Lienert-Brown.

“As the season goes on, there’ll be more data, and there’ll be more work done to better the outcome for both parties.”

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