RUGBY - Call for brain injury register in rugby

A man whose rugby-playing son remains in a coma has accused the NZ Rugby Union (NZRU) of putting lives at risk by delaying a brain-injury register that could prevent serious head injuries.
Anti-drug campaigner Mike Sabin's 19-year-old son, Darryl, sustained such an injury playing in a match for Te Hapua on April 25.
He had previously sustained concussions playing for another club. His father firmly believed a regional register back then could have prevented his son's injury.
A proposal to start a register has been placed in front of the Northland Rugby Board, but Mr Sabin said he understood the board was unwilling to act without the NZRU.
The register would show if players had head injuries and would allow clubs to find out whether they had medical clearance to play.
"It's obvious that the NZRU are concerned about the cream at the top [the pros] but less about the players beneath that ... but I can tell you now that there are a lot of parents out there that have the same level of anxiety as I do now ... about their kids playing the game," he said.
Mr Sabin's idea revolves around the provincial union and the medical profession taking responsibility to keep an eye on at risk players.
"That way, when there is a pattern of head injuries, people are aware of it, and there is an opinion, other than ... the individual's, about whether the mandatory three weeks' stand-down is enough," Mr Sabin said.
NZRU general manager for community and provincial rugby Brent Anderson said they were interested in implementing the national register along with a new database currently being installed nationwide.
"We're very committed to injury prevention and we invest a lot in this area already ... so we are willing to explore it," he said.
But the organisation didn't want to promise something until they were sure they could deliver, and Anderson said they had already made Mr Sabin aware of that.
Currently IRB rules state that a player receiving a head injury during a game has a three-week stand-down and has to show a medical clearance to be reinstated in the team.
Mr Sabin stated while that was sufficient in most cases, it didn't allow for the complexities of brain injuries.
"In some cases, three weeks is completely inadequate and might just give people a false sense of security and that's where ... a medical opinion can ensure a greater degree of safety," he said.
Mr Sabin thought Northland should be leading the way rather than waiting for the NZRU to act.
"I understand the board has decided there is little point in doing it unless the rest of the unions do it too, but I would take exception to that, because my son has never played outside Northland. And if there was a system in place in Northland, then potentially we wouldn't be in this situation now - and someone's got to get the ball rolling."