Rugby: Welsh great Jamie Roberts shares gory details of head clash

Wales centre Jamie Roberts receives treatment after colliding with Australian captain Stirling Mortlock in a 2008 test. Photo / Getty

Veteran Welsh centre Jamie Roberts can recall a time when he stayed on the field with a horrific skull fracture and the taste of brain fluid in his throat.

As sport around the world deals with the frightening concussion issue, the 34-year-old Roberts - who played nearly 100 tests - says rugby has made significant advances to protect players from a decade ago.

It needed to judging by his recollections around an incident in 2008, when he clashed heads with Australian captain Stirling Mortlock.

"What I remember is being in a massive amount of pain on the floor", Roberts told WalesOnline. "My head was really painful.

"I was aware of the incident getting shown on the big screen and a big groan from the fans. So I knew it was a big collision, there was no doubt about that."

Australian captain Stirling Mortlock and Jamie Roberts lie injured after colliding during a 2008 test. Photo /Getty

He felt sluggish and a nose bleed combined with a salty taste had Roberts - a medical student at the time - really worried.

"I was under the posts. I dipped my head and my nose started bleeding and I could taste a stream of salt water down the back of my throat," he said.

"I knew straight away it was cerebral brain fluid. You are taught about the salty taste as a medical student.

"I could just feel it trickling down the back of my throat. I was thinking this was not right. It was a bit scary.

"I looked to my left and the doc had been following me on the touchline, so I signalled to him I wasn't right.

"As I came off, every step I was taking my head was squeaking. There was this creaking sound in my head."

A CT scan and x-rays were carried out, and a fracture at the base of his skull discovered. But he was back playing again six weeks later.

"I look back on it and I am pretty fortunate I didn't take another knock on it during the game," he says.

Roberts has now told Talking Rugby Union he made an informed decision to play a game he loved, knowing the risks. He admits it has been hard reading the recent stories around other players taking legal action.

Rugby is still evolving as a professional game and part of that has involved adapting to protect players better.

"Let's not pretend that rugby is a very safe sport. It's a collision sport, it always has been and if rugby continues, it always will be," he said.

"The game is looking after its players now better than ever and it's doing that off the back of a body of evidence in a sport that's relatively young.

"The knowledge around head injuries is still relatively young and we're learning more about it day by day and certainly the latest cases will add to that mountain of evidence which will best allow the rugby authorities to make the best decisions possible for the players."