Blues coach John Kirwan says he would prefer to leave decisions on concussions to doctors.
The concussion issue is a hot topic following several high-profile incidents this season, including a recent one when Highlanders prop Josh Hohneck was knocked out, but passed a concussion test and played on against the Crusaders.
It has led to some commentators noting that coaches should take more of a responsibility given they have more access to game footage than anyone else, but Kirwan said doctors were still the best placed to make the decision on whether to withdraw a player or not.
"There are screens everywhere so our doctor sees that stuff and our doctor has responsibility for everything," he said. "If we notice something afterwards and he [player] has passed his [concussion] test then we need to say we think he's off his game by five per cent and we need to re-assess it. I think the grey area is when they pass their test and they go back on... I think if someone is knocked out and we can all see it, that's the test, I believe."
Blues captain Jerome Kaino is another high-profile case when he was clearly dazed in the match against the Lions but passed a test and played on after doctor Stephen Kara was unsighted and didn't the loose forward stagger. Kara later told the Herald if he had seen Kaino's reaction he would have taken him off straight away.
