Rugby: Video trial to help tackle concussion

Highlanders prop Josh Hohneck played on after being knocked out. Photo / Getty Images

Ensuring medical staff see same pictures as viewers and spectators seen as crucial.

New Zealand Rugby wants to ensure last weekend's Josh Hohneck concussion incident doesn't happen again and believes the key lies in making television footage available to the match-day doctor.

The fact that Highlanders prop Hohneck appeared to be knocked out in the first half of his team's 25-20 victory over the Crusaders in Christchurch last weekend was apparent to television viewers - and presumably spectators watching replays on the AMI Stadium screens - but not the medical personnel at the ground, who allowed him to play on after he passed a concussion test.

Under World Rugby protocols, players suspected of being knocked unconscious, or who are clearly dazed, must be removed from the field immediately and are ineligible to return to the match. In Hohneck's case, a collision with Crusaders flanker Jordan Taufua left him motionless on the pitch, and it was only the intervention of referee Glen Jackson which forced him from the field for a concussion test.

The incident occurred at the end of a week in which Chiefs prop Ben Afeaki announced his retirement from the game at 27 after two serious concussion incidents.

Already this season, Jerome Kaino and Sonny Bill Williams have returned to the field after passing concussion tests - despite being knocked senseless - only to suffer symptoms which have sidelined them for the next match.

New Zealand Rugby's general manager of rugby, Neil Sorensen, said yesterday that ensuring medical staff saw the same pictures as viewers and spectators was crucial. To that end there would be a trial in Saturday's match in Wellington between the Hurricanes and Waratahs where the match-day doctor would get that same vision.

"It's really important for the players and game's sake that whatever footage we can get needs to be given really quickly to the right people," he said.

"The match doctor on the sideline, who might be very busy assisting the team doctors with an injured player - these guys and ladies need to have footage as soon as possible to make accurate decisions and determine if there has been a suspected concussion or a head knock for them to say that player should be off."

Sorensen said he would be reluctant to give the television match official extra responsibilities in terms of watching for potential concussion injuries, preferring to leave it in the hands of medical professionals.

Blues captain Kaino suffered his injury after cleaning out a Lions forward at North Harbour last month. Kaino clashed heads, fell, and couldn't maintain his balance on all fours. Unfortunately, it was out of sight of Blues doctor Stephen Kara.

"It was on the far side of the ruck from me," Kara told the Herald.

"What I saw was him holding his head and looking at his hand and he had blood on his hand.

"I saw the video from our analyst the next day and I saw him get up and stumble. He said he felt dizzy and light-headed.

"Afterwards, yes, you could say he had 'ataxia', or the inability to walk straight. If I had seen that, it would have been a case of 'that's enough for me'. I have a low threshold for getting guys off."

World Rugby's on-field indications for permanent removal from field:
• Confirmed loss of consciousness

• Suspected loss of consciousness

• Balance disturbance/ataxia

• Clearly dazed

• Definite confusion

• Not oriented in time, place or person

• Definite behavioural changes

• Convulsion

• "Tonic posturing" (type of convulsion)