‘I can’t remember a lot of my career’: Ex-rugby international Alix Popham on brain injuries and dementia

Popham, a father-of-three, has embraced the diagnosis of early onset dementia and is using his position to try and prevent current players from suffering the same fate that befell him, writes Conor O’Sullivan

Alix Popham won 33 caps for Wales in the Noughties, but now says: ‘I look at rugby through different eyes; every contact, every off-the-ball incident, because I wasn’t aware of all this damage being done’ (Getty)

Despite all the suffering and worry the sport has inflicted on Alix Popham and his family, the former Wales international will still be watching how his country fares in this year’s Six Nations. Wales open the tournament on Saturday when they travel to Dublin before Scotland host England later that afternoon. And the old rivalries and heavy collisions can resume again.

The former back-rower, 42, was diagnosed with traumatic brain injury, early onset dementia and probable chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) in April 2020; he can barely remember most of his playing career and is part of a group of former professional players suing three of the sport’s governing bodies for damages relating to brain injuries suffered – World Rugby (WR), the Rugby Football Union (RFU) and the Welsh Rugby Union (WRU).

WR has been urged to follow the lead of rugby league in the fight to reduce the effect of repeated head knocks. The Rugby Football League (RFL) has extended return-to-play protocols (RTPP) which mean players who fail concussion tests in matches or at training must now wait at least 11 days before playing again. That is up from seven days while in elite rugby union the minimum requirement remains at six (which they reduced from 21 days in 2011).