Medic defends Vickery treatment

According to rugby tradition, medical staff have great difficulty in establishing whether or not a prop forward is suffering from concussion, for the simple reason that props are, well, simple. One club doctor famously suggested that if a front-rower was asked five basic questions – such as name, age, how many fingers on the average hand – and managed to answer any of them correctly, he was very definitely concussed and should not play again for three weeks.

Phil Vickery, the Gloucester and England tight-head, certainly appeared to be concussed following a collision with Tom Smith in the early stages of Saturday's Premiership victory over Northampton. Having spent a couple of minutes flat on his back, his comical attempt to continue alarmed the Gloucester medical staff to such a degree that they virtually dragged him from the field. The fact that he returned 13 minutes later prompted some observers to suggest the medics might have mishandled the situation.

Those concerned issued the strongest of denials yesterday. Dr Rod Mackay, the Gloucester club doctor and an authority on sporting head injuries, said although there were initial fears Vickery had indeed been concussed – the player had also been cut above the ear – an examination proved otherwise.

"Having followed the established medical protocol for the assessment of suspected concussion, Vickery was deemed fit to continue," Dr Mackay said. "He finished the game in good condition and has suffered no further reaction to the injury. Gloucester Rugby Club is very proud of its pioneering work on the treatment and management of head injuries and considers the health and fitness of its players, and the players of other clubs, to be paramount."

The fact that Vickery is in the clear will be the source of considerable relief to Clive Woodward, the England manager. Two international props, Trevor Woodman, of Gloucester, and David Flatman, of Saracens, are injured and out of the running for the opening Six Nations fixture with France next month.

There are also concerns over Robbie Morris of Northampton. Morris, part of Woodward's squad during the autumn internationals, has been dropped by his club following criticism of his fitness levels. Vickery and Jason Leonard are expected to start against France.