IRB concussion report is too late for Fogarty and Jackman

The view from rugby

The International Rugby Board, the supreme governing body in the union game, has been worried for some time about concussion: last week, their council introduced guidelines on diagnosis, care and return-to-play protocols.

But rugby is, and always has been, a collision-based sport, and whatever the rules in place at a given time, and whatever kind of tackling is in vogue – high or low, single or double, aggressive or passive – there is no escaping the fact that the head will take its share of punishment. The IRB now accepts that padded headgear is not the answer: indeed, there is some evidence to suggest it can be counter-productive.

In recent months, two international hookers from the European champions Leinster – Bernard Jackman and John Fogarty – have retired from rugby because of repeated concussions.

Their stories are disturbing. "It affects every aspect of your life," Fogarty remarked. "It takes from you. I'm a different person when it's bad." Jackman said: "I believe I sustained 20 concussions over three seasons, but to drop out would have been a sign of weakness."

Both are now ambassadors for the charity organisation Acquired Brain Injury Ireland.