Players who fail a concussion test will have to wait at least 11 days to return to action from the 2022 season.
After a recommendation from the sport’s Clinical Advisory Group, the Rugby Football League has approved a change to the graduated return to play protocols, which had seen players sidelined for a minimum of seven days following a failed HIA.
Whereas previously players could theoretically play the following weekend, that will now not be the case.
Additionally, stricter sentencing guidelines have been introduced with players guilty of striking, headbutting, kicking or late hits set for longer suspensions.
Robert Hicks, the RFL’s director of operations and legal, said: “Given the priority of player welfare, rugby league continues to seek both to respond to increases in medical knowledge and to provide relevant information.
“We are fortunate to be able to call on the knowledge of a number of medical experts on our Clinical Advisory Group, which has led to a number of amendments to sentencing guidelines in recent years, and now a change in the gradual return to play protocols.
“Our priority as a sport will always be to protect players and make the game as safe as possible, working with all relevant stakeholders and including Government through the DCMS Committee. These initiatives will further strengthen this.”
Meanwhile, more than 1,000 players will get the opportunity to wear instrumented mouthguards as part of a three-year research project that aims to reduce the risk of serious head injuries.
All 12 Super League clubs will work with the RFL and researchers at Leeds Beckett University on the TaCKLE project, in addition to teams from the Women’s Super League, the under-18s academy competition, and open age, under-16s and under-14s sides from the community game.
The mouthguards will be used to measure head impact exposures, biomechanical mechanisms during concussion events, and how tackle technique and tackle height influence head acceleration loading.
