George North will not feature for Northampton in the Premiership match against Sale at Franklin’s Gardens on Friday.
The Wales wing was signed off for an indefinite period after appearing to be knocked out in Northampton’s match against Leicester on 3 December. Saints escaped without punishment on Wednesday after a review found the club wrongly allowed North to return to the pitch, with the head coach, Jim Mallinder, hinting on Tuesday the 24-year-old could return to action this week.
However, a statement from Northampton on Thursday confirmed the player will not feature against Sale: “George North has both trained with the squad and undergone a specialist review this week. All parties have agreed that North continue with a full training schedule with the rest of the club’s players to ensure he is fully prepared for first-team action.”
Replays appeared to show that North had lost consciousness after an aerial collision with Leicester’s Adam Thompstone at Welford Road, yet he passed a head injury assessment (HIA) and resumed playing. Saints’ defence is that not all replay angles of the incident were available at the time of assessment and that the Wales international denied any loss of consciousness, had immediate recall of events and stayed motionless because of concerns for his neck pain.
The Rugby Players’ Association reacted to the verdict of the investigation by describing the “breakdown in procedure” that enabled North’s return to play as a “significant failing”, adding that it would have preferred disciplinary action to have been taken.
“While we feel that sanctions would have sent a clear message about the gravity of concussion mismanagement, we welcome the recommendations outlined in the report,” an RPA statement read.
The brain injury charity Headway has expressed its alarm at the Concussion Management Review Group’s findings by questioning whether there needs to be an overhaul of the system in place to assess concussion.
“We are concerned with these findings,” the Headway chief executive, Peter McCabe, said. “Serious questions have to be asked regarding the protocols: are they fit for purpose and are they being properly enforced? This incident sends out a confusing message around the issue of concussion, particularly for children who follow the example of famous players and favourite clubs.”
Ian Christian, an expert sports injury lawyer at Irwin Mitchell, who worked with the Rugby Players’ Association in developing its concussion protocols, is also dismayed by the outcome of the review.
“It’s hugely disappointing to see that Northampton have not been held to account for the handling of George North’s injury as it was a chance to make a statement and remind clubs, players and fans how serious an issue it is,” Christian said.
“The findings and lack of punishment feel like a backwards step with the experts stating that Northampton could and should have done more to prevent North returning to the playing field.”
North had a six-month spell out of the game in 2015 after a spate of four blows to the head in five months, two of which were incurred in a Six Nations match against England.
