The Northampton and Wales wing George North will not play again until he has been cleared by a concussion expert after the club admitted its medical team were unaware that he seemed to have been knocked out during Saturday’s Premiership match against Leicester in allowing him to return to the field.
North was tackled in the air by his opposite number, Adam Thompstone, landing on his side but appearing to hit his head on the ground and seeming to temporarily lose consciousness. He returned to the field six minutes later after passing a head injury assessment, to the incredulity of the television commentary team and many on social media.
Northampton issued a statement that night, saying North had landed on his side and was complaining of neck pain. “After footage of the incident was reviewed, the team followed protocols and used a head injury assessment given the potential mechanism for head injury. George was fully assessed by the doctor and passed fit to return to play.”
The Saints issued a more detailed statement on Tuesday, with Premiership Rugby having launched a review of North’s treatment, which happened less than two years after he was knocked out playing for Wales against England and allowed to play on after treatment because the medical team, who did not have access to a replay of the incident, were unaware he had lost consciousness.
“The medical team can only base their decisions on the evidence available to them at the time of the assessment,” said Northampton. “George was fully assessed by the doctor away from the pitch using the established protocols and processes, and passed fit to return to play. As with all such injuries, if evidence suggesting a loss of consciousness had been available to the medical team at the time of assessment, George would not have been allowed to return to the field of play.”
The club added that steps will be taken to improve the footage available to medics, pointing out that the video material accessible at pitchside did not always include the full range of camera angles available to a television audience. “We continue to place player welfare as the No1 priority and we are referring George to an independent concussion expert as part of the club’s ongoing assessment process. He will be stood down from play until the process is complete.”
Northampton took the same action two seasons ago when North suffered a third concussion of the 2014-15 campaign. He was knocked out scoring a try against Wasps at the end of March and did not play again until Wales’s World Cup warm-up match against Ireland in Dublin five months later, having been monitored by an independent concussion specialist.
Premiership Rugby has launched an investigation into why North was allowed back on to the field on Saturday, having this season invested in technology for pitchside medical teams on the side of the pitch in all league matches to view incidents in real time, minimising the risk of anyone playing on after being knocked out.
North has twice been the victim of a system and human error. Had Wales and Northampton realised he had lost consciousness he would have been replaced immediately, and the 24-year-old will be given advice on how safe it will be for him to continue his career.
The Rugby Football Union’s concussion guidelines warn of the potential consequences of repeated blows to the head, advising: “There are concerns that repeated concussion, particularly before full recovery, could shorten a player’s career, significantly interfere with academic performance, and may have some potential to result in permanent neurological impairment.
“This emphasises the need for prevention, careful management at the time of injury, comprehensive medical assessment and structured follow-up until the concussion has fully resolved. Players who suffer two concussions in any 12-month period are at greater risk of further brain injury and slower recovery and should seek medical attention from practitioners experienced in concussion management before returning to play.”
