Tonga winger Afusipa Taumoepeau was sin-binned for a high tackle on Scotland's Jamie Ritchie during their Rugby World Cup Pool B clash. Photograph: Craig Watson/InphoRugby union is to become the world’s first sport to use technology to automatically withdraw players with a suspected brain injury from the field of play.
As soon as that happens the player will also be taken off and have to undergo a head impact assessment. Even if they are cleared to play, they will then be checked again after the match, and again two days later. As things stand, the overwhelming majority of players wear mouthguards and the expectation is that almost all will switch to the £250 smart ones, which will be funded by World Rugby.
In 2020 World Rugby, along with the English Rugby Football Union and Welsh Rugby, were accused by over 200 former players of failing to take reasonable steps to protect players from brain injuries caused by repetitive blows. More recently, amateur players have also launched legal cases.