Saturday 7 February 2015 19:15, UK
Rugby union's world governing body has requested "a full report" from the WRU after wing George North completed the match against England on Friday night despite suffering two blows to the head.
One of the major talking points after the match was the decision to allow the Northampton wing to continue playing, and many current and former players have condemned the decision.
In the first half of the 21-16 defeat, North suffered an accidental kick to the head from England’s Dave Attwood but returned to the fray after being temporarily replaced for eight minutes by Liam Williams.
And in the second half North suffered a clash of heads with his team-mate Richard Hibbard as they tackled Mike Brown and it looked as though he may have been knocked out, but he remained on the field for the rest of the match.
He (North) will now undertake a graduated return-to-play protocol with multiple follow-up cognitive and physical tests.
In a statement, World Rugby, formerly the International Rugby Board, said: "World Rugby has requested a full report from the Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) following an apparent head impact sustained by George North in the second-half of Friday night's RBS 6 Nations match between Wales and England at the Millennium Stadium, Cardiff.
"North, who sustained the impact in the 61st minute of the match, remained on the field.
"And, having undertaken an initial review of the broadcast footage, World Rugby is seeking to establish from the WRU whether all concussion management protocols were appropriately followed.
"Concussion management and education is at the heart of World Rugby's player welfare strategy designed to protect players at all levels of the game and promote the very highest standards of education, coaching and medical care."
The WRU said on Saturday: “In relation to George North, he passed head injury protocol tests that were carried out in the medical room, in addition to an on-pitch assessment.
“He also showed no signs and symptoms when follow-up tests were carried out immediately after the game.
“While George is currently symptom-free, retrospective video review of the second incident identified the mechanism of injury which was previously unsighted on the field of play.
“This review has warranted the medical team to manage the player as concussed, although the player currently has no signs and symptoms.
“He will now undertake a graduated return-to-play protocol with multiple follow-up cognitive and physical tests.”
With regard to other Wales injuries, the WRU reported: “Samson Lee has suffered a concussion and will also be undertaking a graduated return-to-play protocol, consisting of a number of cognitive and physical tests, prior to returning to training.
“Dan Biggar sustained a laceration to his forehead following an accidental collision. He will be managed accordingly in the build-up to the Scotland fixture (next Sunday).
“Leigh Halfpenny sustained a mild neck injury that will be treated by the medical team this week. This injury is unlikely to keep the player out of the following week’s fixture.”
