World Rugby and leading brain injury charity Headway have given their backing to the latest initiative from the Rugby Football Union on concussion. The RFU’s new online concussion education courses are aimed at players, coaches and match officials across the community game.
Available at England Rugby, the 30 minute courses cover why it’s important to manage concussion properly, and how everyone has a role in protecting and helping players through their recovery and return to play.
Based on the “4Rs” – Recognise, Remove, Recover and Return – the courses reinforce the messages that have been delivered through the Headcase website (the RFU’s concussion awareness campaign), Rugby Ready courses and promotional materials over the last 18 months.
The aim of the online courses is to improve the understanding of concussion and the behaviours needed to manage it effectively in a more accessible way. Explaining what concussion is, what it feels like and how to recognise the injury, it includes videos, real-life examples and questions to check learning – all in an interactive way. The courses also highlight the potential and serious consequences of the injury.
Dr Mike England, the RFU Community Rugby Medical Director, said: “We hope everyone involved in the game – parents, players, coaches and match officials – will find these online courses helpful to improve their understanding of concussion and how to prevent and manage it.
“We are committed to reinforcing the message that concussion is an injury to the brain and needs to be taken seriously. Players need time to recover fully before returning to play and young players in particular need to be managed more conservatively than adults.”
World Rugby Chief Medical Officer Dr Martin Raftery said: “Concussion education, management, prevention and research is at the very heart of World Rugby’s player welfare strategies aimed at protecting and supporting players at all levels of the Game.
“The RFU should be commended on their continued commitment in all these critical areas and the launch of these innovative education courses, which will continue to drive awareness and understanding throughout the game.”
Top names from across England rugby have supported the launch with Chris Robshaw, Tom Wood, Sarah Hunter, Tom Mitchell, Stuart Lancaster and Wayne Barnes among others contributing to a concussion awareness video. The video will be played on the big screens at Twickenham on Saturday alongside concussion messaging on the LED screens within the stadium and in the match day programme. Watch the video here.
Peter McCabe, Chief Executive, Headway – the brain injury association said: “Headway is pleased that rugby is continuing to address the serious issue of concussion. It is vital that players of all ages and ability have a greater understanding and awareness of concussion, including how to identify it and the appropriate action to take.
“We commend the RFU for launching these new online courses, which we hope will reach out to all those involved in the game.”
Vincent Walsh, Professor of Human Brain Research at University College London added: “This online course is a great addition to the RFU’s Headcase concussion education programme. I really support the work they are doing to get these important messages to the whole game.
“This is a great course and resource, but isn’t just important for rugby. It sets a standard for concussion awareness and management for the wider sporting community”
The community game version follows on from the ground-breaking module which was developed between the RFU, Premiership Rugby and the RPA and launched for the professional game earlier this season.
