Former players to take part in concussion study

The study will involve approximately 200 former players over the age of 50 and will include a number of players who played for England 

Participants will undergo a series of tests to assess their neurological health and the results will be compared against a separate study running at the same on the general population.

Participants for the rugby trial will be drawn from a previous study which involved around 300 players who either represented England or Oxford or Cambridge universities.

The long-term effects of head injuries have become a worrying topic across a number of sports, notably American football where last year the governing NFL agreed to settle a lawsuit and pay $765 million (£530 million, 683 million euros) to about 5 000 former players over health claims linked to concussion.

Concerns have also been raised about the possible damage done to footballers by heading the ball, particularly those who played in the era of the old leather 'lace-up' ball that became especially heavy when wet.

Four of the surviving outfield members of the England team that won the 1966 football World Cup are suffering with Alzheimer's or significant memory loss, although there is no definite proof as yet that heading a ball caused their conditions.

However, England's Professional Footballers' Association said Wednesday they would be prepared to commission research into the topic. 

Thursday's RFU statement said "evidence is accumulating" on the potential increased risks of diseases including dementia, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), Parkinson's disease and chronic traumatic encephalopathy in former contact sport athletes.

The aim of the study is to see whether there is more specific evidence regarding the impact of Rugby Union-induced head trauma on these conditions.

England captain Dylan Hartley, currently leading the squad on their tour of Australia, said last week that another concussion could finish his career.

The Northampton hooker was knocked unconscious during England's win over France in Paris on March 19 that sealed their Grand Slam triumph in the Six Nations and did not return to club duty until May 7.

"If I got another lay-off now, I'd be worried," he said.

"I'd probably start looking at other careers or maybe a long lay-off. Maybe I'll look at my tackling technique too!," Hartley added.

"I'd have to ask a specialist. Three [concussions] in one season would warrant a bit of time off and I would probably take that anyway – take a step back and have a minute."

The RFU supported study will involve academics from the London School of Hygiene; Tropical Medicine, Queen Mary University of London, the Institute of Occupational Medicine, University College, London and Oxford University.

Simon Kemp, the RFU's Chief Medical Officer, said: "The RFU has worked extremely hard to increase the education of those involved in the game about concussion and to improve the management of the risk of the injury based on the evidence available.

"The next step for us a union and as a sport is progress beyond delivering 'recognise, remove, recover and return' [protocol] and try to understand more about the possible longer-term effects on the health of the brain."

The Drake Foundation, an organisation that exists to improve measures for player safety in contact sports by furthering research for sports-related concussion, is contributing £450,000 ($649,000, 580,000 euros) in funding for the study.

Agence France-Presse