North 'well' but stood down
"All rugby supporters will no doubt be delighted to learn that George remains well. Nevertheless, Northampton Saints continues to place player welfare as its number one priority and is referring George to an independent expert as part of the club's ongoing assessment process and George will be stood down from play until this process is complete," Northampton said in a statement.
Northampton's director of rugby Jim Mallinder felt obliged to defend himself and the club over accusations they sent North back on to the pitch after he had seemingly been knocked out.
The 24-year-old wing, who went on an enforced five-month break from the game after suffering four head blows in five months between November 2014 and March 2015, looked to be unconscious when he lay prone with his head pressed into the turf after a tackle by Leicester's Adam Thompstone on Saturday.
"As at every Premiership match, the Saints' medical team has access to video footage to be used to assist the pitchside assessment of injuries. It is important to note this video footage is not always the full range of replay angles available.
"The medical team can only base their decisions on the evidence available to them at the time of assessment. World Rugby protocol dictated, given the evidence available to the medical team, the use of a Head Injury Assessment. George was fully assessed by the doctor away from the pitch using the established protocols and processes, and passed fit to return to play," Northampton added.
The club stressed that "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".
Thompstone earned a spell in the sin bin for the 17th minute tackle whilst North, who lay head pressed into the turf and seemingly oblivious to the world, underwent a long spell of medical attention on the pitch before being taken off for a Head Injury Assessment (HIA).
He returned to action minutes later and played through to the end but was unable to prevent the Tigers defeating the Saints 11-19.
Agence France-Presse
