URC blasted for appalling head injury video
SPOTLIGHT: The United Rugby Championship organisers have been forced to apologise for a ‘disgraceful’ video they posted on social media.
The video shows Cardiff utility back Aled Summerhill concussed in an attempted tackle on Lions wing Edwill van der Merwe during the URC match between the two teams in Johannesburg.
The clip was originally posted on TikTok with the caption “goodnight” alongside sleeping and laughing emojis, and “ZZZ” over Summerhill’s body as he lay on the ground.
While the URC might have made light of the situation, the post did not sit well with Summerhill.
The 27-year-old Welsh player took to Twitter and slammed the organisers.
“Really didn’t think head injuries were something to joke about with all that’s going on with it within the sport, there we are then @URCOfficial,” Summerhill tweeted.
Really didn’t think head injuries were something to joke about with all that’s going on with it within the sport, there we are then @URCOfficial 👍🏻 pic.twitter.com/wjacs0fcY3
— Aled Summerhill (@Aledsummerhill) March 23, 2022
URC chief Martin Anayi quickly responded to Summerhill by saying that the video should not have been posted and they will be investigating why it went up.
“This should NEVER have gone up,” Anayi replied to Summerhill’s tweet. “We are investigating now with our social media agency – it has been removed – we take player safety very seriously indeed.”
This should NEVER have gone up, we are investigating now with our social media agency – it has been removed – we take player safety very seriously indeed
— Martin Anayi (@MartinAnayi) March 23, 2022
The URC posted a public apology to Summerhill.
“We’d like to apologise unreservedly to Aled, his family & club for this post. Injuries are not to be made light of & our oversight processes around publishing weren’t good enough. The original post has been removed & we will take immediate action ensuring this never occurs again.
“We recognise that the content was not in line with our values. Apologies to Aled again and we hope you have a speedy recovery!”
We’d like to apologise unreservedly to Aled, his family & club for this post. Injuries are not to be made light of & our oversight processes around publishing wasn’t good enough. The original post has been removed & we will take immediate action ensuring this never occurs again.
— United Rugby Championship (URC) (@URCOfficial) March 23, 2022
However, while URC has been quick to delete the clip, the damage has already been done with Cardiff revealing they were “appalled” by the social media post.
“Cardiff Rugby were appalled by a social media post regarding Aled Summerhill, which appeared on an official channel earlier,” Cardiff’s official statement reads.
“The video post made light of a collision against Lions in which, Summerhill lost consciousness and was subsequently stood down from the following URC fixture.
“As soon as the club was made aware of this post, senior URC officials were contacted, who were equally appalled and immediately removed the post.
“The URC have been in contact with the club and Summerhill to offer their unreserved apologies and are now investigating the post and reviewing their processes.
“Player welfare and safety is of paramount importance and the post was not in line with the core values of the URC or Cardiff Rugby.
“We thank the URC for their swift manner in dealing with this lack of judgement, their subsequent actions and apologies to the player.”
The video is certainly very tasteless given the renewed criticism levelled at World Rugby for their head injury protocols.
During England’s 23-19 Six Nations victory over Wales last month, two Welsh players, Tomas Francis and Owen Watkin, were involved in a collision with England’s Charlie Ewels as he charged for the try-line. The contact left Francis in particular showing signs of concussion.
Francis was clearly dazed, and suffering from ataxia, symptoms that, according to World Rugby’s protocol, require a player to be immediately and permanently removed from the game. But he played on.
#SPOTLIGHT: International Rugby Players Union not happy with @WorldRugby in the wake of @SixNationsRugby #rugby #news https://t.co/BAfzJmSVJv
— rugby365.com (@rugby365com) March 24, 2022
The same thing happened in a recent Currie Cup match between the Cheetahs and Western Province when wing Rosko Specman sustained a clear, immediate concussion but the match wasn’t stopped by officials.
Meanwhile, Stormers lock David Meihuizen was forced to retire from rugby at the age of 24 due to repeated concussions.
