article_snippet: Radical new proposals including law changes and possible punishments for team doctors are being drawn up in a bid to halt a shocking 900 per cent increase in reported concussions ahead of this year’s World Cup.
article_snippet: High-profile incidents suffered by players during the current Six Nations — including Wales wing George North, England full-back Mike Brown and Ireland flanker Sean O’Brien — have reignited concerns over the extent of concussion in World Rugby and how the potentially fatal injury is handled.
article_snippet: A recent World Rugby audit revealed reported rates of concussion were 59 per cent higher during the 2013-14 Aviva Premiership season than the previous year, with 10.5 concussions occurring every 1,000 player hours.
article_snippet: But figures seen by The Mail on Sunday show the rate of reported concussions for the current Nations stand at 25 per 1,000 player hours after three rounds — more than double the RFU’s figure and almost 10 times the number reported a decade ago.
article_snippet: Concussion is unquestionably the biggest issue facing the sport.
article_snippet: Significant strides have been made by the sport’s governing bodies in recent times, with a compulsory education programme introduced in the Aviva Premiership at the start of this season and a gradual introduction of pitch-side video technology for medics to access.
article_snippet: World Rugby bosses, aware of potentially damaging long-term effects of multiple concussions to players and desperate to avoid potentially crippling legal action seen in the NFL, have also instituted an extensive education programme.
article_snippet: And World Rugby bosses, aware of potentially damaging long-term effects of multiple concussions to players and desperate to avoid potentially crippling legal action seen in the NFL are in the processes of drawing up a legally binding document to ensure strict player welfare guidelines are adhered to at the World Cup.
article_snippet: Rugby union has been on high alert since the NFL the NFL agreed to pay out close to a billion dollars to more than 4,000 former gridiron stars with neurodegenerative conditions linked to multiple concussions and the latest figures will do little to ease concern.
article_snippet: Dr Martin Raftery presented to the world governing body’s executive committee when the proposal to draw up a worldwide group of players, coaches, referees, doctors and medics with a remit to look at law changes to reduce concussion rates was ratified.
article_snippet: We need to get it down from five [concussions per 1,000
article_snippet: We are getting far better compliance around concussion
article_snippet: A World Rugby concussion panel — comprising Dr Raftery and some of the world’s leading brain injury experts
article_snippet: Exeter Chiefs have announced a new research programme to investigate effects of concussion on Exeter Chiefs players, while Saracens are also trialling micro-chip technology to assess the extent of forces forces are being exposed to.
highlights_snippet: Reported concussions for current Six Nations are more than double the rate for the the 2013-14 Aviva Premiership season .
  
highlights_snippet: baseline cognitive testing for every participating player and compulsory medical screening .
  
highlights_snippet: identification of high-risk players with a history of concussions .
  
highlights_snippet: assembly of a sport-wide group looking at law changes to reduce concussion rates .
  
highlights_snippet: real-time television replays available for all pitch-side medics to assess head injuries .