Player Welfare Standards Set for RWC 2015 at Medical Commission Conference

• Player Welfare standards agreed for RWC 2015
• Unions supportive of concussion protocols
• Report to look at Game Load management for elite playersThe sixth annual World Rugby Medical Commission Conference has seen experts agree minimum medical standards that will be implemented at Rugby World Cup 2015 and beyond.The measures include minimum standards expected from medical staff and Unions, compulsory pre-Tournament cardiac screening, concussion baseline testing, mandatory completion of concussion education and a raft of other education modules aimed at further strengthening player welfare.The issue of game and training load was also discussed at a dedicated meeting in London on Thursday and Friday prior to the Conference, where 12 globally recognised experts in this area discussed and agreed on key issues. World Rugby expects information from this meeting will help with understanding the impact of training and playing level on Rugby players at the elite and community level.

  The report, due next year, will look at how best to monitor load across the game, the impact of excess load on injury causation, the relationship between training and playing load, and ultimately, preventing player burnout.

  With the World Rugby Council approving the recommendation to extend the Head Injury Assessment (HIA) trial until December 31, 2015 the successful research outcomes from the initial trial in the elite game were discussed by Union doctors.

  World Rugby Chief Medical Officer Dr. Martin Raftery said: “All 32 Unions represented at the conference were supportive of the progress made since the introduction of the HIA trial and it’s positive impact on player welfare.”

  “The official research results of phase 2 were reviewed and discussed, and the process will now move to Phase 3.”

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  “We’re also making progress on the issue of game and training load for players, and we heard from 12 world experts from eight nations on that topic this week. A report next year will help develop practical advice for coaches and administrators around game load and monitoring.”

  “On the subject of medical standards, it’s very important that all teams participating at Rugby World Cup in England next year can expect a high standard of medical care, and we’ve agreed protocols and procedures to ensure that they will be in place, not just at next year’s tournament, but for other tournaments in the future.”

  The conference also heard from individual Unions on best practice for injury prevention during the session in London earlier this week.

  The conference concluded with three educational courses: a level 3 Advanced Immediate Pitch-side care course, a medical educator course and a senior medical educator course.