World Rugby, the RFU and the WRU will be sent a Letter of Action from the law firm representing the players, all under the age of 45, warning of the imminent issue of a court claim.
“This is just the start, the tip of the iceberg,” Dr Barry O’Driscoll, an outspoken critic of the sport’s failure to act more decisively on concussion, told The Rugby Paper. “There will be hundreds of cases across the globe – that’s certain.
“It’s not just dementia or the progressive brain condition CTE (Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy). There are very strong indications of other neurological conditions, for example anxiety and depression, affecting ex-players in their 30s.
“This is a real crisis for the sport. As the governing body, World Rugby ought to be very worried. The game will survive but the sheer number of those suffering from brain damage will force it into significant, long term change.
“I am delighted this action is being taken because it puts the players first. Sadly it may be too late to help some as we’ve seen in the last few days but at least from now on the players will know all the facts.
“Parents have to be aware of the potential dangers. They have a right to know the full story. If they decide there is only a very small percentage of risk, that’s fair enough.
“It’s the cumulative effect which is the frightening aspect. And that hit home most powerfully with one striking comment from Mel Popham (wife of ex-Wales No. 8 Alix Popham) when she said: ‘My husband gave his heart and soul to the game but he didn’t know he was giving his brain as well’.”
He added: “Research into the facts confirms what too many blows to the head does to the human brain. We only get one and we cannot function without it.
“Way back in 2007 a scientist in the US, Dr Joel Lehrer, did major research into severe memory loss suffered by retired American footballers in their 40s. His conclusion showed that an NFL player was 19 times more likely to suffer memory loss at an early age than non-NFL players.
“Rugby is also a high-collision sport. Have we told rugby players they run a similar risk?
“Some of us have been saying for years that they’ve got to reduce the amount of traumatic blows to the head. Instead rugby, in certain respects, has now become a brutal game where you have players flying into the ruck with their shoulder straight into the face of the man on the ground who is helpless.
“If you red-card the offender, it will stop and it’s good that referees are being much stricter.”
A former Ireland full back whose brother John and nephew Brian won fame as Test Lions, Dr O’Driscoll had been on World Rugby’s medical committee before resigning in protest at what he saw as their failure to take more decisive pre-emptive action to minimise concussion.
“There used to be an automatic three-week rest for concussion,” says Dr O’Driscoll, a Cheshire GP. “In 2011, World Rugby decided they would experiment in the world U20 tournament with a fiveminute assessment. Five minutes instead of three weeks?
“I was stunned. Putting teenagers through that made no sense to me. I resigned there and then.
“The harrowing accounts from Steve Thompson, Michael Lipman and Alix Popham show there has been good reason to worry. We should be worried all the more because there will be hundreds more.”
Solicitor Richard Boardman of Rylands Legal Ltd old The Rugby Paper: “We have spoken to 110 players, all from the professional era and mostly in their 40s, who are showing symptoms suggesting neurological problems. We believe there are a hell of a lot of guys out there in a bad way.
“Morally and ethically, we have thought a lot about this and we believe it is a worthy action. Our aims are twofold: to secure financial support for former players who are struggling and to try and help current and future players.”
Players forced to retire because of concussionrelated issues include:
ENGLAND: Tom Croft, Shontayne Hape, Jack Clifford, Mouritz Botha, Andy Hazell, Sam Jones, Will Fraser, George Lowe.
WALES: Jonathan Thomas, Ben Broster, Eifion Lewis-Roberts, Adam Hughes, Ben John, Rory Watts-Jones, Ashley Smith.
IRELAND: Jared Payne, Dominic Ryan, Denis Leamy, Bernard Jackman, Kevin McLaughlin, Peter Browne, Ben Marshall, Cillian Willis.
SCOTLAND: Mike Blair, Dave Denton.
AUSTRALIA: Rob Horne, Nic Berry, Toby Smith.
NEW ZEALAND: Ben Afeaki, Leon MacDonald, James Broadhurst, John Williams.
SOUTH AFRICA: Pat Lambie, Alistair Hargreaves, Peter Grant.
CANADA: Jamie Cudmore.
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