Rassie Erasmus: Leave assessments to club doctors
Munster boss Rassie Erasmus says players’ Head Injury Assessments are best left in the hands of club doctors rather than independent medics, .
After a string of controversial HIA decisions, including last weekend concerning Munster’s Conor Murray, the province’s director of rugby believes players would quickly lose faith in their employees if their club’s own medical staff played fast and loose with their health in pursuit of results.
Munster’s procedures in treating Murray, 27, following a collision with Glasgow’s Tim Swinson last Saturday have become the subject of a review by Champions Cup organisers EPCR, despite the scrum-half passing all four of his HIAs under World Rugby guidelines during and since the game. He has also received an all-clear from a neurologist and been cleared to play this weekend against Racing 92.
Following similar recent reviews in England concerning Northampton Saints wing George North and an ongoing probe into Sale Sharks’ treatment of TJ Ioane, there have been calls, including former Ireland team doctor Cliff Beirne, for independent medical professionals to conduct in-game HIAs and remove club medics from the decision-making process.
Munster’s Erasmus disagrees. “I don’t think so,” the South African said in response to the suggestion. “I’m not one to comment on the system because World Rugby is trying its best and the European Cup organisers are doing their best, but I am so satisfied with all the things we put in place over and above the normal protocol and regulations. Medical doctors, they have got an oath and they look after player welfare.
“You will lose a player’s commitment towards the club, and the coaches and the medical team if you put them back on the park or risk them and you will suffer later in your coaching career if players don’t trust you. Our doctors and our medical staff will never ever jeopardise a player’s welfare so I don’t think it (an independent assessor) is needed.”
Erasmus said he was also uncomfortable with instant diagnoses on players apparently suffering head injuries being offered from afar, via commentators or on social media.
“Even myself, as a coach, it’s a very dangerous thing to sit there and make a judgement like a medical doctor on medical conditions. It’s almost like googling an illness on the internet and making a diagnosis.
"It’s me sitting there and I totally trust the medical team. If a guy gets injured I will wait for the info from them and while I’m sitting there and while I played the game and have seen injuries a lot of times, I am not qualified to make calls like that.
"It might be very irresponsible to make assumptions watching the game when you weren’t part of the action on the ground. I think it’s a big responsibility and that we all adhere to that.”
