If any coach/manager in any sport, but the teams needs ahead of an individual's health, then they should be fired on the spot, that is just not acceptable on any level, and there is no excuse for such abhorrent behaviour.

A player could have long lasting effects that are not known immediately, and so by allowing him to carry on, that could further injure him, which would just be a horrible thought.

I think with head injuries coaches and managers in sport are still in the mindset of if it's a 50-50 whether they have a serious head injury or not most of them roll the dice and hope they get away with it. Even more so if the player is one of their star men.

Sadly suspect it's going to take a serious injury for the rules and managements mindsets to change more towards player welfare.

Any head injury and the decision should be taken out of a manager or coaches hands, the player concerned should be immediately withdrawn from the game for his own personal safety, as players will always want to play no matter what, so they should have no say in the decision.

A manager or head coach is not a doctor, and the player concerned has not had all of the scans needed to decide if they have sustained any head trauma or damage, so quite how they can see with their eyes that it is 50-50, I will never know.
They do not know better than a fully trained medical professional, and even the doctor or medical profession r son on a match day cannot know for certain if a player is okay or not, as to decide that or not takes time, and the correct medical machines and scans, which are not available at sports grounds (as far as I know anyway).

For too long this sort of thing has been going on, there was Lloris in football with Spurs a while back, so something has to be done, as a players safety and health is far more important than any result on the pitch.

Well done Ireland. Clinical if not a very entertaining match. Great try by the Scots and best half so far. Love watching the Six Nations when less emotionally invested...said the slightly hungover and disappointed Welshman.

I don't think I have ever seen in a maul going forward, an opponent on the ground, on the wrong side holding on to leg of a player going forward and for a number of seconds. Quite why Owens didn't give a penalty is a mystery.

Re the head injuries there was a bit of criticism of the Irish team over not taking players with head injuries off in the game against Australia, worried that there may be a very bad incident before it changes. I even remember in football that there was some criticism by Mourinho over Cech's industry.

Decent enough result for Ireland but gotta admit that when I left the pub at 9-3 I worried it was going to be one of those days...

Fairly inept French performance. Obsessed with kicking and unable to control play when 5m out. Failed to scorecards point when beattie was in the bin. Scotland probably feel a bit hard done by.

Well as a Scotland fan I take some comfort in some of the performances, although this was a huge opportunity against a less than great France performance. However, I'm also getting bored and frustrated with the "gutsy" and "plucky loser" tags. I just want to celebrate a win, even if it is scrappy and boring. please, just a win, is it too much to ask?!

I see world rugby want to know why north played on.
http://m.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/31202835

Welsh medics claim they did not see it which means they also missed Watson checking on north.

I didn't realise that Arsene Wenger was also a member of the Welsh medical team!

I thought that, a try's been scored, so it's not as if they weren't looking in the general direction, and Watson stopped to check on North, all of which was missed!! Where were the rest of the Welsh squad? I know they all but disappeared in the second half but even so, not one of them thought to mention it, even Hibbard who caused the injury.

There's a thread in GD suggesting rugby is not a man's game. One poster said RL has smaller, weaker, lighter players (though I'm not convinced) and then I read that Uini Atonio (French prop) is a whopping 145-155 kg (depending on source) !!!
He can't run, but boy can he maul!

Scoreline from a Belgian first division game on Sunday.......

Royal Kituro 356 - 3 Soignies



http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/rugby-union/31319836

I was shocked to learn it was the medics affiliated to the team concerned that makes the decision. Surely there should be an independent medical assessment as in boxing?

North shouldn't have stayed on World Rugby

Tell us something we don't know. They believe Wales management that they didn't see the second incident, which is still pretty bad to be honest.

Cheika juggling two jobs

OT - Why is Cheika still managing Waratahs, isn't this a conflict of interest. This would be the same as if Schmidt was still head coach of Leinster and Ireland. I'm surprised that the other Australian teams are bothered by this.

Team news

Wales: Leigh Halfpenny (Toulon), Alex Cuthbert (Cardiff Blues), Jonathan Davies (ASM Clermont Auvergne), Jamie Roberts (Racing Metro), Liam Williams (Scarlets), Dan Biggar (Ospreys), Rhys Webb (Ospreys), Gethin Jenkins (Cardiff Blues), Richard Hibbard (Gloucester), Samson Lee (Scarlets), Jake Ball (Scarlets), Alun Wyn Jones (Ospreys), Dan Lydiate (Ospreys), Sam Warburton (Cardiff Blues, CAPT), Taulupe Faletau (Newport Gwent Dragons).

Replacements: Scott Baldwin (Ospreys), Paul James (Bath Rugby), Aaron Jarvis (Ospreys), Luke Charteris (Racing Metro), Justin Tipuric (Ospreys), Mike Phillips (Racing Metro), Rhys Priestland (Scarlets), Scott Williams (Scarlets).

George North left out to recover from his non concussion

Italy: Luke McLean; Leonardo Sarto, Luca Morisi, Andrea Masi, Giovanbattista Venditti; Kelly Haimona, Edoardo Gori; Alberto DeMarchi, Leonardo Ghiraldini, Martin Castrogiovanni; George Biagi, Marco Bortolami; Francesco Minto, Mauro Bergamasco, Sergio Parisse.

Replacements: Andrea Manici, Matias Aguero, Dario Chistolini, Joshua Furno, Samuela Vunisa, Guglielmo Palazzani, Tommaso Allan, Giulio Bisegni

Same starting XV for England

England: Mike Brown (Harlequins), Anthony Watson (Bath Rugby), Jonathan Joseph (Bath Rugby), Luther Burrell (Northampton Saints), Jonny May (Gloucester Rugby). George Ford (Bath Rugby), Ben Youngs (Leicester Tigers), Joe Marler (Harlequins), Dylan Hartley (Northampton Saints), Dan Cole (Leicester Tigers), Dave Attwood (Bath Rugby), George Kruis (Saracens), James Haskell (Wasps), Chris Robshaw (captain, Harlequins), Billy Vunipola (Saracens).

Replacements: Tom Youngs (Leicester Tigers), Mako Vunipola (Saracens), Kieran Brookes (Newcastle Falcons), Nick Easter (Harlequins), Tom Croft (Leicester Tigers), Richard Wigglesworth (Saracens), Danny Cipriani (Sale Sharks), Billy Twelvetrees (Gloucester Rugby).

Same bench too. Be very interesting to see what changes they make to the 23 for Ireland game though. Lawes and Wood are certainties to come back into the 23, will they start is another thing. Can't see anyone looking bad in this match as it'll be a training match but Lancaster will have big calls to make in Dublin. Kruis will be the unlucky one you'd imagine and Wood will bench. Wilson, Parling, barritt and Eastmond may all come into reckoning too

I see Italy have called up two mid-30s guys. Real shame to see they don't appear to have much coming through. I fully expect England to at least get north of 50 points here and tbh a record six nations result wouldn't surprise me, it'll be a massacre

I'll be at the match and I'm not sure tbh. Last week Italy were in touch with Ireland until they went a man down, then they basically imploded.

The last time we played them at Twickers, England were dire and actually failed to score any tries against them. I think we'll win, but I'm not sure it'll be a heavy victory (hope I'm wrong though).

I agree they will be changes for the Ireland game. Brookes is almost certain to miss out if Wilson is declared fit and there's no way Lawes would be dropped if he's okay to play. I fear that Eastmond will miss out, as he always seems to get rough end of stick when it comes to England selection. Also despite starting all but one England match in the last two years, I can see Joe Marler being benched in favour of Alex Corbisiero (despite him only playing 13 matches since the Lions tour).

England will annihilate them. Italy are at 6's and 7's and England ran through them at will in Rome last season

England are a good deal better than two years ago and Italy a good deal worse

Ireland: R Kearney; T Bowe, J Payne, R Henshaw, S Zebo; J Sexton, C Murray; J McGrath, R Best, M Ross; D Toner, P O'Connell (capt); P O'Mahony, S O'Brien, J Heaslip.

Replacements: S Cronin, C Healy, M Moore, I Henderson, J Murphy, I Boss, I Madigan, F Jones.
----
Dave Wilson is out for the rest of Six Nations, so looks like Brookes has timed his good form well.

Bad luck for him

Again this might just be another Blessing in Disguise in a way for England though. Wilson is a great goer and has capitalised very well but Dan Cole is definitely England's best option on form, and arguably the best tighthead in the Europe, and this gives him a chance to get some much needed international game time and become the number one number 3 () for the RWC

It'll be harsh on Marler but Corbisiero when fit is just a next level up. It's nothing to do with strength or skills so much as it is his brain, he's one of those players who always seems to be in the right place at the right time.

Eastmond is unlucky but Joseph was one of England's best players last week and Burrell has been fantastic over the last year for England.

England really seem to have an embarrassment of riches at 2nd row now (similar to 2003 he says wistfully), if Parling and Lawes come back during the 6N you'd think Kruis would be the man on the bench... but then when Launchberry comes back I've no idea who our best 2nd row would be.

Would like to see Croft given a run this week, but again, with Haskell on fire, if he doesn't read his own press and decide not to bother again he'll be hard to drop. I'd like to see us be up by 20 odd points after 50 minutes and then bring the bench on so they have some time to get into the game.

Nay chance Attwood will be dropped completely. He's my bet to partner lawes by RWC, having a terrific season and had an immense Autumn Series and game against Wales. Brings huge physicality.