Former England wing Anthony Watson has said he cheated a head injury assessment (HIA) during the second Test of the British and Irish Lions tour of New Zealand in 2017.
Watson, speaking in a new BBC documentary, “Ben Youngs Investigates: How Safe Is Rugby?”, said he had felt the symptoms of concussion following a high tackle from All Black Sonny Bill Williams, which earned him a red card.
“I knew the impact was big and as I got in to do the protocol I was starting to feel a bit hazy,” Watson said.
“At that stage I knew the protocols. They give you five words to remember so it is ‘elbow-apple-carpet-saddle-bubble’. That is what I had.
“I managed to get through the walking tests and all of that and then when it came to the words, I knew it off by heart so I knew I was going to get straight back on.”
Watson played the rest of the match, as well as the third Test of the series the following week.
World Rugby has since changed the recall element of the HIA protocol, removing the five words to remember for a more random method that would be harder to prepare for.
The subject of player welfare, and how the sport deals with head injuries, remains a hot topic in rugby – and there can still be a culture of silence around concussion at the elite levels.
But centre Garry Ringrose self-reported concussion symptoms before the second Test of the Lions tour of Australian last summer, sitting out the match.
