Henshaw return was reckless says doctor

The carnage in Cardiff last Sunday added up to a Six Nations record, one which the organisers will most definitely be rushing to shout from the rooftops.

- PETER JACKSON

By the time Wales and Ireland had finished leaving the old game in a more battered state than they found it, five players had been taken off for Head Injury Assessments (HIA’s), a euphemistic acronym for suspected brain damage. Five, all in the same match, fell into that category over a period which worked out at one every eight minutes.

Such a fact will not be found in the blizzard of statistics churned out after every match even if some figures are of dubious relevance. Multiple HIA’s are more likely to be found swept under that part of the carpet reserved for subjects liable to damage the image of the game. “Move Along,” says the warning. “Nothing to see here.”

Four of the five failed their tests last weekend – Johnny Williams and Hallam Amos of Wales, James Ryan and Johnny Sexton from Ireland. The one exception, Leinster centre Robbie Henshaw, returned to action last Sunday and will be in the thick of it against France in Dublin this afternoon.