Former Springboks doctor pressurised to allow player with head injury to continue at RWC
This article is sourced from an article by www.rugbypass.com
A former Springboks’ team doctor says he was pressured to keep a player on the pitch despite a head injury during his time as the national team’s lead medic – something he refused to do.
Dr Craig Roberts, was with South Africa for eight years, and was the Springboks’ lead doctor at the 2011 and 2015 Rugby World Cup tournaments.
During an interview he recalled one incident where he had to take his earpiece out to end communication with an emotional head coach who wanted to keep one particular player on the pitch at the flagship tournament.
“I’ve worked with many different managers. Some of them are amazing and some of them get really emotional on the day,” Dr Roberts, who now works in football, said.
“I’ve had a few where the manager is trying to convince you that this player should carry on and try to stay on the pitch when you know clearly he can’t. Those are the type of conflicts I don’t miss.
“I’ve had one in a World Cup actually, where eventually I literally had to take my earpiece out of my ear and just walk the player off the pitch.
“He’d taken a knock to the head and was clearly unable to continue and in the moment the manager was very keen for him to stay. He obviously didn’t know the information I had, and he was pushing me to try and keep him.
“I always had those discussions with the manager before the game.
“There are certain non-negotiables, and that’s a non-negotiable with a player.
“We were left a man down in a very crucial position but that player couldn’t carry on. I wouldn’t have had many of those decisions but sometimes you have to make those.”
Dr Roberts said since leaving rugby he has had time to reflect on his the game.
He said: “Rugby is a brutal, brutal sport. The more you spend time away from it, the more you realise how brutal it actually is. It’s a full-on collision sport and you do see horrific injuries.
“Some of those injuries I saw in rugby, I don’t want to ever see again.
“A lot of time you’re heightenedly aware in a rugby game. You’re thinking ‘What if this? What if that? What if this player goes down? What if this is a neck injury?
“It’s a tough, tough game. At times you see players colliding with each other and think how on earth are these players going to stand up and they just bounce up and carry on.”