Rugby Ontario takes the welfare of players very seriously, in keeping with our mission to promote, develop, and administer the playing of rugby under safe conditions in this province. Concussion safety and prevention are important player welfare concerns, and World Rugby has created guidelines for the diagnosis, management, and graduated return to play of players who have suffered a concussion.

Rugby Ontario policy requires all matches under its jurisdiction to be played in accordance to World Rugby Laws of the Game and their Regulations. Specifically, World Rugby Regulation 10.1 Concussion states – a Concussion must be taken extremely seriously. Players suspected of having a concussion or diagnosed with concussion MUST be removed from the field of play and take no further part in the Match or training. Players suspected of having a concussion or diagnosed with concussion MUST go through a graduated return to play protocol described in the World Rugby Concussion Guidelines.

Rugby Ontario strongly recommends that all players, coaches, parents, referees, administrators, medical practitioners, and other rugby stakeholders educate themselves on the Guidelines and Graduated Return to Play process through the newly released education modules from the World Rugby, which are available on https://playerwelfare.worldrugby.org/.

The Concussion Modules cover scenarios where medical practitioners are available to oversee the process, as well as situations where members of the team; coaches, parents and indeed the players themselves may need to manage a concussion. The World Rugby resources are designed to ensure players that do suffer a concussion are managed effectively for their long-term health and welfare.

Collectively, we have a responsibility to ensure that all rugby stakeholders are fully aware of the dangers of concussion and how best it should be managed.

World Rugby Concussion Guidelines: these are the latest guidelines, produced by World Rugby Medical Committee for the management of concussions both for senior and age-grade players where trained medical staff are not available.

World Rugby has recently devoted significant attention to the issue of concussion in rugby, and how best to identify and mitigate the effects of concussion in players. Rugby Canada’s Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Paul Watson, sits on World Rugby Medical Committee that developed the Pitch Side Concussion Assessment initiative now implemented in all World Rugby-sanctioned international events and has also developed these updated guidelines.