Northampton escape sanction over George North incident but he was concussed

Northampton escape sanction over George North incident but he was concussed

  • Northampton will not face any sanction over the handling of George North’s concussion
  • The wing has been stood down since appearing to lie motionless following a tackle by Adam Thompstone
  • North was allowed to return to action against Leicester, despite his heavy fall during the match
  • Tv pundit Ugo Monye claimed the wing should not have been on the pitch
Northampton Saints will not be sanctioned following the investigation into their treatment of George North’s latest head injury, but it has been ruled that the Wales wing should not have returned to the field of play.

The Wales wing has been stood down since appearing to lie motionless following a tackle in the air by Adam Thompstone in Saints’ 19-11 defeat by Leicester on 3 December.

North was allowed to return to action against Leicester, despite his heavy fall during the match, with Northampton since admitting the 24-year-old may have suffered a head injury, despite him passing pitch-side checks.

A concussion management panel comprised of the RFU professional rugby director, Nigel Melville, Premiership Rugby’s rugby director, Phil Winstanley, and the independent chairman, Dr Julian Morris, issued its findings on Wednesday, with the club escaping sanctions:

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The report states that, although North appeared to lie motionless after the incident, he told medics he had stayed still because he was “concerned about his neck”.

North also “continued to deny any loss of consciousness with immediate recall of events”, with the “only symptom recorded being neck pain”.

The Northampton back suffered four head blows in five months between November 2014 and March 2015, including two in one game against England in the Six Nations.