A player welfare group comprising expert medics, elite players, academics and coaches passionate about protecting rugby’s long-term future 🏉
Joined February 2021
- Tweets 9,086
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Pinned Tweet
29 Dec 2021
“Speak your truth quietly and clearly and respectfully, and let people know you are not against rugby, you just want to improve the quality of life for your fellow human beings. That is what this is all about.”
Dr Bennet Omalu to Progressive Rugby - March 2021
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And to Ian Robertson, whose commentary, especially for the RWC final in 2003, is absolutely legendary.
Congratulations to Ian Robertson, awarded an OBE for services to Rugby Union and to broadcasting in the Birthday 2026 Honours list. #congratulations #ukhonours #scottishsport @scotlandteam @ActiveScotGov @sportscotland @MareeToddMSP
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With huge, huge congratulations to Sir Kevin!
Jun 12
Arise... Sir Kevin Sinfield.
The rugby league legend, who has raised over £11 million for MND causes, inspired by his late friend and team-mate Rob Burrow, has become Sir Kevin in the King’s Birthday Honours list.
He spoke to Sally Nugent for #BBCBreakfast
bbc.co.uk/sport/articles/c07…
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We have continually advocated for longer mandatory stand down periods post a concussion / brain injury. This article explains why the stand down period should be increased to a minimum of 28 days.
tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.…
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Awful - what is the point of having a stand down period if clubs can apply for an exemption? And on what grounds can they apply?
Authorities need to stand firm on player welfare and recovery and need to make education about concussions and brain injuries mandatory.
Jun 1
Sea Eagles are reportedly set to apply for an exemption to the 11 day stand down period associated with the NRL’s concussion protocols in order to name Tolu Koula to play this week.
Koula failed his HIA after being removed with Category 2 signs of concussion in Origin 1 last week.
If the application is successful Koula would play this Thursday - 8 days post concussion.
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Progressive Rugby retweeted
An excellent blog post explaining the legal defences that big sports utilise in minimising the harm of brain injury in their sports. Well done @weirdnotwild
May 29
After The Final Whistle: CTE and the Law
“So you watch these men play and you cheer and you love them and you know that some percentage of them are already living inside a timeline that ends short.”
puckitweball.blog/2026/05/28…
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Progressive Rugby retweeted
May 28
Happy Heavenly 30th Benjamin 🙏♥️
29-5-96 to 31-01-11
Forever 14 🙏
Grief does not fade nor does our love ❤️
Dad X
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Extract from the new @WorldRugby strategy re player welfare. Not convinced about the commercial angle but if it gets results … also would like to see the mouth guard data and an explanation of what it is being used for.
Link to the full document below
resources.worldrugby-rims.pu…
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Thoughts and love to the family and friends of the great man.
May 17
Scottish Rugby is immensely saddened to learn of the death earlier today of former Scotland and British & Irish Lions centre, Scott Hastings. He was 61.
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Progressive Rugby retweeted
May 12
@worldrugbymedia @WorldRugby @ProgressiveRug @Head4Change @Scienceofsport @PlanetRugby
Rugby doesn't follow it's own HIA procol - those who administer the game can't continue to duck that fact - they own it🧵1/2
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Progressive Rugby retweeted
May 11
@WorldRugby @ProgressiveRug @Head4Change @PlanetRugby @Scienceofsport One weekend - needs to be addressed - need to see transparancy when the process fails - need to know players who should have been removed are treated as if they had been - no early return
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Progressive Rugby retweeted
ABC Australia News: Concussion treatment an evolving area with a long road to recovery abc.net.au/news/2026-05-09/r…
#Concussions #medicaltreatment #Australia #braininjury
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Former players will now have access to free medical screenings and cognitive testing after the Australian Rugby League Commission announced a ‘game changing’ new standard.
DETAILS ▶️ bit.ly/48NuD51
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Progressive Rugby retweeted
Jack Anderson: Why #concussion means we all need to get our head in the game.
"Conflating concussion in sport to a matter of public health carries with it the risk of letting individual sports off the hook." irishexaminer.com/sport-colu…
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Worth adding to this that there doesn’t need to be contact with the head for a brain injury to be sustained - a whiplash type incident for example.
There is a huge education piece needed around all of this for coaches, players and match officials. This just isn’t good enough.
May 7
@PlanetRugby @ExeterChiefs @RFU @worldrugby @ProgressiveRug @Head4Change @Scienceofsport @DavidWalshST Genuninely shocking from Baxter - And that nobody stepped in & explained the position to him after his idiotic comments after the game 🧵1/5
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The disparity between the written HIA process and the implementation are confusing - if Rob Baxter is interested, we have a panel of experts who would be delighted to have a constructive chat / discussion with him @ExeterChiefs
Thank goodness for the independent doctor!
We both know that there are a lot of resources available for coaches to educate themselves on the HIA process; given Baxter’s comments, perhaps it is time for mandatory annual training on it.
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Excellent thread on events in the Exeter match.
May 4
@ExeterChiefs @ChallengeCup_ @PremSportsTV @WorldRugby @worldrugbymedia @ProgressiveRug @Scienceofsport @head4change Every weekend a further demonstration that many in rugby simply don't understand the HIA protocols - big plus here was that the MDD got it right 🧵1/7
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Progressive Rugby retweeted
#CTE lawsuit filed by family of 1950s player results in $140 million verdict against NCAA.
The NCAA refusing to recognize the sports they've organized for more than 100 years have caused CTE in athletes appears to have hurt them in this case.
What's next? nbcsports.com/nfl/profootbal…
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Is it legal? Would need to see other angles but doesn’t look as though arms are involved.
And is ‘violence’ brilliant? A legal, try saving tackle, absolutely, but let’s not celebrate an act which could injure another player and result in a card for the ‘tackler’ …
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Progressive Rugby retweeted
Apr 29
Our founder, @AlixPopham, and the award-winning journalist Sam Peters, joined Dodge Woodall on the Eventful Lives Podcast to discuss rugby’s concussion crisis.
🎧 Listen on Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.
open.spotify.com/episode/4d0…
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Progressive Rugby retweeted
Brain injury in sport is out of control, and getting worse, writes a neurologist irishtimes.com/health/your-w…
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