Guinness Six Nations
Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
World Rugby is the governing board for rugby union and has decreed that elite players should wear mouth guard sensors in an effort to monitor possible concussion. The aim is for them to be an integral part of every rugby player's equipment during training and in matches across the world.
Sensor mouth guard
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They may
already be in use in ice hockey, field hockey, volleyball and any other sport
in which blows to the head through collision might occur. It is sensible to
attempt to minimise head injuries. The days of getting up, shaking the head and
carrying on in a haze are gone, thankfully. More is known about the effects of
concussion, particularly the potential long-term effects, and the players are
generally heavier than those of decades past.
The 2024 Guinness
Six Nations Championship is entering its second weekend. Already, two players
have been sent off for head injury assessments (HIA) because their mouth guard sensors
have indicated trauma. Will it slow the game even more? Perhaps it will open the
way for substitute players to be given a chance to win a ‘cap’.
