CONCUSSION IS THE hot topic in rugby at the moment, and Leinster out-half Jimmy Gopperth can understand why.
The issue has come to the fore again this week following two incidents involving Wales’ George North during last weekend’s Six Nations game against England.
Jimmy Gopperth admits that he’s had his own personal experiences of being concussed, and although he now recognises the severity of the consequences of playing through it, the Kiwi didn’t always handle it correctly.
“As a youngfella you’re trying hard as much as possible, and you always think you can just shake it off,” Gopperth said.
“But as you get a bit older and a bit wiser, you know you can’t. You’re not just struggling for yourself, you’re leaving your team-mates down because you’re not 100%.”
Gopperth, who’ll join Wasps at the end of the season, is grateful for the quality of Leinster’s medical staff, who he has full trust in to treat concussion intelligently.
However, the 31-year-old says there are plenty of players who are suffering from the long-term effects of continuing to play while concussed.
Gopperth said: “As a player, you want to stay on the field as much as you can. But at the end of the day, it’s about your player welfare and I think Leinster are probably leading rugby about that.
“They’re keeping an eye on us, which is brilliant, because I’ve known players who have played through concussions and now they’re struggling through everyday life.
“Some guys are only 30-odd years old, and they’re struggling through life because their pride took over and they didn’t want to come off the field.
“Everyone wants to be the best player they can and stay on the field and do their best for the team, but if you get a knock you’ve got to be off the field, no matter how big the game is.
“The management and the doctors will take care of that, because nine times out of ten the player won’t just walk off.”
Hope they took dental impressions from his shoulder in hospital. Drag in all the Dublin players to look at their choppers.
Guilty player should receive a lengthy ban and criminal prosecution.
From a dub.
There can be an awful Whif of sheep of them Donegal heads,poor lad was probably just a bit peckish!
Disgraceful incident if that’s what happened and has absolutely no place on the football pitch or anywhere in civilised society! However, it is not the first time I’ve heard of this type of assault in inter county football.
Sounds like sour grapes to me. Donegal are just a bunch of whingers.
Sure why would they have sour grapes. Isn’t relegation all part of McGuinness’s master plan. What a load of bullshit.
Agreed – sure he said all along that staying up isn’t a priority.
McGuinness’s master plan? Now you’re talking bullshit!
It seems one if the two replying is confused. I was saying that mcguinness is the bullshitter.
Apologies Luca
Theyve been beaten before and never came out with something like this so why would they do it now?
I seriously doubt a team would go public with something like that unless they were certain there was intent there.
Dont try and deflect away from the incident lads.
IF it has happened, and i say IF, would you condone the action of biting on the football field?
Why would they pick a fight with a team that has a huge media backing especially when it will be difficult to prove. There was time to contemplate this too so I doubt it is an impulse reaction to the result.
Huge media support??? The Donegal Democrat never gives the Dubs a fair crack of the whip…
Well pardon the lad then so for bringing it to the attention of the medical staff that this happened, this did happen and for someone to say its a case of winging is bull! As I said in another post if it was the other way around it would not take two days to get into the national media the culprit should get a lengthy ban nasty thing to do.
http://www.thescore.ie/dublin-jason-whelan-ban-1277911-Jan2014/
Ah sure the Dublin players will be grand the gaa will prob blame paul galvin for it ,
Galvin would have given a love bite
dubs are only rotten mungralls for bitten on the field.
If not just souur shpuds, hopefully the player in question gets some more shots on target next time and just hypodermic ones in the arse!! Jimmys winning PR battles!
Your that much of a clown. You can’t even spell the word Mongrel correctly.
dereck il spell it my way and u spell it ur way ya u filthy lookin clown
I sincerely hope the Dublin player in question got a tetanus jab afterwards…
I would like to take this moment to point out that Tyrone had nothing to do with this particular bite.
The dog bit him when he went home blame the dubs for everything
Typical anti-dub rhetoric here. Guilty before anyone knows what went on.
No sense of humour here at all
Got bit on the shoulder heard it all now, what a bunch of whingers
If I bit your shoulder I bet you’d be whinging too.
Bitten
Depends who was doing the biting.
Would that be a shoulder to cry on?
The Walking Dub
Biters will be bitin’?
That’s just nasty, biting someone.
I never knew Luis Suarez had signed for the Dubs….
He could ate an apple through a tennis racket.
Lol class
At least they only spit in Rugby!
Pretty sure they bite as well. Regardless of what sport it is, its not acceptable
You can’t please everyone, I often hear people complain because there is no bite in the game, then when there is….
What about a bit of needle?
Those jackeens were always hungry lads
It’s happening for years at least the gum shield law will ease the pain
Look at him. He’s a ride!!! I bite him any day!
More than likely the bite was from some dirty oul Donegal bird from the night before
How would it be sour grapes, sure they drew the match. Dublin didn’t relegate Donegal sure they didn’t even beat them!
No place for it. Seems that both Dublin and Donegal aware of it. How are they going to prove it?
Bloody savaged
did you mean..
A) Bloodily savaged
B) Bloody savage
C) Bloody savaged he was
” The Armagh whistler was forced to leave the game during the second-half after injuring his ankle with Sligo’s Marty Duffy taking his place instead ” ………… WHAT ARE YOU ON ABOUT FINTAN ?
The referee going off injured and being replaced.