Former Scotland captain Rory Lawson says the smart mouthguard is a “huge step forward” in rugby's efforts to reduce the risk of brain injury.
Scotland hooker George Turner became the first player in Six Nations history to be diagnosed with a head injury after a sensor in his mouthguard detected an impact during Saturday's defeat to France.
Lawson said BBC Scottish Rugby Podcast He believes “advances in technology” can be an important tool in reducing concussions for players and make the game safer.
“An alternative option that we have had for some time is to have an independent match doctor watch the match live and also do a delayed broadcast so that they can confirm and reflect on what happened, but that remains to be determined. It’s up to you” naked eye.
“Currently we are implanting this chip within the mouthguard of players who select it, but it is still an option, but they are aware that it will be passed on to an independent match doctor and the player can then be withdrawn. ing.”
Sensors inside the mouthguard detect impacts to the head, acceleration, and deceleration.
In the men's game, if an impact is detected above 70g and 4,000 radians squared, a warning will be issued that the player will need to be removed from the field for a Head Injury Assessment (HIA).
This happened to Turner in the 12th minute of Scotland's 20-16 defeat to France at Murrayfield. Hooker passed HIA and returned to the field a few minutes later.
“I think this is a big step forward because it takes some of the intangibles out of the equation,” Lawson said.
“It could be something going on at the bottom of the rack, or something that may not seem very obvious but turns out to be the case. [more serious]. This is a huge step forward and must continue.
“We want to promote the narrative that sport is safe and player welfare is at the forefront of sport, and this is a huge step forward in that regard.”
