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Concussions nothing new in rugby, says former referee

By Justin Palmer LONDON (Reuters) - As a coach, Premiership referee and now television match official, Sean Davey has seen his fair share of concussed players on a rugby pitch. He "saw stars" himself several times as a player. The sight of a player lying motionless after a blow to the head is nothing new, but the big question in the sport following recent high-profile incidents is: just how dangerous is rugby and are players now more at risk? For Davey, who took charge of a top-flight game for the first time in 2004 before calling a halt two years ago to "move upstairs", the jury is still out. "I don't think there is a disease in our game. It's just that because awareness has been raised, the spotlight is on concussion," the 50-year-old told Reuters. "For me concussion has always been there, maybe the nature of it is now different and that's for the medics to show but there is now much more clarity on how we deal with it. "There is a lot more evidence and statistics that need to come through. Evidence is building, not just from rugby, from all contact sports." The number of reported concussions in English rugby rose by 59 percent in 2013-14 compared to the previous season. Rugby's governing bodies believe the increase is because of improved understanding of head injuries and Davey agrees. "We're moving absolutely in the right direction, putting protocols in place for putting the health of a player first. "Every time you raise awareness you are going to get statistics and figures to support that (rise in reported concussions). "It doesn't mean we are being negligent. It just means we are doing the reporting of them far better." Davey, who launched the career of England forward Joe Launchbury in his former job as coach at Christ's Hospital School near Horsham, does recognise that the pace of the game and size of players is evolving. "Players, compared to 10 years ago, are faster, stronger fitter. "They are not so much bigger... you had just as heavy and tall guys in the past but they were not as honed or fit as now. "What you find with modern training techniques is players today are more explosive, they get much more power into their actions." Pretty sure that there were "no protocols in place" when he first picked up the whistle, Davey is reassured at the steps that are being taken in concussion management. In October, English rugby announced major changes to the way concussion is managed in the professional game with all players, coaches and officials needing to pass an online module. While player safety would always be paramount for referees, the onus, Davey said, was on medical staff and not officials when a player has sustained a head injury. "We're not doctors. What's apparent now is that there is clear responsibility of the medical staff to look after the players," he said. "The game has become more and more professional and more and more in the public eye. Protocols have been put in place to match that. It's an evolutionary thing." (Editing by Ken Ferris)