In thanking Edinburgh’s staff for the patience shown as he spent half the season out of action with concussion symptoms, Scotland centre Matt Scott has raised further concerns about player welfare.
The 28-year-old returned to action in March after a five month lay-off caused by a collision that he did not immediately realise had been serious enough to sideline him.
Scott played the remainder of that match in October, before reporting symptoms two days later and received text book treatment at the club he re-joined last summer, but he does not believe those standards are being followed throughout the sport.
READ MORE: Matt Scott's case highlights worrying issue re rugby's on-going concussion problem
“I’ve seen it in the professional game. Guys are saying they have a headache but they just don’t tell (the medics),” said Scott.
“It is easy to say I would never play with a headache, but you’ve got guys who are perhaps coming to the last two or three months of their contracts, they don’t have a club for next year, and they’re thinking, ‘I’ve got a bit of a headache but I’m not going to declare that because I need to play for a club because no one will pick me up if I’ve not played with the concussion.’
“In an ideal world you wouldn’t play with a concussion, but even coming up to World Cup time, if somebody picks up a head knock before they get on the plane to Japan... do you mention it or do you not?”
Scott also cited the case currently being pursued by former Canadian international against French Top 14 team Clermont Auvergne, relating to the consequences of head injuries suffered during his career, as cause for concern.
“If you’re thinking about moving to France you do have to think.
“If I was in that situation in a French club I reckon they would be saying ‘play or we don’t pay you’. I don’t think I would have been given the same treatment as I have been here,” he claimed.
“That’s maybe a bit of a generalisation, but Cockers (Edinburgh head coach Richard Cockerill) never once asked me when I would be back.
“It was always just ‘come back when you’re ready’. That was really good.”
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