Vastly experienced as he is Matt Scott reckons he inadvertently put himself at further risk after the impact that he believes caused his five month lay-off from rugby because he did not realise it had been worthy of reporting at the time.

As soon as the 28-year-old international centre reported symptoms his club’s protocols kicked into place and he was properly protected until he was ready to play again.

“It was horrendous,” he admitted. “It couldn’t really have happened at a worse time. It was just after the first round of European games (Edinburgh’s home game against Toulon in October) and we were going into Scotland camp for the autumn Tests.

“Basically, I got a forearm to my head on the stroke of half-time. I wasn’t knocked out but I remember thinking that it was quite a big blow to my head. At half-time I felt a bit groggy but I’ve felt fine and went out and played and finished the game. I came into the Scotland camp on the Sunday night and I thought I was fine, but on the Monday in the gym we were doing some light weights and I felt sick and dizzy. I realised it must have been from that blow to my head. I was thinking then that I would be fine for the next week, for the next game, but next week becomes next month and it dragged on for five months with headaches every day.”

While he drew some solace from being far from alone, the implications for the sport are evident.

“It is such an intangible injury,” he said. “There are no scars and no broken bones. You’re ready when you are symptom-free. It was encouraging in a weird way to hear that a lot of guys like (Scotland and ex-Edinburgh team-mate) Dave Denton were going through the same thing. I’m close with him and it was good to know that I wasn’t the only one experiencing this. I thought, ‘Jesus, this is really unusual, I’m taking so long to come back’, but you find that a lot now, with the level of awareness and medical support, guys are not returning to play as quickly as they used to.

“They are big on you being honest with them, saying you have still got a headache. I can imagine it was incredibly frustrating for the coaches as well as myself. I was basically doing every bit of training apart from contact. I would be running around and doing all the drills, lifting in the gym. I felt quick and strong and fit but I wasn’t able to play. It’s a bit bizarre. You would see me running around and think I was looking sharp, looking good. It’s a bit of a tricky one.”

With studies still on-going into the implications of concussion in sport, Scott believes players need to be wary in terms of their longer-term health.

“For someone like Dave, who is on his third or fourth bad one and has just had a kid, you do start to have those conversations with yourself,” he observed. “For me, it was my first real big one and I feel sort of fine now. I wouldn’t say I got to this stage where I asked if it was worth it, but if you asked me after my second or third one - hopefully I don’t get there - then my answer might be different.”

There are also players who somehow need to be protected from themselves, difficult as that may be, given the internal nature of any damage and that reliance on an element of self-diagnosis throughout the process.

“There are guys who wouldn’t care, they just want to play rugby,” said Scott. “Rugby is their life and that’s everything. I think I’m quite good at looking at the bigger picture. If it got to the stage where it was a real risk to my health then I would probably stop. If you play rugby you are putting yourself in that vulnerable position.”

Around long enough to have played in the days when there was far less awareness of the issue, Scott meanwhile expressed concern for the most courageous players of previous generations.

“I remember seeing stuff about John Shaw who used to play for Currie. I remember watching him when I was younger. He was one of those all-action guys, hard as nails and if he had a bit of a headache then I imagine he would crack on and play,” he said.

The right measures may now be in place, but fears remain that there will be a significant price for players and the sport as a whole to pay. Brutal as the modern game has become, current players are probably the lucky ones in having the chance to understand the risks they are taking, whether they heed them or not.