Following a World Rugby-led initiative to strengthen pitch-side medical procedures for players at the elite level, the quality of care administered in French professional rugby has improved dramatically this year.

In 2015, World Rugby recommended that all pitch-side medical staff had a minimum specialist qualification and from 2017 this qualification was made mandatory. The result was that World Rugby has been working hard with the Fédération Française de Rugby (FFR) to develop a team of trainers who could deliver the Immediate Care in Rugby course (Level 2) in French to the French rugby community.

As the competition organisers for the Top 14 and Pro D2 leagues, the Ligue Nationale de Rugby (LNR) has ensured that in order to access and deliver the successful head injury assessment tool, all medical staff needed to be specifically trained accordingly.

To that end, World Rugby and the FFR ran two courses at Marcoussis, near Paris with each course containing 26 participants from LNR clubs, FFR national teams and the FFR insurance company. All candidates were assessed against pre-determined competencies. 

World Rugby Chief Medical Officer Dr Martin Raftery said: “This is a very positive step forward and I’d like to thank the FFR and LNR for driving this process and putting player welfare at the top of their priorities where it belongs. The Immediate Care in Rugby course equips team medics and match-day doctors with the required skills to provide appropriate care for players who have sustained suspected concussions or other injuries.”

The major components of the course are:

  • Completion of a number of online learning prerequisites (this allows the candidates to spend more time in practice while on the course)
  • Implementation of the safety and SABCDE approach
  • Effective management of airways
  • Breathing status assessment
  • Circulation, bleeding and shock assessment
  • Neurological disability and concussion assessment
  • Implementation of basic life-support and use of AED
  • Assessment of possible spinal injury
  • Management of limb injuries
  • Recognition and management of a range of other medical emergencies.

Following the training every Top 14 and Pro D2 club now has at least one medic with the appropriate qualifications. For more information about player welfare issues, go to playerwelfare.worldrugby.org.