Guidance – Serious Injury

This guidance is reproduced from section 5 of the Society’s Handbook (Events that must be Reported)

If a player is seriously injured during a game that you are refereeing, it is essential you contact the Honorary Secretary as soon as possible afterwards. You should also complete the appropriate injury event report form and send him/her a copy as a matter of urgency. The report should also be forwarded to the RFU, as noted on the form, if the injured party is kept in hospital overnight or will be out of action for 21 days or more.

A serious injury is one sustained in playing, or formal training, which prevents a player from being actively involved in playing Rugby Football for a period of 21 days or more. A very serious injury is one, which because of its severity, may result in an insurance claim. For insurance claims the injury must be sustained playing Rugby Football in a recognised game in which a player was to play or had played.

If the injury could be in any way thought to be the fault of the referee, it is essential to make a contemporaneous record immediately the game finishes and to have this signed by reliable witnesses before leaving the club/ground. This report could be particularly important should the injured player try to seek compensation from the referee’s insurance at a later date.

As well as your name and society, the information in the report should include match facts: date, teams, scores (at the time and at full-time), weather and ground conditions. Importantly, if known, it should also include the type of injury sustained and, if available, the player’s name and position. (It is the club’s responsibility to provide the RFU with all details including the personal details of the injured player).

The report should be concise, precise and factual, with an accurate account of exactly what happened (if witnessed). Include the actual time and elapsed time, plus details of any treatment and/or other action taken. Reference to any relevant antecedents should also be made, e.g. temper of game and the number of collapsed scrums.

Points to note:

  • The responsibility for medical support lies with the home club/school
  • Under no circumstances should a referee treat, or attempt to treat, an injured player
  • Referees must be familiar with World Rugby’s Concussion Guidance and the RFU’s Headcase protocol. They should also complete the RFU Concussion Awareness Training Module.
  • Under Law 3:
    1. If, at any point during a match, a player is concussed or has suspected concussion, that player must be immediately and permanently removed from the playing area. This process is known as “Recognise and Remove”. There is no Head Injury Assessment (HIA) protocol in the Community Game.
    2. The referee may also order an injured player to leave the playing area to be medically examined or for treatment for an open wound or blood injury.
    3. The referee may decide (with or without medical advice) that it would be inadvisable for a player to continue. In that case, the referee will order that player to leave the playing area.

Society Advice to Referees

  1. Allowing play to continue is founded in custom and practice.
  2. You, as the referee, do not have responsibility for medical support.
  3. Before kick-off, you are strongly advised to check with the clubs whether they have medical staff/physio personnel in attendance. If so, you should tell these personnel that they may enter the field of play at any time if they see somebody down, and that they should immediately draw your attention to a serious injury that requires the match to be stopped. The injured player should then be moved from the playing area if, in the view of the medics/captain, it is safe to do so, to enable the match to continue.
  4. It is normal to continue with play as long as the player receiving treatment is not in the way, or potentially in the way if play was to develop, or he/she is a front-row player required for a scrum that has been ordered.
  5. At the next stoppage check with the player/medic as to the nature of the injury – last sentence in point 3 then applies.
  6. If no medic is available (often the case in lower level club matches), then at the earliest possible opportunity, stop the match and allow the captain to decide on the course of action (point 2 applies). Even if it is a minor injury, he/she should leave the playing area to obtain treatment so that the game can continue.
  7. Common-sense must always be applied:
    1. If you are aware that a player has gone down in innocuous circumstances, and decide to let play continue briefly, keep an eye on the situation
    2. Clearly, if it is a major collision, say a clash of heads, then it would be advisable to stop the game immediately
    3. Particular care needs to be exercised with junior/colts/ school sides
    4. The over-riding principle is that if ever you have any doubt about safety, stop the match immediately, regardless of the circumstances.