These are your rugby morning headlines on Tuesday, March 29.
Ex-Welsh rugby player’s family join legal fight on concussion
The family of former Neath and Llanelli back-row forward Peter Jones have joined the legal fight on concussion.
Jones has been revealed as the first British ex-rugby player known to have died with chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) – a progressive brain condition caused by repeated blows to the head. He died in March 2src21 after battling dementia and the Daily Mail reports that a post-mortem revealed he died with CTE.
The former flanker of the Welsh amateur era first showed signs of dementia aged 58 before a diagnosis two years later in 2src1src.
Read more: Wayne Pivac should go and Alun Wyn Jones no longer gets in the Wales team – the fans’ view
His son Lloyd told the newspaper: “It was obviously upsetting when he died but finding out he had CTE was more upsetting. Most of his mind and soul had already gone before he died. CTE stole his brain and his personality and stole him from us. To try and cope, I’ve thought to myself that maybe now my dad is dead, his mind and soul are back together again. Hopefully, that’s the case. I’m obviously not glad he’s dead, but maybe it was for the best.”
“Rugby did give him a lot, but it probably took more away,” he added.
The family have now joined a landmark legal case against World Rugby, the Rugby Football Union and the Welsh Rugby Union for alleged failure to protect them from the risks caused by concussion.
