BBCTwo former Bristol and Exeter skilled rugby gamers inform of their uncannily related lives – together with a dementia prognosis of their 30s – as a part of a brand new BBC documentary.
Finest buddies Jason Hobson and Neil Clark imagine their diagnoses of early onset dementia is due to repeated head impacts whereas enjoying.
They’re a part of a lawsuit through which lots of of former gamers are taking motion towards three of rugby’s governing our bodies.
World Rugby refutes the claims and mentioned it wished gamers to know: “We care”.
Neil Clark, from Porthleven in Cornwall, and finest pal Jason Hobson performed for a similar golf equipment on the similar time for many of their careers and had related accidents.
Within the documentary, Neil mentioned to Jason: “You do your knee, I’ll do my knee, you do your shoulder, I will do my shoulder, you do your neck, I’ll do my neck.”
Jason, who was capped for England, jokingly replied: “It’s at all times like one-upmanship on who can get harm the worst.”
Neil mentioned their parallel lives weren’t restricted to their enjoying careers, remarking that they married their companions, “then it was godfathers to one another’s children. After which divorced.”
Jason continued: “It labored out that once I was down, you had been there and whenever you had been down, I used to be there.”
‘Responsibility of Care’
Neil and Jason are two of lots of of gamers taking authorized motion towards three of rugby’s governing our bodies.
The lawsuit claims that the game’s authorities had been negligent of their obligation of care and failed to guard gamers from concussions and repetitive head accidents.
Jason mentioned his psychological well being had suffered as he awaited his prognosis.
“I used to be prepared to not be right here, I assumed, genuinely thought that my youngsters could be higher off, and my spouse, with out me of their life,” he mentioned.
In a press release, World Rugby and The Welsh Rugby Union mentioned: “The continuing authorized motion prevents us from reaching out to gamers concerned on this programme, we would like them to know we care, we hear they usually stay valued members of the rugby household.
“We’ll by no means stand nonetheless in terms of participant welfare in any respect ranges of the sport.”
The Rugby Soccer Union (RFU) mentioned: “The RFU’s paramount concern is and at all times has been the well being and well-being of gamers.”
It added: “Rugby is a number one sport in terms of funding in and dedication to damage and concussion surveillance, prevention and administration.”
All three governing our bodies contest the authorized claims. The trial is predicted subsequent 12 months.
Rugby on Trial airs on BBC One at 20:30 BST on Monday and can be out there on iPlayer.
