England skipper Courtney Lawes has backed calls for mandatory brain scans
>
England captain Courtney Lawes has backed calls for mandatory brain scans after spending nearly three months sidelined with nerve damage in his neck — forcing him to miss the entire autumn international series.
- England star Courtney Lawes has backed calls for mandatory brain tests
- The 33-year-old has been sidelined for three months with a neck injury.
- He returned to club action last week for Northampton from the bench.
Courtney Lawes has backed calls for mandatory brain scans after spending three months sidelined with nerve damage.
The England captain has been out of action with a neck injury and will make his first start since September today in Northampton’s clash with Munster.
Lawes was given the go-ahead after the brain scans, but he backed Dylan Hartley’s recent call in the Mail on Sunday to make the procedure mandatory for all players.
England captain Courtney Lawes (above) has backed calls for mandatory brain scans
‘They’re getting baselines for almost everything now, so why not a brain scan? It makes a lot of sense,” Lawes said.
“It comes at a cost, but if we’re really interested in the well-being of the players and make sure that once we leave the sport, we’re never going to be as good as when we came in, but we’re there or around, that’s certainly good for the game.
The 33-year-old has been out of action for nearly three months with nerve damage in his neck.
As a result, Lawes (center) missed the entire fall international series.
‘When I started, nobody was worried about concussions. I just had my brain scan this year. It’s a contact sport, you’re going to take a lot of hits to the head, if only for research purposes, it’s not a bad idea.
Lawes, 33, will hope to get Northampton’s Champions Cup campaign back on track today, with an eye on rediscovering his form ahead of the Six Nations.
He captained England during Eddie Jones’ summer tour but now faces an uncertain future with a change in manager and a decision to be made about his club’s future beyond the end of the season.
Lawes made his return to club action last week for Northampton from the bench
“My contract doesn’t necessarily end this year, there are options there,” he said. ‘At the end of the day, I have to do what’s best for me and my family.
“I would love to stay at Saints, at the same time you have to find the best for yourself and your family, as Dan Biggar has done.
‘That’s the most important thing, especially when you get a little older. I think I’ll probably get one more contract myself, then terminate it at the end of that.’