‘Smart’ mouth guards come under fire as several players are dragged from the field in Super Rugby Pacific opening round

Smart mouthguards designed to reduce concussions have come under fire in the opening round of Super Rugby Pacific, with players complaining of being removed from the field despite feeling no symptoms.

To tackle the increase in concussions, World Rugby has teamed up with Prevent Biometrics to create a ‘smart’ mouthguard.

This innovative device has sensors that track the impact on the head and measure accelerations and decelerations.

In a recent Six Nations tournament match, Scotland’s George Turner made history when he was taken off the field when his clever mouthguard signaled a dangerous collision.

This partnership aims to reduce the number of concussions in sports by using advanced technology for player safety.

The technology was rolled out in the opening matches of Super Rugby Pacific, with All Blacks star Anton Lienert-Brown’s gaze visibly removed as he was taken off the field at a crucial moment as his Chiefs played the Highlanders.

The smart mouthguard has sensors on the inside that detect accelerations and decelerations

Crusaders star Quinten Strange was also unimpressed that he was hooked due to the measurements of the smart mouthguard he was wearing.

“Oh boy, there’s going to be some talk about these HIAs,” says Sky Sport commentator Tony Johnson of Stan Sport’s reporting.

“This is another one that’s a result of these mouthguards.

“You see the mouthguard, smart mouthguards, I’m not quite sure how smart at this point.”

Johnson questioned the timing of the HIA call in the Highlanders v Chiefs match, with Lienert-Brown being dragged with the match on the line and just one point in it.

“This is huge because it leaves them without such an important member of their backline,” he said.

‘Quinn Strange went off in the first half. He didn’t seem to know what was going on. Anton Leinert-Brown says: ‘Are you kidding me?’

World Rugby has invested more than $3 million in the creation of these mouthguards. The devices send real-time alerts to side doctors during matches, flagging high-speed collisions that could indicate possible concussions.

Scottland’s George Turner was the first player to be taken off the field for a HIA due to a smart mouthguard warning

All Blacks champion Jeff Wilson said there may be issues with the thresholds for the new smart mouthguards

Former All Black, Jeff Wilson, pointed out that there have been issues with the thresholds for the mouthguards. However, he stressed that once a certain impact point is reached, players are mandated to leave the game for safety reasons.

“It’s certainly not a perfect practice, they’ve admitted they still have some learning to do,” Wilson said.

‘But it is in the safety (interests) of the players. It certainly has a crucial effect on the Chiefs at this point.”

Lienert-Brown’s HIA had no impact on the final result as his Chiefs kicked a penalty shortly after he left the field to claim a thrilling win.

However, Chiefs skipper Scott Barrett was unimpressed at losing a star player with the match on the line, showing no obvious signs of concussion.

“Honestly, I think it’s a step too far for you as a player to get swept away and look around and ask ‘what actually happened?'” Barrett said.

“Obviously we want the players’ well-being and that’s the most important thing, but I think if you influence the game when key players are leaving and they don’t know what for, it can be frustrating for a player. It has to be a happy medium somewhere within.”