The Real Science of Sport Podcast Is Rugby's Head Injury Process Working? / Hitting the Wall and Carb Depletion / Can Sexias Match Pogacar? / Should Doped World Records Be Reset?
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Mar 4, 2026 Discussion of rugby welfare, tackle counts and whether concussion screening and tech are catching head injuries properly. A dive into endurance sport fuel use and why athletes 'hit the wall' in long races. Debate over cycling anti-doping pressure and efforts to catch high-profile cheaters. Questions about whether historic athletics records tainted by doping should be wiped.
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Why Rugby Uses Redundant Concussion Checks
- Rugby's concussion system uses multiple redundancies because single checks fail in practice.
- Mouthguard sensors catch only the rarest high-acceleration impacts (threshold ~1-in-1000) and are meant to supplement, not replace, visual assessments.
Calibrate Mouthguards And Keep Alerts Pragmatic
- Calibrate mouthguard devices and educate players to preserve data and avoid false alerts.
- Set alert thresholds conservatively (aim ~one alert per match) to prevent overwhelming medical staff and losing player buy-in.
Anthony Watson Admitted Cheating A Concussion Test
- Anthony Watson admitted memorizing concussion test words in 2017 to pass a sideline assessment and continue playing.
- World Rugby responded by lengthening word lists (from five to 10 then to 30) to reduce easy memorization.