NORTHAMPTON HAVE TAKEN the decision to stand down George North until he has undergone an independent assessment of the head injury he suffered against Leicester on Saturday.
The Welsh winger was tackled in the air by Adam Thompstone but passed a pitch-side head injury assessment (HIA) during the game and was allowed to return.
The 24-year-old has a history of head injuries, including four head blows in five months between November 2014 and March 2015, and was left unconscious in an English Premiership match against Wasps.
That injury left him sidelined for five months.
While the Saints reiterated their stance that North did not lose consciousness during this incident, they did say that a review of the TV footage has caused them to take a more cautious approach with the player.
However, they added they did not have access to full television footage of the incident at the time:
“As at every Premiership match, the Saints’ medical team has access to video footage to be used to assist the pitch side assessment of injuries,” said the club.
“It is important to note this video footage is not always the full range of replay angles available to the TV viewing audience at home.
“If evidence suggesting a loss of consciousness had been available to the medical team at the time of assessment, George would not have been allowed to return to the field of play.”
Northampton play Leinster on Friday night.
