George North was at the centre of another concussion scare after the Wales wing suffered a sickening blow to the head during Northampton’s 52-30 win over Wasps in the English Premiership on Friday.
After suffering a concussion in Wales’ opening Six Nations match against England last month, when he was knocked out twice, there were worrying scenes for North, who took a thudding knee to the head from Wasps’ Nathan Hughes in the act of scoring a try and lay motionless on the ground for several minutes.
To the relief of North’s team-mates, the 22-year-old eventually started moving as medics attended to him before he was stretchered from the pitch.
Hughes claimed his contact with North was unintentional, but after watching replays on the big screen, referee Craig Maxwell-Keys decided to issue a red card five minutes before half-time.
North’s previous head injuries in the Six Nations forced him to miss the subsequent match against Scotland and his latest blow is certain to spark more questions about the player’s welfare and the current protocols regarding those who suffer concussions.
However, Northampton director of rugby Jim Mallinder, speaking to BT Sport after the match, said North may be available to play in their European tie at Clermont next weekend.
“He clearly took a bang straight to the head but he came round and he sat up in the changing room and managed to have a little sing-song,” Mallinder said.
“We’ll look after him and hopefully he’ll be okay next weekend.”
The injury to North overshadowed a dynamic display from Northampton, who romped to a victory that enabled them to open up a 14-point lead at the top of the Premiership.