Changes to professional rugby “need to be made tomorrow” in order to stop more players getting dementia, a former Wales international player has said. 

Alix Popham is a 42-year-old former flanker who is now suing a number of rugby organisations after he was diagnosed with early onset dementia. 

The link between rugby and degenerative neurological disorders has been a topic of discussion within the sport for some years now and a number of Irish players have recently begun legal proceedings against the IRFU as well:

“I’ve been speaking to some ex-Irish players who’ve been struggling and this is a huge, huge problem and changes need to be made tomorrow,” Alix Popham told Newstalk Breakfast. 

“With myself and the ex-players I’ve spoken to, it’s short-term memory, it’s concentration, it’s losing your trail of thought, it’s aggressive rages. 

“I got lost on a bike ride and didn’t know where I was, so the brain function just wasn’t working normally. 

“And I was making excuses, putting it down to stress and things like that and after getting lost on the bike ride, that was when I went to be tested. 

“From there I had my diagnosis in April 2020 and there were five areas of my brain that were damaged.” 

Children play rugby on the new 3G pitch at Victoria Park Rugby League Football Club, Warrington. Picture by: Peter Byrne/PA Wire

All rugby players know there is a significant chance their body will be damaged during a game of rugby but Mr Popham says there was no awareness that it could also affect their minds:

“You knew your body was going to be in bits in retirement,” he continued. 

“You knew your knees, your back, your shoulders - my right shoulder is not great - but nobody mentioned the repetitive small concussive hits and this is a silent killer. 

“With these head knocks, over time they build up and amount to damage.” 

One medical professional told Mr Popham that anyone who has played elite rugby for more than four years would have some form of brain damage. 

For Mr Popham, it is yet more evidence that rugby needs to change: 

“So for me, at the moment, the 10-11 month season, that needs to be reduced to six months maximum and the training load of contact that they’re doing, there’s guidelines at the moment of 15 minutes,” he suggested. 

“I know nobody is sticking to those 15 minutes but they need to be made mandatory. There needs to be baseline testing for players and they don’t return to play until they’ve hit that baseline testing.” 

Main image: A rugby player in action. Picture by: REUTERS/Clodagh Kilcoyne