More than 55 amateur rugby players on Thursday sent a letter of complaint to World Rugby, as well as the English and Welsh Rugby Unions to launch legal action over possible brain damage.
This group, which includes several retired female internationals or male players who played in the top flight before the switch to professionalism in 1995, alleges that rugby's governing bodies negligently failed to protect them against concussions and other injuries that have caused various neurological disorders, including dementia praecox, chronic traumatic encephalopathy, epilepsy, Parkinson's disease and motor neuron disease.
The family of a deceased player have also joined in the action, revealing that during his autopsy it was discovered that he had a progressive degenerative brain disease.
Claimed compensation and in-game changes
Among other actions, players are seeking compensation for damages and obtaining changes to the game to make it safer for current and future generations.
They demand that rugby authorities take adequate measures to inform, educate and warn of the risks of permanent brain damage and to ensure regular monitoring and medical examinations to check for possible changes in brain structure.
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