Leeds Rhinos’ Kevin Sinfield wants to see extensive research on concussion

A study published last year found footballers were at a four-fold increased risk of dying from motor neurone disease than age-matched members of the population.

Sinfield, the Leeds director of rugby has seen his friend and former team-mate Rob Burrow’s battle with the disease at close quarters, his diagnosis being confirmed a year ago.

Since then Burrow has been confined to a wheelchair and lost the ability to talk naturally.

Sinfield has also followed the stories of former Leeds Tykes’ players Steve Thompson and Alix Popham, who he knew from their time at Headingley and who are now suffering from early onset dementia.

However, he insists there should be no knee-jerk reactions to pre-suppose the sport endangers players’ health without strong research.

“We need to do a lot more research on it,” he said.

“At the Rhinos we’ve invested into some mouthguard technology to do with concussion. It’s important that the whole area is researched properly and we get some answers rather than guess and try and make assumptions.

“It’s really sad to see Steve Thompson, it’s really sad to see Alix Popham, they both played up at Leeds Tykes, when they were our sister club, so I have spent some time with both of them in the past.”

Asked if it was something which preoccupied his current players, Sinfield said: “It certainly wasn’t in my mind as a player. You understand some of the risks to your body when you play. We need to get the answers and make sure it’s thorough so we can make the necessary adjustments, if any are needed.”

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