Steve Borthwick insists player welfare needs to remain top priority

England head coach Steve Borthwick insists that player welfare needs to remain top priority after expressing frustration at the match officials’ attempts to speed up the game in the first Test against Argentina.

During the 35-12 win over Los Pumas in La Plata, England picked up a couple of injuries that required immediate medical attention, with Henry Slade suffering a fractured hand that has ruled him out of the tour, while Charlie Ewels had to deal with a compound fracture after dislocating his finger.

Both men were able to continue, Ewels after receiving treatment to get the finger stitched up, but as part of World Rugby’s drive to speed up the game, the officiating team tried to play on while they were being seen by the medical team on the pitch.

And Borthwick was keen to make a point in his meeting with the match officials ahead of the second Test in San Juan that speed of play cannot come at the expense of the welfare of the players.

He said: “I’ve talked about how hard these England players run, they’re also incredibly tough men. Sladey suffered the hand injury early in the game. He was able to play as well as he did for the remaining 70 minutes, which is testament to his character.

“Charlie Ewels dislocated his finger, had a dislocation that went through the skin. He goes off, gets the finger reset, stitched, and comes back and plays another 15-20 minutes at the end of the game.

“What was slightly concerning was that in both those incidents the referee was trying to play through, trying to carry on, trying to tell the player to get up, we’re carrying on.

“Player welfare is our priority, our number one priority, our number two priority, our number three priority. I think we’ve got to be conscious of that.”

Australian referee Angus Gardner was the man in the middle for the first Test, having also overseen the Six Nations game between Ireland and France earlier this year.

In that encounter, he tried to play a lineout while France skipper Antoine Dupont was still being treated by the French medics for an injury that turned out to be a torn anterior cruciate ligament which has sidelined the world’s best player for most of the year.

It is a clear indication of World Rugby’s desire to avoid long delays in play, with Gardner regarded among the world’s very best officials.

He will be running the touchline this Saturday, with Frenchman Luc Ramos, who was an assistant referee in La Plata, taking up the whistle for the second Test against Los Pumas.

And Borthwick is urging the officials to show greater concern for player welfare in San Juan.

He added: “These men work exceptionally hard, they’re full of courage. We need to make sure their welfare is looked after. I hope that’s the case on Saturday.”

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