All Blacks captain Cane reveals concussion fears

All Blacks captain Sam Cane admitted he’s concerned about his future health after a series of concussions, as World Rugby faces a lawsuit from ex-players with dementia and other problems.

But Cane said concussion was “one of the risks we accept”, despite growing concern as more and more former players reveal serious health problems.

“Because of some of the knocks I’ve had, it always worries you,” Cane told Radio New Zealand.

“There’s always the potential for that (concussion) and it could be just around the corner, it’s just one of the risks we accept playing this game,” he added.

“The way the game has got so physical and so brutal with bigger and stronger athletes, it probably heightens the risk of these things more than in the past.”

Cane suffered a concussion as recently as August, when he was playing for the Chiefs in Super Rugby Aotearoa.

He has also spoken about suffering memory loss when concussed on the field.

“But I can speak truly when I say I’ve never felt pressure to play through a head knock,” Cane said.

“I think we’re particularly well looked after here in New Zealand and even hearing stories from guys in other parts of the world it would seem that New Zealand is leading the way in player welfare, even just with the resting of players etc.”

This week, six more ex-players joined a class involving, among others, World Cup-winning former England forward Steve Thompson.

Thompson, who has early onset dementia, revealed last week that he had no recollection of taking part in the 2003 World Cup triumph in Australia.

For more news your way, download The Citizen’s app for iOS and Android.