Jamie Cudmore Recalls Frightening Concussion Story That Has Led Him To Sue Clermont

This is very worrying.

Jamie Cudmore is set to sue Clermont Auvergne over the way they handled a concussion he suffered following a clash of heads with England flanker, Billy Vunipola.

The towering lock recalled the incident in an interview with the Daily Mail.

“There was a huge head contact with Billy and myself going head to head at a ruck.

“It’s an accident of rugby, two guys arriving at the same time at the same height. We were both on our hands and knees and I remember saying, ‘Jeez, that was a good one’.

“When I got back to the changing room they started to stitch me up and then after that they put me through the HIA.

‘I was distraught. It was a semi-final and I wanted to be on the field. You work all year to be in those games. I was upset. The doc could see I was upset and told me to relax, take my boots off and get in the shower. 

‘So I walked back into the changing room and I hadn’t even got my boot off when I heard the door open and the doc come back in and say, “Jamie, Jamie, how are you? Sebby [second row partner Sebastien Vahaamahina] is not good. Can you come back on? You gotta come back on”. I was like, “Yeah, sweet”, and tied my lace and went straight back out.

Two weeks later, amazingly, Cudmore was playing in the final against Toulon and suffered yet another concussion.

“Two or three minutes into the game I hit Chris Masoe and their other prop behind him at the same time and was just sparked straight out. It was a normal tackle leading with the shoulder. There was no contact with my head. But the force of the impact sparked me straight out. My body just went limp.

“I went off, did the HIA and a new doc we had figured everything was all right and I went back on. Towards the end of the game I had a clash of heads with Juan Smith and cut myself. I went off and started vomiting in the changing room. I didn’t know about second impact syndrome. I didn’t know I could have died.

“I definitely worry about the future. I don’t want to be one of those guys who is 65 but can’t remember anything.”

If this is true, then there will surely be some serious ramifications.