Writing in The Times, David Hands analyses the issues to be addressed by a medical conference in London.
"A conference starting today at Lensbury, in Teddington, southwest London, will begin the process of discovering whether the game has become too dangerous for its own good.
"Medical experts from every one of rugby’s leading countries are involved in the two-day session towards the end of a year that has brought accusations that players have become too big, that referees are ignoring significant aspects of play that lead to injuries and that the demands made on leading players have become far too great."