Rugby players got ‘married, divorced and dementia’ together

Two former Bristol and Exeter professional rugby players tell of their uncannily similar lives - including a dementia diagnosis in their 30s - as part of a new BBC documentary.

Best friends Jason Hobson and Neil Clark believe their diagnoses of early onset dementia is because of repeated head impacts while playing.

They are part of a lawsuit in which hundreds of former players are taking action against three of rugby’s governing bodies.

World Rugby refutes the claims and said it wanted players to know: "We care".

Neil Clark, from Porthleven in Cornwall, and best friend Jason Hobson played for the same clubs at the same time for most of their careers and had similar injuries.

In the documentary, Neil said to Jason: "You do your knee, I’ll do my knee, you do your shoulder, I'll do my shoulder, you do your neck, I’ll do my neck."

Jason, who was capped for England, jokingly replied: "It’s always like one-upmanship on who can get hurt the worst."

Neil said their parallel lives were not limited to their playing careers, remarking that they married their partners, "then it was godfathers to each other's kids. And then divorced."

Jason continued: "It worked out that when I was down, you were there and when you were down, I was there."

Neil and Jason are two of hundreds of players taking legal action against three of rugby’s governing bodies.

The lawsuit claims that the sport’s authorities were negligent in their duty of care and failed to protect players from concussions and repetitive head injuries.

Jason said his mental health had suffered as he awaited his diagnosis.

"I was ready not to be here, I thought, genuinely thought that my children would be better off, and my wife, without me in their life," he said.

In a statement, World Rugby and The Welsh Rugby Union said: "The ongoing legal action prevents us from reaching out to players involved in this programme, we want them to know we care, we listen and they remain valued members of the rugby family.

"We will never stand still when it comes to player welfare at all levels of the game."

The Rugby Football Union (RFU) said: "The RFU’s paramount concern is and always has been the health and well-being of players."

It added: "Rugby is a leading sport when it comes to investment in and commitment to injury and concussion surveillance, prevention and management."

All three governing bodies contest the legal claims. The trial is expected next year.

Rugby on Trial airs on BBC One at 20:30 BST on Monday and will be available on iPlayer.

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