Rugby is 'making progress' on player concussion safety says England's Joe Marler

Joe Marler with child on his shoulders
Joe Marler says rugby is becoming safer. Credit: PA Stills

England rugby star Joe Marler has had a glittering career.

He's played for his country more than eighty times and racked up 230 appearances for Harlequins.

But once he was concussed so badly during a game, the father-of-four forgot he even had children.

"That was a pretty stark moment for me forgetting I had kids" he told ITV London News.

"To then be reminded by the kit man that I do have them but they weren’t at the stadium – they were rebirthed all over again so it was a wave of emotion."

Joe Marler was once concussed so severely he forgot he had children. Credit: PA Stills

The effects of concussion on players' health is an area of important research.

A recent study led by the University of Glasgow found the risk of dementia in rugby players was more than doubled, while their chances of Parkinson's Disease increased three-fold. Most starkly, there is a 15-times higher risk of a motor neurone disease diagnosis.

Earlier this year, Ryan Jones, the former Wales rugby captain was diagnosed with early-onset dementia aged just 41.

Joe Marler said the news about Jones was a "warning" but hailed the research being done to investigate the connections between dementia and concussion in sport.

"We’re as educated as we can be about as professionals it at the moment. We’re lucky in that regard and we can make informed decisions about it going forward" he said.

Former Wales Captain Ryan Jones was recently diagnosed with early-onset dementia Credit: PA Stills

World Rugby has its own independent concussion working group which considers all the latest research and academic findings. They say this enables them to have a "constant and open conversation about what changes to the game may be appropriate."

Joe Marler agrees that things are changing for the better: "We’re definitely making progress with the safety measures that need to be taken in the right way to make rugby as safe as possible."

He may be known for his rugby, the England international also has a podcast.

"I love playing the game but I love trying my hand at other things" he told ITV London News.

The rugby star has his own podcast 'The Joe Marler Show.' Credit: The Joe Marler Show

In 'The Joe Marler Show' he interviews people from a range of backgrounds about their jobs, from reality TV stars, to ultra-marathon runners and astrophysicists.

Next year he is taking the show around the country on tour, including Birmingham, Glasgow, Manchester, Bristol and the London Palladium.

While he is busy with his podcast, can we hope to see him play for England again in the Six Nations?

"Never say never" he said.