North 'should have been removed' from England game following head blow, World Rugby says

World Rugby believe Wales wing George North should not have been allowed to continue playing following the second of two blows to his head during Friday's 16-21 defeat to England but the ruling body accept Wales medical staff followed all required guidelines.

North took two blows to his head during the game, the first of which saw him temporarily leave the field for assessment before returning to action. The second blow was caught on television cameras and appeared to show the 22 year old momentarily lose consciousness.

World Rugby launched an investigation into why North was allowed to continue despite the apparent damage but accepted Wales' medical staff's account that they were unsighted for the collision and had no access to television pictures.

"Following a full post-incident review, World Rugby believes that Wales player George North should not have remained on the field of play following a head impact in the 61st minute of the Wales versus England RBS 6 Nations match at the Millennium Stadium on Friday night" they said in a statement.

It added, "The World Rugby head injury protocol clearly states that a player should be immediately and permanently removed from the field of play where there are any visible symptoms or suspicion of a potential concussion."

World Rugby will also now investigate the possibility of making pitch side monitors available at all elite level matches in order to aid medical staff in spotting future incidents, as well as widening the remit of the video referee to include looking our for medical issues not spotted on the pitch. They are also looking into whether an independent medical official should be appointed to all top-level games in line with player welfare plans for this year's Rugby World Cup.

Wales have already confirmed they will have a television monitor for their remaining games in the 2015 Six Nations.