England medics cleared of any wrongdoing over Kevin Brown incident

ENGLAND’S medical team have been cleared of any wrongdoing over their handling of the incident that saw Kevin Brown knocked out.

The team doctor on duty and his staff missed the 26th minute incident against Papua New Guinea on Sunday.

PA:Press Association

SunSport understands touchline monitors at AAMI Park in Melbourne were not working because of a technical problem, meaning staff did not see him knocked out when he made contact with the shoulder of Kumuls forward Stargroth Amean.

Half-back Watson Boas dived on Brown as he lay prone and a non-playing squad member flagged up the incident on social media at half-time.

Stand-off Brown was immediately withdrawn yet could still make Saturday’s semi-final against Tonga after head scans came back clear and an X-ray on his hand also showed no problem.

They will be sticking to Rugby League World Cup protocol, which is the same as that employed by the NRL.

NRLPHOTOS

Brown could yet face Tonga in Saturday’s semi-final[/caption]

However, after a review by tournament bosses, England staff’s conduct has been deemed ‘acceptable’.

England’s team doctor, the match day doctor on duty and the tournament’s chief medical officer all provided their feedback into Sunday’s incident and confusion.

And after investigations and reviews, the actions taken by England’s medical staff have been deemed acceptable based on the on-field review and the fact Brown was removed from the field at half time on a pre-cautionary basis once staff were provided with the opportunity to review footage of the incident.

Brown trained on his own in Auckland on Wednesday as part of the concussion protocol. He will be able to train fully on Friday if he passes a head test required under tournament rules.

Likewise, Sam Burgess spent the session away from the squad as he works on an ankle problem.

NRLPHOTOS

Brown has to pass head tests before being allowed to play[/caption]

But coach Wayne Bennett believes both will be able to line up as England go for a place in the World Cup final.

He said: “Kevin’s got to do a series of tests, he’s not allowed to train with the team in the early part of the week.

“But he’s doing other stuff so he’s on track, so it’s all good. If he’s going to be declared to play, he’ll be able to train fully on Friday.

“I’m extremely confident he’ll play. We’ll bring another player in if we have to but I’m not planning on that.

“Sam hurt his ankle but that’s not going to be an issue either. They’ll all train Friday.”