Rugby Players Must Provide Full Medical Records

Appeals filed by former rugby players against international and domestic governing bodies—alleging a failure to protect them from the risks of neurodegenerative conditions such as Parkinson’s disease, dementia, and other motor neuron disorders arising from repeated impacts during play—have been rejected. The appellate court upheld earlier directions requiring the claimants to disclose medical records to substantiate their claims.

The prior orders issued in favour of the governing bodies in February 2024 and 2025 were affirmed, with the court holding that the directions were “not disproportionate, oppressive, irrational or legally perverse.”

In June 2023, more than 200 former professional and amateur rugby union players formally brought claims in the UK, alleging negligence arising from brain injuries and seeking disclosure of documents relating to player safety protocols. Before the formal group litigation, clinical diagnoses among former players, including high-profile cases like Alix Popham being diagnosed with early-onset dementia, highlighted the potential links between repeated head impacts and neurological conditions.