Furious George: Concussion repercussions

Peter FitzSimons knows a thing or two about the perils of brain injury in sport. Photo / Eva Rinaldi

From farm boy to footy player, to journalist, author and renowned speaker, Aussie raconteur Peter FitzSimons is nothing if not a natural born talker. I had the pleasure of his company last week when he was in town for the New Zealand International Science Festival as a keynote speaker.

FitzSimons is certainly no scientist, but he is a practitioner of common sense and, for him, there's a lot of it lacking when it comes to brain injuries and sport, particularly the likes of rugby union and rugby league et al.

I could almost see his characteristic red bandana from three blocks away as I approached the hotel - it was a present from his kids as a 'thank you' for a family holiday in Cuba - but I wasn't there to talk about bandanas with him; we were there to talk about human beings smashing into each other and subjecting their brains to the equivalent of a minor car crash twenty or thirty times in the space of an hour and a half at least once a week for a good part of any given year.

He was sipping tea, no milk and definitely no sugar - FitzSimons is a big advocate of no sugar. In fact, cutting it from his diet has helped him shed a good many kilos after he ballooned out to around 150 kilograms in his post-playing days. But we weren't there to talk about sugar either. Back to brains.

FitzSimons told me of a conversation he had with a brain specialist in the US as part of a documentary he was making. The specialist told him the brain is like a bowl of jello floating around in bucket of bones - it's not meant to be hit and rattled. But, he asked, how many guys who have played the game at any level for a period of time would have brain damage? The answer: 100%.

He now advocates the maxim, 'if in doubt, sit it out'. Again for FitzSimons, it's a common sense issue. He cites the infamous cases of Wallaby George Smith against the Lions in 2013 and Sam Burgess playing for the Rabbitohs in the 2014 NRL Grand Final, where it was blatantly obvious both players were in Disneyland but were deemed fit enough to play on because they'd passed a sideline concussion test.

Citing those examples FitzSimons is under the impression we're ahead of Australia when it comes to the vexed issue of brain damage in sport. He also believes we're doing pretty well when it comes to cutting ties with the Mother Country, as evidenced by the botched attempt to change the flag, (an attemot nonetheless), although Australia are ahead when it comes to becoming a full Republic; but then he would say that wouldn't he? After all, he heads the movement seeking to make that particular dream a reality.

His case for becoming a Republic is compelling, at least when he tells it. And that, I decided, is the real talent of the man; the conviction of his beliefs. He's convinced himself, making the job of convincing others that much easier.

So to the final topic of our conversation - one he couldn't convince anyone with, a veritable ace up my sleeve; the chances of his beloved Wallabies against the might of the All Blacks in the upcoming Rugby Championship. The Aussie Super Rugby sides have never been more collectively poor, their depth is woeful and they've just been humiliated 3-nil in the recent test series by the visiting English.

In short, Aussie rugby is a basket case. What did he have? Obviously he pulled out the "Super Rugby form isn't an indicator of international performance" line - we've all heard that one before. But then he alluded to the English flogging, saying the Wallabies couldn't have asked for a better preparation than that.

It was so tough, so disappointing, the team is now battle-hardened with some blokes playing for their careers; they're ready for the All Blacks. He almost sounded convincing. I hope they are though; I'm taking a Bledisloe Cup Tour to Sydney on August 19 for the first match of the series.

Platinum tickets, an All Blacks jersey, hospitality and even an NRL game are all part of the package. And with the AB's record over the past two years in Sydney consisting of a loss and a draw, it promises to be a cracker of mid-winter getaway! If you want to come along for the ride, email me here. We'll show FitzSimons he's not right about everything...