# Is Rugby's Head Injury Process Working? / Hitting the Wall and Carb Depletion / Can Sexias Match Pogacar? / Should Doped World Records Be Reset?

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-real-science-of-sport-podcast-495514/is-rugby-s-head-injury-process-working-hitting-the-wall-and-carb-depletion-can-sexias-match-pogacar-should-doped-world-records-be-reset
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-real-science-of-sport-podcast-495514/is-rugby-s-head-injury-process-working-hitting-the-wall-and-carb-depletion-can-sexias-match-pogacar-should-doped-world-records-be-reset.md
Podcast: [The Real Science of Sport Podcast](https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-real-science-of-sport-podcast-495514)
Published: 2026-03-04T11:49:11+00:00
Episode link: https://shows.acast.com/realscienceofsport/episodes/is-rugbys-head-injury-process-working-hitting-the-wall-and-c
Audio file: https://sphinx.acast.com/p/acast/s/realscienceofsport/e/69a81c37b5381e1c0140a5b3/media.mp3
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Duration seconds: 5370

## Resource

The conversation continues for our Supporters! These Spotlights offer the first word, and then it's your turn. Become a Supporter of the Real Science of Sport by making a small monthly pledge , and get access to our world-famous, and very stimulating, Discourse community! Show notes This week's show kicks off in London, where Ross recently attended World Rugby's Annual Shape of the Game meeting. he shares some insider insights on topics including law change in the sport, what fans want, and the tensions rugby bosses are facing to grow the game. Staying on rugby, we discuss head injury management, after a few stories popped up in the world of rugby. In the first, a player was allowed to continue playing by the team doctor, but the referee stepped in to have the player removed with a concussion. In the second, a player admitted to 'cheating' the Head Injury Assessment screen back in 2017 to keep playing with a concussion. We discuss whether Rugby's policies to manage head injuries are working? Shifting gears, we return to the snow of Milan Cortina, as Gareth noticed some interesting discussion about cross-country skiing, and whether 50km was too long because of the challenges it creates for athletes who run out of fuel. We talk about "hitting the wall", and the truth about how our bodies use carbohydrates versus fat during endurance exercise. Then we talk doping. First, the UCI have asked its Testing Agency to catch a big name doper, with a feeling that the absence of positive tests isn't necessarily indicative of a clean sport, and their desire to catch a higher level rider apparently reflecting that realization. Staying on doping, Tara Moore is suing the WTA for $20 million after a series of bans, appeals and eventual bans for doping that she believes was inadvertently…

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