Matt Williams slammed for post-match take on Nic White being able to play on after head blow

"I totally disagree. We're not doctors!"

There was a moment of controversy during Australia's 13-10 defeat to Ireland, at Aviva Stadium on Saturday, as scrumhalf Nic White returned to the field of play after taking a knock to the head, and looking shaky in the aftermath. White looked to have been stunned after diving at the legs of Mack Hansen, in an effort to prevent a try, and getting it wrong. His head collided off the leg of Hansen and he dropped to the deck. There was a break in play as there was a Television Match Official check for Hansen's offload to Jamison Gibson-Park. As replays rolled of that passage of play, with the Ireland try getting chalked off, White received a check from a Wallabies medic. He then was involved in another collision, with Josh van der Flier and, at the next pause in action, he was checked again before leaving the field for a Head Injury Assessment. https://twitter.com/mediamurray/status/1594084491558998016

Matt Williams on Nic White HIA

Nic White was able to return to the field of play, after that check to make sure he had no concussion symptoms. He ended up playing until the final whistle. While many rugby fans were not happy that the scrumhalf was allowed to return to the field of play, after such worrying footage, Australia head coach Dave Rennie gave his take on the matter. He commented:

"As far as I know, he was asked to come off to get assessed. He was assessed and he passed... I didn't see the incident myself."

Over on Virgin Media, Rob Kearney and Matt Williams were in complete disagreement over the Nic White incident. Kearney called it "uncomfortable viewing" and said there was 'no way Nic White should be returning to the field of play'. Williams countered:

"Oh, look, I totally disagree. We're not doctors... He goes off to an independent doctor and they look at footage. There could be 101 reasons why Nic White stumbles. He's just been smashed inside a ruck. It hurts. It hurts your ribs. "Look, I'm not defending it but it's not our place to judge, as it is a medical decision. You know Climate Change - we've got to trust the science. Medical science, we've got to trust the science... he definitely got a knock, and he was removed from the field of play."

Williams said he 'hates concussions' but said 'we have to trust the science'. Kearney and Virgin Media host Joe Molloy argued back, but the Australian was not having a bar of it. https://twitter.com/vmsportie/status/1594101289843130368 There was a strong reaction to Matt Williams giving the benefit of the doubt to the Aussies over Nic White returning to the field of play: https://twitter.com/jonnyholland10/status/1594095702254067713 https://twitter.com/cokesdonegal/status/1594095235130396675 https://twitter.com/SophieMcDLaw/status/1594099854644494337 https://twitter.com/LisRyan_Nutri/status/1594095696889905152 Related articles:

• Full Ireland player ratings as Ross Byrne's late penalty beats stubborn Aussies
• "It's testament to the guy himself" - Peter O'Mahony pays tribute to Michael Hooper after mental health break
• "It was a joy to watch" - Jamie Heaslip on his stand-out Ireland vs. Australia moments

---