World rugby, UK bodies lose bid to throw out concussion lawsuits

LONDON, Aug 21 : More than 500 ex-rugby union and league players' lawsuits over neurological injuries can continue, London's High Court ruled on Friday, despite their former lawyers' failure to disclose key medical evidence to governing bodies.

World Rugby, the Rugby Football Union and the Welsh Rugby Union, plus the Rugby Football League and the British Amateur Rugby League Association, argued the claimants' lawyers had repeatedly failed to provide records.

They asked for a ruling which would end the cases of around 500 former professional and amateur players over both codes.

But lawyers representing the claimants argued they had provided the vast majority of the documents required and stressed the litigation's wider importance for contact sports in the UK.

Judge Jeremy Cook said in a written ruling that the cases could continue subject to the production of the missing documents, adding that the "individual claimants are blameless".