“I remember thinking ‘holy shit, this is a problem, this is f*cked up’”
This article is written by Progressive Rugby
Cameron Pierce grew up playing ice hockey alongside his pals in Canada and only came across the “randomly” after his high school turned out to have a rugby programme.
“I fell in love with rugby’s values pretty quicky and it soon took priority over ice hockey,” Cameron, whose 6ft 7 and 230lb frame leant itself to his newfound hobby, said.
Unsurprisingly utilised in the second row, Cameron went on to win a scholarship to the University of Victoria in British Columbia where he ended up playing with half the members of the national team, a team he went on to represent three times himself.
“I was exposed to a high level very quickly and ended up on the radar for the national programme but was told I needed to go and play in France and that person set me up with Clermont ASM academy,” Cameron remembers.
As a young man from a small town, Cameron says it was a big leap but he enjoyed it. However, it wasn’t long until alarm bells started ringing regarding the attitude towards concussion.
“Twice I saw a player knocked out cold and they didn’t even get them off the field. They just came onto the field and got them to shake it off. I just remember thinking ‘holy shit, this is a problem, this is f*cked up’,” Cameron who had been used to stringent protocols in Canada says.
Cameron managed to secure a contract with Pau in France’s D2, helping the side gain promotion to the Top 14, but in October 2016, while playing a reserve game as part of his rehab from an ankle injury, he was on the end of a heavy challenge that resulted in a violent whiplash.
Despite being unable to string sentences together he was allowed to remain on the pitch.
From that moment his playing career was over as chronic symptoms took over his life.
“I had terrible short term memory problems and was plagued by chronic migraines, insomnia and mood swings,” Cameron, who still suffers issues six years on, said.
“I couldn’t even read. I’d find myself reading the same paragraph again and again. My brain just couldn’t process what I was reading. I can’t hold down a job because if I focus in the morning I have to sleep in the afternoon. I definitely consider myself as having a disability.”
Cameron, now 31, is a board member of Provale (the French version of the RPA) alongside familiar names including Louis Picamoles and Guilhem Guirado. Cameron is one of the members of a lawsuit against the French Rugby Federation (FFR) and the National Rugby League (LNR) accusing the bodies of breaching safety and information obligations on concussion.
“I loved rugby but there’s no doubt I had to retire. My only regret is that I never played in a Rugby World Cup.
“But as a kid from a small town in Canada I never imagined playing professional rugby in France, or representing my country, but I wasn’t prepared to sacrifice my other dreams like being a dad.”
“Twice I saw a player knocked out cold and they didn’t even get them off the field. I just remember thinking ‘holy shit, this is a problem.”