Sport Headlines | Auckland sports fans will be spoilt for choice and Springboks coach says the All Blacks face a tricky transition | Tuesday, March 3, 2026Former British and Irish Lions player Anthony Watson said he cheated a head injury assessment to return to the field after Sonny Bill Williams’ red card during the 2017 series in New Zealand. Williams became the first All Black to be sent off in a test for 50 years after his shoulder connected with the head of Watson, resulting in a red card in the 25th minute of the second test. Watson left the field for a head injury assessment (HIA), but returned later in the game and played for 72 minutes in the series decider a week after. However, Watson revealed in a new BBC documentary he was able to cheat his way through the HIA by remembering a series of five words, allowing him to pass the recall part of the test. “I knew the impact was big and as I got in to do the protocol I was starting to feel a bit hazy,” Watson said in the documentary.

Source: New Zealand Herald March 03, 2026 16:29 UTC