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George North will have to consider quitting rugby if he suffers another concussion, says former World Rugby medical adviser Dr Barry O’Driscoll.

The Wales wing suffered multiple concussions on duty for Wales and his club Northampton last season which led to him taking an extended break from the game to recover.

North is now back and looked sharp in a try-scoring display for Wales in the Six Nations victory against Scotland last weekend.

But as Dragons and Wales Sevens specialist Matthew Pewtner became the third Welsh professional player to retire in less than a year this week, Dr O’Driscoll has voiced concerns about the dangers of concussion.

“I’m sure if (North) gets another one he will have to consider whether the worries about what the inference is from these is enough to make him give up the game,” said O’Driscoll, who has previously criticised rugby’s concussion protocols.

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“It’s his living and it’s a very good living and he loves it ... and he would I’m sure and his advisers would make him think seriously about it.

“But it’s a balance for each person to make and I don’t think we’re anywhere near the stage of the game of saying ‘no, that’s it, we can’t pick you anymore’, (because) we don’t know enough yet.

“But any player at all who has had three or four concussions, in my opinion must seriously think about the future.”

Pewtner’s retirement came nearly seven months after he suffered a blow to the head playing for Newport Gwent Dragons in the Aviva Sevens in August 2015.

In May 2015 Dragons centre Ashley Smith announced he was quitting the game and in September ex-Wales back-row Jonathan Thomas retired after being diagnosed with epilepsy linked to head traumas suffered while playing.

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(Image: Getty Images)

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“We have moved on with our knowledge and we’re more ready to advise players to retire,” O’Driscoll told the BBC.

“Every case of this saddens you and worries you just that little bit more.

“It does seem that with the much bigger impacts and speed of the game that these repeated sub-concussive and concussive knocks are becoming more damaging more frequently.”