• Decision by referee appeared to go against official protocol for head injuries • Parra left field during match against Northampton but was allowed to return

Serious questions over the management of head injuries have been raised again after an independent review found Clermont Auvergne’s Morgan Parra was correctly allowed to return to the field during the Champions Cup match against Northampton on Saturday, despite the referee’s claim at the time that the Frenchman had lost consciousness.

World Rugby’s head injury assessment protocols state if loss of consciousness is suspected by the match officials the player should be “immediately and permanently removed from play”, but Parra returned to the pitch minutes after the incident which left him face down in the turf. Television footage shows Parra lying on the ground after his head collided with Luther Burrell’s knee. The referee, Ben Whitehouse, can be heard saying “he’s unconscious” but minutes later Parra returned for Clermont, who had already lost their fly-half Camille Lopez to injury.

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The review states initial tests undertaken by Parra revealed no loss of consciousness and he passed the first stage of the HIA. “As the criteria for a permanent removal of the player were not satisfied, the Clermont medical staff then decided that was he was fit to return,” read the statement issued by European Professional Club Rugby, the organising body of the Champions Cup.

The statement acknowledged “an audible comment from match referee, Ben Whitehouse, at the time of the event may have led to some confusion”, but the review does not address the fact World Rugby protocols mean having made his initial judgment, Whitehouse should not have allowed Parra to return.

Every head injury in the Champions Cup or Challenge Cup is subject to an independent review process, carried out by the UK-based company Alligin Performance, which in this instance “commended [Whitehouse] as he clearly stopped the match out of concern for the player’s welfare”.

Meanwhile, the former England winger David Strettle will leave Clermont when his contract expires at the end of the season, according to reports in France. It is understood Bristol head the queue for the 34-year-old’s signature.

Elsewhere, Julian Savea will line up for the Barbarians against New Zealand on 4 November, having been overlooked for the All Blacks’ tour of the northern hemisphere. Savea, who has scored 46 tries in 54 Tests for New Zealand, has been granted permission to turn out for the invitational side.