Governing bodies had asked for ruling to end cases

Judge says claimants ‘blameless’ for missing documents

The legal action over brain injuries in rugby has been brought back from the brink of collapse after the high court ruled to give a reprieve to hundreds of claimants who had been struck out from the case.

More than 500 claimants had breached a court order by failing to disclose necessary neurological testing information to the defendants. The players’ representative, Susan Rodway KC, had said they were “staring into the precipice” at the most recent hearing, but the judge, Senior Master Cook, has now decided, with “some hesitation”, to allow all the affected claims to continue.