Concussion class-action trial roadmap set out by judge

The class action being brought by hundreds of former rugby union and league players over the devastating effects of repetitive head injuries has taken a significant step forward at the high court in London.

- Andy Bull

Four years after the Guardian first reported that a group of eight former union players had been diagnosed with neurological problems which they claimed were caused by their playing careers, the presiding judge, senior master of the king's bench division Jeremy Cook, has set out a map for the landmark case. In December this year, Cook expects to be able to issue directions for a trial which may start within two years of that date. He was exasperated with the lack of progress.

"When Moses led his people out of the wilderness, it took 40 years to get to the promised land," he said. "We're not going to spend that amount of time wandering around."