James Robson (doctor)

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James Peter Robson MBE (born 24 November 1957) is a Scottish doctor and a former team doctor for the Scotland national rugby union team. He has worked as a physiotherapist and general practitioner and, as part of the medical team, has been to six Rugby World Cups with the Scotland team and on six British & Irish Lions tours.[1]

Early life[edit]

Robson was born on 24 November 1957 in Whitehaven in Cumbria.[2][3] He played rugby for Edinburgh Wanderers.[4]

Career[edit]

Robson studied at Queen Margaret University in Edinburgh, graduating in 1980 and then worked as a physiotherapist in the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh.[5][6][7] In 1982 he went on to study medicine at the University of Dundee. While a medical student he became the physiotherapist with district side North and Midlands.[5] He graduated with a medical degree in 1988,[8] He had a combination of doctor and physiotherapist roles for Scotland A squad 1998-2002 and the Scotland sevens 1996-2001.[2] He went on to work as a general practitioner in Dundee for 13 years and continued to be located in the city after this.[4]

Robson's first trip with the Scotland team was to Canada in 1991.[7] He was the physiotherapist for the team at the 1991 Rugby World Cup[5] and he held the position until 1996.[2]

The Scottish Rugby Union nominated him to be on the medical team on the 1993 British Lions tour to New Zealand.[5] On the 1997 British Lions tour to South Africa, Robson was involved with the immediate care of Will Greenwood when he sustained an injury that left him unconscious.[2][8][9]

In 2002 Robson became the National Team Doctor for the Scottish Rugby Union.[10] For the 2005 Lions tour to New Zealand, Clive Woodward named him as head doctor as part of the largest coaching and management team in the history of the Lions.[11] Robson had seen the increased incidence of injuries to players that was now occurring, compared to the tours in the amateur era.[12]

On the 2009 Lions tour to South Africa, he had needed to comment about the number of players who had received treatment in hospital after the second test.[13] At the end of the test he expressed concern around the number of injuries and concussions sustained by players- he advised that to protect players changes should be made on future tours, such as matches being spaced further apart.[14]

Robson was on duty with the Scotland team at the Millennium Stadium in 2010 when Thom Evans suffered serious injury and he attended to the player on the pitch.[15] In December 2012, it was announced that he would lead the medical team on the 2013 British & Irish Lions tour to Australia, his sixth successive Lions tour.[10]

After leading research in concussion injuries and raising awareness of them,[16][17][18] by 2015 Robson was also calling for review of the way that rugby was played and the rules around the sport.[19] Soon after these calls were made the rugby laws were changed, allowing for players to be taken off the pitch and assessed for concussion and then allowing return to play if they fared well.[20] He was involved in setting up a pilot Brain Health clinic, based at Murrayfield, that opened in 2022 and was intended to support former international rugby players through brain assessments.[21] Later that year, the findings of research were published and indicated that former international rugby players faced a significantly increased risk of neurodegenerative diseases compared to the general population.[22]

In March 2021, he held aloft a Scotland jersey with "250" printed on the back- a gift to commemorate the 250th time that he had attended an international match as the Scotland team doctor.[23] In December 2023, Robson announced that he would retire from his Scotland position after the 2024 Six Nations.[24] On his final home match, Robson was given the honour of lifting the Calcutta Cup on the pitch along with the Scotland players.[25]

Honours and awards[edit]

In 2010 he was awarded a fellowship of Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh.[3][26]

In 2018 he was bestowed with an honorary degree by the University of Dundee.[27] He was made a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2018 New Year Honours.[28]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "MBE for Whitehaven-born Scotland rugby doctor James Robson". The Whitehaven News. 10 January 2018. Retrieved 26 January 2018.
  2. ^ a b c d "Lions Legend: Dr James Robson". www.lionsrugby.com. British & Irish Lions. 24 January 2013. Retrieved 5 March 2024.
  3. ^ a b "Scotland rugby doctor gets medical honour". BBC News. 20 November 2010. Retrieved 6 January 2018.
  4. ^ a b Hamilton, Lindsey (9 March 2017). "Football can learn from rugby, insists Scottish rugby team doctor". Evening Telegraph. Dundee. Retrieved 6 January 2018.
  5. ^ a b c d "Robson's twin degrees a bonus for the Lions". The Herald. Glasgow. 30 September 1992. Retrieved 6 January 2018.
  6. ^ Hewett, Chris (27 October 2004). "Modern power game puts future of players and rugby at risk". The Independent. Retrieved 6 January 2018.
  7. ^ a b "Good doctor takes pride of place". The Scotsman. 17 December 2000. Retrieved 6 January 2018.
  8. ^ a b Jones, Chris (15 December 2023). "Feature: Dr James Robson". www.lionsrugby.com. British & Irish Lions. Retrieved 5 March 2024.
  9. ^ Hewett, Chris (24 June 1997). "Rugby Union: Greenwood out as Lions hit new highs". The Independent. Retrieved 6 January 2018.
  10. ^ a b Jones, Chris (12 December 2012). "Gatland confident his Lions coaches will be up to speed". London Evening Standard. Retrieved 5 March 2024.
  11. ^ "Woodward names Lions management team". Irish Examiner. 21 October 2004. Retrieved 5 March 2024.
  12. ^ "Modern power game puts future of players and rugby at risk". The New Zealand Herald. 27 October 2004. Retrieved 6 March 2024.
  13. ^ "Lions doctor shocked by 'brutal' second Test". The Guardian. 21 June 2009. Retrieved 5 March 2024.
  14. ^ Kitson, Robert (5 July 2009). "Lions doctor expresses fears after most physical tour of modern times". The Guardian. Retrieved 4 March 2024.
  15. ^ English, Tom (24 June 2016). "Scotland team doctor James Robson: 'Players are the sons I never had'". BBC Sport. Retrieved 6 January 2018.
  16. ^ Jones, Owain (12 November 2013). "EXCLUSIVE COLUMN: James Robson". Rugby World. Retrieved 5 March 2024.
  17. ^ Bull, Andy (14 December 2013). "Concussion: how rugby union's rulers risk the lives of their players". The Guardian. Retrieved 5 March 2024.
  18. ^ "Scotland: Chris Paterson agrees to take part in concussion study". BBC Sport. 27 February 2014. Retrieved 5 March 2024.
  19. ^ Bech, Duncan (21 September 2015). "Changes to rugby tackles laws possible to reduce concussion risk". The Independent. Retrieved 5 March 2024.
  20. ^ Bathgate, Stuart (12 October 2015). "Robson reassured by rugby's new health rules". The Herald. Glasgow. Retrieved 5 March 2024.
  21. ^ Bean, Graham (27 April 2022). "Dementia in rugby: Brain Health Clinic for former Scotland rugby players launched in hope of tackling disease early". The Scotsman. Retrieved 23 March 2024.
  22. ^ Barnes, David (5 October 2022). "Dr James Robson responds to head injury study - concern, outside expertise, next questions". The Scotsman. Retrieved 5 March 2024.
  23. ^ Burke, Andy (21 March 2021). "Six Nations: 'Paris offers last chance for Scottish Lions hopefuls'". BBC Sport. Retrieved 5 March 2024.
  24. ^ "'One of the hardest decisions of my life' - Scotland doctor Robson to retire". BBC Sport. 15 December 2023. Retrieved 4 March 2024.
  25. ^ Bean, Graham (24 February 2024). "Regal Scotland revel in their crowning moment at Murrayfield as England scalp taken once more". The Scotsman. Retrieved 5 March 2024.
  26. ^ "Interview: Dr James Robson, Scottish national rugby team doctor". The Scotsman. 4 December 2010. Retrieved 6 January 2018.
  27. ^ Keith, Jake (13 November 2018). "Controversial LGBT+ activist Peter Tatchell to be honoured by Abertay University". The Courier. Dundee. Retrieved 5 March 2024.
  28. ^ Morkis, Stefan (29 December 2017). "New Year Honours List: Mark Beaumont among 'delighted' Courier Country locals honoured". The Courier. Dundee. Retrieved 6 January 2018.
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