The international suffered a new concussion on October 5 which prompted his club to rest him for many weeks.
Montpellier international second row Paul Willemse, victim of a new concussion on October 5 against Stade Français, will stop again for three months before making a decision for the rest of his career, the club said on Friday Héraultais.
Willemse decided on this option after consulting doctor Brauge in Toulouse, as stated in the MHR press release: “Paul Willemse underwent additional examinations this week. Under the care of Doctor Brauge, the FFR’s referring doctor, the second line will have to observe a three-month rest period, at the end of which he will be subject to a new evaluation.
Willemse (31 years old, 32 caps), started for the first time in six months, suffered a concussion in Paris during the 5th day of Top 14 in contact with Paris’ South African second row Juan John Van Der Mescht, the sixth in less than a year.
Willemse had already taken a three-month break following his previous concussion suffered on April 7 in the round of 16 of the Challenge Cup against the Irish province of Ulster (17-40).
The French international revealed to Le Figaro that he suffered five concussions during the previous season and feared for the rest of his career in the event of a recurrence: I have to pay attention to my health, monitor whether my brain is doing well. I suffered five concussions last year. I experienced it as a shock, I found myself in a crisis situation. In twelve years of career, I had never had a concussion. And there, five in one year! I have four children, I’m starting to think about what’s next. Why does this happen? What did I do less well? Is this the end? I think about it a lot. Is it serious? Do I take the risk of continuing my career? In my position, I cannot choose the level of contact, of commitment.
Willemse, who arrived in Hérault in 2015 from Grenoble, is under contract until June in Montpellier. Montpellier occupies 11th place in the Top 14 before its trip to Toulon on Saturday.
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