Rugby teacher faces misconduct claims over player head impact

A pupil at one of Wales' best-known rugby-playing schools said a PE teacher told the captain of the girls' rugby team "captains do not come off" after a potential head injury.

Lowri Mair Williams is facing a fitness to practice hearing over unacceptable conduct while girls' rugby lead at Llandovery College, Carmarthenshire.

She joined the private school - whose ex-pupils include a string of Welsh internationals - in September 2023, but was suspended and later resigned.

Williams denies nine allegations at an Education Workforce Council Wales (EWC) panel in Cardiff. These include allowing pupils to play rugby despite hitting their head, going against the Welsh Rugby Union concussion protocol.

Williams is also alleged to have behaved inappropriately during a residential trip in March 2024.

Pupil A gave evidence about the school team playing at the Rosslyn Park sevens tournament in London, 17-18 March 2024.

She described having a "head clash" during a match. She said Williams asked her if she was "ok" and was persistent in asking her if she was "ok" and Pupil A told Williams she was and wanted to play on.

She also told the hearing during the match Pupil F who was captain was stood on her head by an opposition player.

She said Ms Williams asked if she was "ok" and she said she was. Pupil A said Williams said to Pupil F: "Good, because captains should not come off and should carry on".

Pupil A described pupil F as being in "slight hysterics" at this remark.

Pupil F was previously described at the hearing as "by far the best player."

Pupil A told the hearing Williams was "more interested in congratulating try scorers rather than checking injured players."

Pupil A described Williams as being "unprofessional" at the tournament. But she told the panel if there was a suspected head injury the player would come off the pitch and have an assessment with one of the medical staff.

Andrew Faux, representing Lowri Williams, then asked Pupil A if she held a grudge after Williams did not select her for "an important match and missing the opportunity to run out on to the pitch at the Principality Stadium?"

Pupil A admitted she did "hold a grudge" against Williams for that but this did not cloud her memory of events.

The EWC panel heard from Sophie Hands, the head of girls sport at the school.

She described Williams as "professional and enthusiastic" with a good relationship with pupils.

Hands worked with Williams for seven months and said she had "a lot to live up to" because she was replacing a former Wales international in the role but had lived up to those high standards.

She also said that Williams followed the WRU concussion protocol.

Hands told the panel that Llandovery College did not have a concussion protocol at the time .

She was asked about the Rosslyn Park sevens tournament, with Williams and Hands arriving at a hotel on the Sunday night ahead of the match on Monday.

Hands said she had a suite at the hotel which had a separate living area. The girls entered her room to pick up their kit but did not go into the bedroom of Williams whose room was opposite.

Hands told the hearing that Llandovery College side suffered a heavy loss in their match on the Monday.

Pupil B was described by the former head of girls sport as being winded during the match and nothing more and when she asked Pupil B how she was she said "all good."

She added: "Pupils would soon let you know if they are injured."

She told the hearing that she and Ms Williams had a saying with dealing with injury during matches which was "if in doubt, sit it out".

Hands told the hearing there were "no head injuries" at the tournament. And they were all in good spirits on the three and half hour journey home, with the team singing all the way on the journey home.

A video clip of the all pupils singing loudly on the bus was played to the hearing.

The hearing was told the next day five pupils presented themselves to a school medical staff member all complaining of feeling tired and having headaches.

Hands said this was the first she'd known of the pupils to complain of headaches.

Johanna Edwards, responsible for overseeing pupil welfare at Llandovery College, told the panel she began a formal investigation after concerns were raised following the trip.

Edwards said the college was "a big rugby college" and had many students who would have gone through the WRU protocol.

She added that Williams would have been aware of the protocol at the time.

Edwards explained that as part of the investigation she spoke individually to the pupils involved, explaining that it was a "small college" and she knew some of the pupils well.

Faux, representing Williams, then asked Edwards about the accuracy of notetaking during the investigation, to which she explained she "took notes at the time which were word for word" which she then wrote up later, explaining she had training on notetaking.

Edwards explained the same guidance around concussion was in place for girls and boys at the school.

She was asked to clarify whether the five children who went to the sick bay on 19 March 2024 were in fact all suffering with concussion.

Ms Edwards said the five pupils "presented to the medical centre with injuries" but they were "told by the sports departments there were no injuries". She said there was "a very rigorous process" carried out for the assessment.

Llandovery College, which was founded in the mid-19th Century, is a mixed day and boarding school, which had around 215 pupils at the time of its last Estyn inspection.

Past students include a host of Welsh rugby internationals, including former British Lions stars George North and Alun Wyn Jones.

The hearing will continue on Wednesday.