Former All Black Carl Hayman has called for better education around head trauma, as well as a reduced schedule to help ease the long-term effects of concussion that have plagued him since his retirement, leading to early on-set dementia.
World Rugby has recently introduced more stringent onfield tests and protocols for head injuries, amid ongoing legal action involving more than 150 former players - including Hayman - for alleged negligence.
Former Wales captain Ryan Jones is the latest high-profile player to add his name to that cause, after revealing he'd been diagnosed with dementia at just 41 - the same age as Hayman's detection.
Despite those recent initiatives, Hayman, 42, believes World Rugby still isn't doing enough to help its players, especially given the damning evidence regarding the impact of long-term injuries.
"From the sidelines, I've found it really frustrating listening to what's been coming out of World Rugby, along the lines of 'no player will be left behind with dementia' and the calls they need more research about what's going on," Hayman told AM.
"If over 150 professional players and about 50 from the amaetur game have been diagnosed with neuro-degenerative diseases of various kinds,then I think that speaks for itself.
"When I first started playing, I was quite happy if I just had a sore knee or a sore back. In my 40s, I would've put up with that, but to have dementia or be told you have a neurodegenerative disease is not something I was aware of, so I think there's a real education aspect that needs to be addressed here."
After struggling with depression and anxiety for years, the former prop eventually decided to consult his General Practitioner, but found it difficult finding the specialist care his doctor recommended - an avenue that joining the class action suit against World Rugby has opened up for him.
"I felt something wasn't right for a number of years and sort of just lived with it," he admitted. "I didn't really understand what was going on, but I was experiencing all these things of anxiety, depression and mood changes.
"I thought it's either time to do something about it, or just get on with my life and just do that best I can."
Hayman - who played more than 450 games of rugby in his 17-year professional career, including 46 tests and 81 for the Highlanders - has revealed the challenges of daily life since his diagnosis last year.
"Essentially, your fuel tank of brain energy is half full and you need to use it wisely, because once it runs out, things tend to get a lot more difficult," he said. "Everyday tasks become a problem.
"Simple tasks that we take for granted, like shopping or sending an email, actually become a huge, huge task. It presents a lot of daily problems."
The demanding schedule faced by modern rugby players urgently needs to be addressed to help reduce the long-term effects of brain trauma, says Hayman,
"For the safety of the players, we need to talk about what's the appropriate length of season for these guys to go through.
"Do they have to be knocking the stuffing out of each other for 10 months a year? Is it too much?
"Is the human body able to withstand that amount of frequency of hits?"