CK doctor with Team Canada at women’s rugby World Cup

Dr. Anthony Dixon. Photo courtesy of Chatham-Kent Health Alliance

This weekend’s women’s rugby World Cup final will have some local flavour.

Chatham-Kent emergency physician, Dr. Anthony Dixon is the team doctor for Team Canada, which will be taking on host England in Saturday’s championship game.

Dr. Dixon is not new to the rugby realm, having worked with the Canadian Rugby organization for roughly 15 years, but got his start closer to home.

“My start with rugby actually started in Chatham-Kent with the Chatham-Kent Havoc Rugby Club,” Dixon explained. “Just through circumstance and opportunity, I initially worked with the under 20 men’s team at different levels of rugby, and for the last three years, I’ve been the physician for the women’s national team.”

Dixon divides his time locally between the Chatham-Kent Health Alliance emergency department and practicing sports medicine, also serving as the team physician for the Chatham Maroons GOHL hockey club.

He and the Rugby Canada medical team have been working with the women’s squad on conditioning and staying safe on the pitch.

“The main focus has been keeping everybody healthy as we travel as a group. There are specific roles I have, particularly on game day, such as managing on-field injuries, assessing for concussions and things of that type.”

Dixon says while there is no fear in rugby, the biggest medical concern is concussions. He says players are kept as safe as possible by strict regulations through the sport’s governing body, World Rugby.

“We work as a team to keep everybody healthy,” Dixon added. “They’re ready to go, they’re ready to win a World Cup.”

The World Cup final gets underway at 11 o’clock (EDT) on Saturday morning, and will be aired live on TSN1/4, TSN.ca and the TSN App.