The Solicitors Regulation Authority is investigating allegations that a rugby player was pressured into joining a group claim despite not suffering any injury.

London-based firm Rylands Garth today denied lying to retired Wasps and England prop Will Green during the course of his potential dementia claim. Green (pictured above) told the Telegraph this week that he was repeatedly pressed to join the firm’s action against rugby authorities regardless of medical reports showing no signs of a brain injury.

The former professional also claimed that the firm tried to ‘bully’ him into paying more than £5,000 for tests to identify any injury.

Green, who retired in 2007, ended his involvement with the firm and was then taken to court for repayment of legal and medical costs. Rylands’ claim was dismissed, with the Telegraph reporting that the judge ruled the firm had misrepresented its services to Green and that a letter of engagement laying this out was ‘at very best vague, muddled and highly confusing’.

An SRA spokesperson said: ‘Following additional information in the court case, we can confirm that we will be looking into this before deciding on next steps.’

A spokesperson for Rylands Garth said its 37-page letter of engagement that Green entered into was ‘very clear’, although it has used a revised version for the past two years and the document is under constant review.

He added: ‘We use highly sophisticated testing, which experts consider the best in the world, rather than the less sophisticated testing used by the NHS. Mr Green’s tests were undertaken by two highly experienced neuro-specialists, but he disagreed with the results and decided to leave the action.

‘We asked him to pay for some of those costs, in line with the letter of engagement. We do understand these cases are highly emotive and wish Mr Green all the best.’

The firm says it represents around 900 claimants who have suffered a form of brain injury playing sports, and none has been asked to pay anything for their testing.

Much of the Telegraph reporting focused on the Rylands Garth partner Richard Boardman, a solicitor for 15 years who is leading the group claim. He states on the firm’s website that he has considerable experience of contentious and non-contentious sports law matters and previously worked at ‘various’ magic circle and US law practices.

Rylands Garth Ltd was incorporated in 2022 and Boardman is the sole director. Boardman was also the only director with now-dissolved Rylands Legal Limited and has also owned TV and media companies, where he was listed as a television producer.

Then referring to itself as Rylands Law, the firm announced almost four years ago that it was planning to launch a legal action for negligence against rugby authorities. England World Cup winner Steve Thompson and former Wales international Alix Popham were part of a test group of eight players bringing the action, and Boardman claimed at the time to be representing more than 100 former professional rugby players in the their 20s to 50s. Many of these were showing symptoms associated with neurological complications.