The fact that Leeds are countersuing a doctor suggests that maybe protocols weren't followed in Ward's case, and they are blaming the doctor for that. Ward's issues and symptoms are thankfully very rare, but they do show why clubs need to take the protocols and medical advice very seriously - as Leeds appear to be doing in Morgan Gannon's case for example.
Ward's case is very different to the class action. He's claiming breach of protocols put in place to protect players from a known risk.
Goulding and co are claiming long-term damage from playing the sport which they should have been protected from, with symptoms not emerging in some cases for decades after they stopped playing.
In the case of anyone from the 80s and 90s and probably as late as 2010ish, they are arguing that RU and RL should have known better and done more, which I personally don't think should be a winnable case in court, tragic as their later issues are. But regardless of what any of us think, the class action for RU players is going to be heard soon and will tell us if either sport has a future.
