The Epidemiology of Head Injuries at the 2019 Rugby Union World Cup in Comparison to Previous World Cup Tournaments

OrthoMedia ◽  
2021 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Head Injuries ◽  
Rugby Union ◽  
World Cup

scholarly journals Does tackle height influence offload success in rugby union? Analysis from the 2019 Rugby World Cup

2020 ◽  
pp. 174795412097366
Author(s):  
Joshua Amayo ◽  
Gregory J Tierney
Keyword(s):  
Confidence Interval ◽  
Odds Ratio ◽  
Body Position ◽  
Head Injuries ◽  
Rugby Union ◽  
The Body ◽  
Effective Strategy ◽  
World Cup ◽  
Cultural Shift ◽  
Rules Of The Game

Offloads are an effective way of breaking through a defensive line in rugby union. Higher tackle heights are considered an effective strategy to defend against offloads. However, in a bid to reduce head injuries, there is a cultural shift within the rules of the game to tackle lower down on the body. This study used match video analysis of ten games from the 2019 Rugby World Cup to investigate whether tackle height influences offload success for the ball carrier. Each legal tackle was categorised based on tackle height (e.g. shoulder), player body position (e.g. upright), tackle type (e.g. shoulder tackle), tackle direction (e.g. front on) and player position (e.g. tight forwards). For each characteristic, the Odds Ratio (OR) and 95% Confidence Interval (CI) were calculated based on offload success outcome. Tackles at the hip (OR = 1.81, 95% CI 1.10 to 2.96, p = 0.018) and upper leg (OR = 1.94, 95% CI 1.30 to 2.90, p = 0.001) had a greater propensity to result in offload success while tackles at shoulder height reduced offload success (OR = 0.09, 95% CI 0.04 to 0.22, p < 0.001). A bent at the waist tackler against an upright ball carrier had a greater propensity to result in offload success (OR = 1.74, 95% CI 1.19 to 2.54, p = 0.004). Tackling lower increased the chances of offload success for the ball carrier. The cultural shift towards lower tackle heights is likely to result in an increased number of offloads and it is up to players, coaches and defensive systems to be able to adapt to this.

scholarly journals Padded Headgear does not Reduce the Incidence of Match Concussions in Professional Men’s Rugby Union: A Case-control Study of 417 Cases

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Keith A. Stokes ◽  
Matthew Cross ◽  
Sean Williams ◽  
Carly McKay ◽  
Brent E. Hagel ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Odds Ratio ◽  
Head Injuries ◽  
Median Number ◽  
Case Control ◽  
Rugby Union ◽  
Return To Play ◽  
Injury Incidence ◽  
Video Footage ◽  
Four Seasons ◽  
Nested Case Control

AbstractConcussion is the most common match injury in rugby union. Some players wear padded headgear, but whether this protects against concussion is unclear. In professional male rugby union players, we examined: (i) the association between the use of headgear and match concussion injury incidence, and (ii) whether wearing headgear influenced time to return to play following concussion. Using a nested case-control within a cohort study, four seasons (2013–2017) of injury data from 1117 players at the highest level of rugby union in England were included. Cases were physician-diagnosed concussion injuries. Controls were other contact injuries (excluding all head injuries). We determined headgear use by viewing video footage. Sixteen percent of cases and controls wore headgear. Headgear use had no significant effect on concussion injury incidence (adjusted odds ratio=1.05, 95% CI: 0.71–1.56). Median number of days absent for concussion whilst wearing headgear was 8 days, compared with 7 days without headgear. Having sustained a concussion in the current or previous season increased the odds of concussion more than four-fold (odds ratio=4.55, 95% CI: 3.77–5.49). Wearing headgear was not associated with lower odds of concussions or a reduced number of days' absence following a concussion.

scholarly journals The Lack of Age Representation in the Governance of Rugby Union in England

2019 ◽  
Vol 36 (4) ◽  
pp. 300-310
Author(s):  
Adam J. White ◽  
Stefan Robinson ◽  
Eric Anderson ◽  
Rachael Bullingham ◽  
Allyson Pollock ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Young People ◽  
Head Injuries ◽  
Rugby Union ◽  
Gender Inequalities ◽  
Organizational Analysis ◽  
Rights Of The Child ◽  
Decision Making Processes ◽  
Homologous Reproduction ◽  
Academic Debate

Diversity and representation in sport governing bodies has become an issue for both public discussion and academic debate in recent times. Previous work has primarily centered on gender inequalities within the forever changing masculine terrain of sport. However, no work has yet examined the representation and participation of young people in the decision-making structures of sporting bodies. This paper holds up England’s Rugby Union for organizational analysis, using the notion of homologous reproduction as a heuristic framework. In doing so, it explores the reproduction of this governing body for the systematic exclusion of young people in decision-making processes over the last few decades. This framework is then twined with Article 11 of the United Nation’s Convention for the Rights of the Child, to make the case that the RFU desires homologous reproduction in order to avoid dealing with what youth are currently concerned with –head injuries. Given such a high proportion of rugby’s participants being under twenty-five years of age, we conclude the lack of young people within the decision-making process represents a form of willful discrimination.

scholarly journals Predictive models of the 2015 Rugby World Cup: accuracy and application

2016 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
pp. 37-58 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. O’Donoghue ◽  
D. Ball ◽  
J. Eustace ◽  
B. McFarlan ◽  
M. Nisotaki
Keyword(s):  
Linear Regression ◽  
Predictor Variable ◽  
Rugby Union ◽  
Linear Regression Models ◽  
Residual Distribution ◽  
World Cup ◽  
Accurate Model ◽  
Random Variability ◽  
Using Data ◽  
World Ranking

Abstract The current investigation compared 12 models of outcomes of international rugby union matches and then used the most accurate model to investigate performances within the 2015 Rugby World Cup. The underlying linear regression models were used within a simulation package that introduced random variability about performance evidenced by the residual distribution of the regression analyses. Each model was used within 10,000 simulations of the 2015 Rugby World Cup from which match outcome and team progression statistics were recorded. The most accurate model with respect to the actual 2015 tournament was developed using data from all seven previous tournaments rather than restricting cases to the most recent three tournaments. The model was more accurate when the data used violated the assumptions of linear regression rather than transforming variables to satisfy the assumptions. The model included World ranking points as a predictor variable and was more accurate than corresponding models that represented relative home advantage as well. The most accurate model used separate models for the pool and knockout stage matches although the 9 models that separating these match types were less accurate on average than when the two match types were considered together. This model was used to investigate properties of the 2015 Rugby World Cup. The tournament disadvantaged three teams in the World’s top 5 who were drawn in the same pool. Teams ranked in the World’s top 7 did not perform as well as predicted while teams ranked 16th and below performed better than predicted suggesting that the strength in depth in international rugby union is increasing. There was a small effect of having additional recovery days from the previous match compared to the opponents which was worth 4.1 points. The information produced by this research should be considered by those design tournaments such as the Rugby World Cup.

scholarly journals Hot hands, cold feet? Investigating effects of interacting constraints on place kicking performance at the 2015 Rugby Union World Cup

2018 ◽  
Vol 18 (10) ◽  
pp. 1309-1316 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chris Pocock ◽  
Neil E. Bezodis ◽  
Keith Davids ◽  
Jamie S. North
Keyword(s):  
Rugby Union ◽  
World Cup ◽  
Kicking Performance

scholarly journals Head Accelerations during a 1-on-1 Rugby Tackling Drill Performed by Experienced Rugby Union Players

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (11) ◽  
pp. 1497
Author(s):  
Tahere Reha ◽  
Colm McNabb ◽  
Kevin Netto ◽  
Paul Davey ◽  
Andrew P. Lavender
Keyword(s):  
Head Injuries ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Rugby Union ◽  
Head Movements ◽  
Mitigation Strategies ◽  
Brain Health ◽  
Head Impacts ◽  
Experienced Male ◽  
Analysis Laboratory ◽  
Males And Females

Rugby Union is a popular sport played by males and females worldwide, from junior to elite levels. The highly physical skill of tackling occurs every few seconds throughout a match and various injuries associated with tackling are relatively common. Of particular interest are head injuries that result in a concussion. Recently, repeated non-injurious head impacts in sport have attracted the attention of researchers interested in brain health. Therefore, this study assessed head movement during repeated rugby tackle drills among experienced Rugby Union players. Experienced male and female participants performed 15 1-on-1 tackles in a motion analysis laboratory to measure the head movements of the ball carrier and tackler during each tackle, using three-dimensional motion capture. The average peak acceleration of the head for ball carriers was 28.9 ± 24.08 g and 36.67 ± 28.91 g for the tacklers. This study found that the type of head impacts common while performing a tackle in Rugby Union are similar to those experienced by soccer players during heading, which has been found to alter brain function that lasts hours after the event. This has important implications for player health and suggests that mitigation strategies should be considered for Rugby Union.

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