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'Overall injury rate is not increasing globally and concussion rate appears to be decreasing for first time'
The future shape of rugby will be determined by evidence-based injury-prevention initiatives after the game united in its commitment to making the sport as safe and simple to play as possible at a dedicated player welfare and laws symposium in Marcoussis this week.
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An important first step in the four-year law amendment cycle, the process of shaping the game beyond Rugby World Cup 2019 in Japan will be underpinned by one consideration – reducing the risk of injury.
Delegates representing unions, professional leagues, leading medics, researchers and scientists joined players, coaches and law makers for the three-day forum in France to consider the latest game analysis and injury data, the considerable progress made to date in injury prevention and management and identify injury trends with the potential to be mitigated through law amendment.
The shape of the game
- Ball in play time has increased by an average of 14 per cent since 2014 across 22 elite competitions to 39 minutes, increasing the number of tackles, rucks and passes in the modern game;
- There is now an average of just seven scrums per game, compared to an average of 32 in 1987.
Injury incidence and trends
- The incidence of injuries is not increasing across 22 elite competitions globally, while concussion incidence has decreased by 14 per cent across the 22 competitions in 2017-18;
- The tackle accounts for 50 per cent of all match injuries, while training accounts for up to 90 per cent of all player activity;
- Despite increased ball in play time and greater volume of tackles as a consequence, the risk of injury is decreasing per tackle event;
- The tackle accounts for 76 per cent of all concussions, while 72 per cent of concussions sustained in the tackle occur to the tackler;
- High risk tackles (when both the tackler and ball carrier are upright) carry a 50 per cent greater risk of concussive injury.
(Continue reading below…)
World Rugby chairman Bill Beaumont said: “The objective of the symposium was to bring together playing, coaching, medical and law experts to identify and explore potential law changes to further injury-prevention while promoting game simplicity, accessibility and spectacle.
“We have made great progress in recent years. While it is evident from the latest detailed data that ball in play time and the number of tackles is increasing in elite rugby, the overall injury rate is not increasing globally and the concussion rate appears to be decreasing for the first time.
Insightful read on how difficult 2019 really is for rugby in a grieving France ??? https://t.co/QIgEBXeaQk
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) March 14, 2019
“However, we always strive to do more to protect our players and reduce the risk of injury. This forum was an important first collaborative step and the delegates identified a number of recommendations for our rugby committee to consider.”
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Symposium Outcomes
- Law trial: With injury-prevention at the heart of the new four-year quadrennial law review cycle, the delegates proposed a number of evidence-based areas for potential law for trial, which World Rugby will now evaluate in detail via the expert law review group.
- World Rugby, in collaboration with its unions and professional leagues, will identify an elite competition to trial the high tackle warning system employed at the World Rugby U20 Championship 2018 – a programme that resulted in a 50 per cent reduction in concussion
- Law application: World Rugby to implement a high tackle sanctioning framework to promote sanction consistency and public understanding
- Training load: Any player competing at Rugby World Cup 2019 must have a ‘load passport’ to encourage best-practice training load management between club and country environments (approved by the World Rugby Council in November 2018 and presented to tier one coaches), while all unions are encouraged to optimally manage load between club and national team environments based on published best-practice and guidance.
- Injury surveillance: Under the revised premium standards for elite competitions approved by the World Rugby Executive Committee in September, from 1 January, 2019 any competition applying to operate the Head Injury Assessment (HIA) process must now: a) undertake detailed injury surveillance in line with World Rugby standards to create one comprehensive annual set of comparable and definitive global data, b) operate a match day doctor at every match, c) implement minimum video review standards and d) enable World Rugby representation on any HIA review panel.
- Game preparation: Unions are encouraged to universally adopt the Activate injury-prevention warm-up programme developed by the RFU and University of Bath, which has demonstrated a 50 per cent reduction in concussions and a 40 per cent injury reduction at community level when used three times or more a week.
- Tackle education: While the risk of injury per tackle event has decreased in the game, it is still the most common injury event and all unions will be encouraged to ensure professional environments provide comprehensive training to all young professional players in best-practice tackling technique as educated within community rugby programmes such as Rugby Ready. (The LNR announced in December 2018 that they will host seminars with all professional clubs, players, coaches and match officials in France).
France’s Sports Minister, Roxana Maracineanu opens the @WorldRugby Player Welfare and Law Symposium hosted by @FFRugby in Marcoussis, France, taking place over the next 3 days. #PlayerWelfare pic.twitter.com/ZHaNGq1hvc
— Brett Gosper (@brettgosper) March 18, 2019
Rugby Committee chairman John Jeffrey added: “The experts at the symposium kept an open mind and were focused on meaningful and realistic initiatives that have the potential to further reduce the risk of injury in the sport. The outcomes were exciting and will be taken forward to our Rugby Committee and further expert groups for detailed consideration and evaluation.”
Beaumont added: “It has been a fascinating, constructive and important debate. We are completely aligned in our commitment and I would like to thank my union, competition and International Rugby Players colleagues for their constructive input and full commitment. We are all united in the shared goal of making rugby a safer and simpler game for future generations.”
Comments on RugbyPass
Exciting place to be for the young fella. I expected he was French Polynesian when I saw him included in the France 6N squad (after seeing him in NZs), and therefor be strong grounds we might loose him to rugby down here. Good, in that he is good enough to warrant such a profile, and from a journalism’s fan interaction aspect, to finally get a back ground story on the fella. Hope he has settled into NZ OK and that at least one rugby country will fit with him to help his development, which, if so, he should surely continue for a few years, and then that he can experience France to it’s fullest with a bit more maturity and less reliance on family than you would have at his current age. A good 3 or 4 years before he would be ready for International duty if he wanted to wait. Of course he already sounds good enough to accept a call up, and to cap himself, in the more immediate future (he’d have to be very very good in the case of the ABs), and he’ll get a great taste of that being with the Canes who have a bunch who are just a few years further into their career and looking likely Internationals themselves.
11 Go to commentsI remember towards the end of the original broadcasting deal for Super rugby with Newscorp that there was talk about the competition expanding to improve negotiations for more money - more content, more cash. Professional rugby was still in its infancy then and I held an opposing view that if Super rugby was a truly valuable competition then it should attract more broadcasters to bid for the rights, thereby increasing the value without needing to add more teams and games. Unfortunately since the game turned professional, the tension between club, talent and country has only grown further. I would argue we’re already at a point in time where the present is the future. The only international competitions that matter are 6N, RC and RWC. The inter-hemisphere tours are only developmental for those competitions. The games that increasingly matter more to fans, sponsors and broadcasters are between the clubs. Particularly for European fans, there are multiple competitions to follow your teams fortunes every week. SA is not Europe but competes in a single continental competition, so the travel component will always be an impediment. It was worse in the bloated days of Super rugby when teams traversed between four continents - Africa, America, Asia and Australia. The percentage of players who represent their country is less than 5% of the professional player base, so the sense of sacrifice isn’t as strong a motivation for the rest who are more focused on playing professional rugby and earning as much from their body as they can. Rugby like cricket created the conundrum it’s constantly fighting a losing battle with.
3 Go to commentsOh wow… “But as La Rochelle proved in winning in Cape Town this season, a cross-continental away assignment need not spell the end of days.” La Rochelle actually proved quite the opposite. After traveling to Cape town and back they (back-to-back and current champs) got mercilessly thumped the next week. If travel is not the reason, why else would a full-strength powerhouse like La Rochelle get dumped on their @r$e$ one week later?
26 Go to commentsYou know he can land a winning conversion after the full time siren is up. (Even if it takes two attempts.)
5 Go to commentsA very insightful article from Jake. I would love to know how South African’s feel about their move to Europe. Do you prefer playing in Europe or want to go back to Super Rugby?
3 Go to commentspure fire
1 Go to commentsA very well thought out summary of all the relevant complications…agree with your ”refer the Cricket Test versus 20/20 comparison”. More also definitely doesn't necessarily mean better!
3 Go to commentsMust be something when you are only 19 y.o and both NZ and France want you. Btw he wasn’t the only new caledonian in french U20 as Robin Couly also lived in Noumea until 17. Hope he’s successful wherever he chooses to play.
11 Go to comments“Several key players in the Stade Rochelais squad are in their thirties” South Africans are going to hate the implications of that comment!
5 Go to commentsI know Leinster did a job on La Roche but shortly after HT Leinster were 30-13 ahead of them and at a similar time Toulouse were trailing Exeter. At 60 mins Leinster were 27 ahead but after 67 mins Toulouse were only 19 ahead before Exeter collapsed. That’s heavier scoring by Leinster against the Champions. I think people are looking at Toulouses total a little too much. I also think Northhampton are in with a real chance, albeit I’d put Leinster as favourites. If Leinster make the final I expect them to win by more than ten and with control.
5 Go to commentsHey Nick, your match analysis is decent but the top and tail not so much, a bit more random. For a start there’s a seismic difference in regenerating any club side over a test team. EJ pretty much had to urinate with the appendage he’d been given at test level whereas club success is impacted hugely by the budget. Look no further than Boudjellal’s Toulon project for a perfect example. The set ups at La Rochelle and Leinster are like chalk and cheese and you are correct that Leinster are ahead. Leinster are not just slightly ahead though, they are light years ahead on their plans, with the next gen champions cup team already blooded, seasoned and developing at speed from their time manning the fort in the URC while the cream play CC and tests. They have engineered a strong talent conveyor belt into their system, supported by private money funnelled into a couple of Leinster private schools. The really smart move from Leinster and the IRFU however is maximising the Irish Revenue tax breaks (tax relief on the best 10 years earnings refunded at retirement) to help keep all of their stars in Ireland and happy, while simultaneously funding marquee players consistently. And of course Barrett is the latest example. But in no way is he a “replacement for Henshaw”, he’s only there for one season!!! As for Rob Baxter, the best advice you can give him is to start lobbying Parliament and HMRC for a similar state subsidy, but don’t hold your breath… One thing Cullen has been very smart with is his coaching team. Very quickly he realised his need to supplement his skills, there was talk of him exiting after his first couple of years but he was extremely shrewd bringing in Lancaster and now Nienaber. That has worked superbly and added a layer that really has made a tangible difference. Apart from that you were bang on the money… 😉😂
5 Go to commentsNot sure exactly what went wrong for him at Glasgow but it’s pretty clear he ain’t Franco’s cup of tea. Suspect he would have been better served heading out of Scotland around the same time as Finn, Hoggy and Jonny!
1 Go to commentsBulls disrespected the Northampton supporters and the competition. Decide quickly, fully in or out.
26 Go to commentsI wonder if Parling was ever on England’s radar as a coach? Obviously Borthwick is a great lineout coach, but I do worry he might be taking on too much as both head coach and forwards coach.
1 Go to commentsJason Jenkins has one cap. When Etzebeth was his age he had over 80 caps. Experience matters. He will never amount to what Etzebeth has because he hasn’t been developed as an international player.
2 Go to commentsSays much about the player picking this gig over the easier and bigger rewards offered to him in Japan. Also says a lot about the state sanctioned tax benefits the Irish Revenue offers pro rugby players, with their ten highest earning years subject to an additional 40% tax relief and paid as a lump sum, in cash, at retirement. Certainly helps Leinster line up the financial ducks in a row to fund marquee signings like this!!! No other union anywhere in world rugby benefits from this kind of lucrative financial sponsorship from their government…
5 Go to commentsTrue Jordie could earn a lot more in Japan. But by choosing Leinster he’ll be playing with 1 of the best clubs in the world and can win a champions cup and URC…..
6 Go to commentsThanks for that Marshy, noticed you didn't say who is gonna win it. We know who ain't gonna win it - your Crusaders outfit. They've gone from having arguably the best Super Rugby first five ever, to having a clutch of rookies. Hurricanes all the way!
1 Go to commentsGeez you really have to question the NRLs ability to produce players of quality. Its pathetic. Dont the 25mil in Aus produce enough quality womens players. Sad.
1 Go to commentsBulls fan here, and agree 100% with the conclusion (and little else) of this article. SA sides should absolutely f-off from the champs cup until we get fair scheduling, equal support for travel arrangements and home semis. You know, like all the european teams get.
26 Go to comments