RFU statement: The use of instrumented mouthguards in 2022/23
All elite teams across rugby in England are to be offered the use of instrumented mouthguards next season following satisfaction with recent research involving 2020/21 Gallagher Premiership champions Harlequins and women’s teams such as England and Bristol. Quins claimed their run to the title last year was greatly enhanced by information gleaned from their use of the PROTECHT Pro system relaying them a whole heap of real-time data measurements about head and body collisions in matches and training.
Now, following a further season of research, the RFU have included the use of instrumented mouthguards as one of a number of measures aimed at reducing head impact exposure and concussion risk. Aside from mouthguards, other focus areas include the newly revised return to play protocols, Saliva miRNA tests and the increased use of the new Advanced Brain Health Clinic which to date has had 47 players booked in.
Meanwhile, the latest reports from the Professional Rugby Injury Surveillance Project (PRISP) and the Women’s Professional Rugby Injury Surveillance Project (WRISP) that collectively cover the elite men’s and women’s teams in England found that concussion remained the most common injury.
Concussion was the most reported men’s match injury, accounting for 28 per cent of all match injuries, but the number of concussions has remained relatively stable since the 2016/17 season. Concussion was also the most commonly reported match injury in the women’s game (12.6/1,000 hours), making up 26 per cent of all match injuries. This rate was higher than last season (5.3/1,000) the report suggesting it likely reflected more consistent reporting and identification.
An RFU statement read: The Rugby Football Union (RFU), Premiership Rugby (PRL) and Rugby Players’ Association (RPA) will continue to focus on reducing the exposure to head impacts and concussion risk within the elite men’s and women’s game during the 2022/23 season as part of its action plan.
'I genuinely believe this is something that is going to help change the game'
After Paul Gustard left, a new technology radically altered how @Harlequins trained. @heagneyl ??? talks to @RichardLanc of @PROTECHTPro https://t.co/R2k48UfIJB
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) July 11, 2021
“Focus areas include instrumented mouthguards (iMGs). Following research, involving Harlequins men’s and Bristol Bears women, as well as the involvement of the Red Roses in a World Rugby-led study, instrumented mouthguards will be offered to all Gallagher Premiership, Allianz Premier 15s and England representative teams for the 2022/23 season.
“The research phase demonstrated that the technology was able to quantify the frequency and magnitude of head contact and head accelerations and provide reliable and objective measures of both head impact and contact load to players and club coaches.
“Contact load data from the iMGs will be integrated with GPS data measuring running load to provide a much more comprehensive picture of player load. This will inform both club-based decisions about individual player load and performance in addition to league-wide guidance on appropriate contact training load.”
Key findings – Professional Rugby Injury Surveillance Project (PRISP)
- In 2020/21, the Premiership clubs’ match injury incidence was 79 injuries per 1,000 hours. This was lower than the 2002-20 period mean of 87 injuries per 1,000 hours;
- Concussion was the most reported match injury, accounting for 28 per cent of all match injuries. The number of concussions has remained relatively stable since the 2016/17 season;
- 48 per cent of all match injuries were attributed to the tackle, with being tackled accounting for 27 per cent and tackling accounting for 21 per cent of all match injuries;
- 37 per cent of all injuries were sustained during training, which is higher than the 2002-20 period of 32 per cent but a decrease in the 44 per cent reported in the 2019/20 season;
- The England men’s team played eleven matches in the 2020/21 season, with 21 recorded injuries. The incidence of match injuries for the England side in 2020/21 was 96 injuries per 1,000 hours compared with 126 injuries per 1,000 hours for the 2002-20 period mean. The mean days absent per match injury was 23 days, which is similar to the mean for the surveillance period (20 days).
Key findings – Women’s Professional Rugby Injury Surveillance Project (WRISP)
- The overall incidence of match injury in the Premier 15s was 47.6/1,000 hours which was similar to 2019/20 (39/1,000 hours);
- Concussion was the most commonly reported match injury (12.6/1,000 hours), making up 26 per cent of all match injuries. The rate was higher than last season (5.3/1,000) which likely reflects more consistent reporting and identification;
- The incidence rate for training injuries was low (1.46/1,000 hours), whilst the average number of days missed per training injury was high (52 days). This equated approximately to a one-time loss training injury every eight team training sessions. These data may reflect the challenges associated with detecting and reporting injuries in this setting. For instance, medics do not see players as regularly as in the men’s Premiership, and so minor injuries are less likely to be reported in the women’s game;
- Despite their low incidence rate, training injuries still accounted for 46 per cent all injuries reported in this setting;
- The incidence rate in England women’s international matches and training was 200 and 14/1,000 hours, respectively), and comparable to the England men’s team. These data may reflect an improved ability to report minor injuries in the England international setting. For instance, England medical practitioners will have greater contact with players during international camps, compared to the practitioners in the Premier 15s, enhancing their ability to report minor injuries.
The 2022 Global Injury Surveillance report is available here.
Comments on RugbyPass
Should've done this years ago. Change Saturday kick off times to around 11am. Up and off and back home before 3pm, limit travel time too. Allows players to actually do something else with their Saturday that's family oriented or being rugby fans they could ‘watch’ pro rugby. Increases crowds etc. How can anyone that enjoys grassroots and pro rugby have to choose between the two on Saturdays?
9 Go to commentsI bet he inspired those supporters just as much.
1 Go to commentsBen Smith Springboks living rent free in his head 😊😂
67 Go to commentsGood to hear he would like to play the game at the highest level, I hadn’t been to sure how much of a motivator that was before now. Sadly he’s probably chosen the rugby club to go to. Try not to worry about all the input about how you should play rugby Joey and just try to emulate what you do on the league field and have fun. You’ll limit your game too much (well not really because he’s a standard athlete like SBW and he’ll still have enough) if you’re trying to make sure you can recycle the ball back etc. On the other hard, you can totally just try and recycle by looking to offload any and everywhere if you’re going to ground 😋
1 Go to commentsThis just proves that theres always a stat and a metric to use to justify your abilities and your success. Ben did it last week by creating an imaginary competition and now you did the same to counter his argument and espouse a new yardstick for success. Why not just use the current one and lets say the Boks have won 4 world cups making them the most successful world cup team. Outside of the world cup the All Blacks are the most successful team winning countless rugby championships and dominating the rankings with high win percentages. Over the last 4 years statistically the Irish are the best having the highest win rate and also having positive records against every tier 1 side. The most successful Northern team in the game has been England with a world cup title and the most six nations titles in history. The AB’s are the most dominant team in history with the highest win rate and 3 world cups. Lets not try to reinvent the wheel. Just be honest about the actual stats and what each team has been good at doing and that will be enough to define their level of success.
19 Go to commentsHow is 7’s played there? I’m surprised 10 or 11 man rugby hasn’t taken off. 7 just doesn’t fit the 15s dynamics (rules n field etc) but these other versions do.
9 Go to commentsPick Swinton at your peril A liability just like JWH from the Roosters Skelton ??? went missing at RWC
14 Go to commentsLike tennis, who have a ranking system, and I believe rugby too, just measure over each period preceding a world cup event who was the longest number one and that would be it. In tennis the number one player frequently is not the grand slam winner. I love and adore the All Blacks since the days of Ian Kirkpatrick when I was a kid in SA. And still do because they are the masters of running rugby and are gentleman on and off the field - in general. And in my opinion they have been the majority of the time the best rugby team in the world.
19 Go to commentsHaving overseas possessions in 2024 is absurd. These Frenchies should have to give the New Caledonians their freedom.
21 Go to commentsBell injured his foot didn’t he? Bring Tupou in he’ll deliver when it counts. Agree mostly but I would switch in the Reds number 8 Harry Wilson for Swinton and move Rob Valentini to 6 instead. Wilson is a clever player who reads the play, you can’t outmuscle the AB’s and Springboks, if you have any chance it’s by playing clever. Same goes for Paisami, he’s a little guy who doesn’t really trouble the likes of De Allende and Jordie Barrett. I’d rather play Carter Gordon at 12 and put Michael Lynagh’s boy at 10. That way you get a BMT type goalkicker at 10 and a playmaker at 12. Anyways, just my two cents as a Bok supporter.
14 Go to commentsThanks Brett, love your articles which are alway pertinent. It’s a difficult topic trying to have a panel adjudicating consistently penalties for red card issues. Many of the mitigating reasons raised are judged subjectively, hence the different outcomes. How to take away subjective opinions?
9 Go to commentsYes Sir! Surprising, just like Fraser would also have escaped sanction if he was a few inches lower, even if it was by accident that he missed! Has there really been talk about those sanctions or is this just sensational journalism? I stopped reading, so might have missed any notations.
9 Go to commentsAI is only as good as the information put in, the nuances of the sport, what you see out the corner of the eye, how you sum up in a split second the situation, yes the AI is a tool but will not help win games, more likely contribute to a loss, Rugby Players are not robots, all AI can do if offer a solution not the solution. AI will effect many sports, help train better golfers etc.
45 Go to commentsIt couldn’t have been Ryan Crotty. He wasn’t selected in either World Cup side - they chose Money Bill instead. And Money Bill only cared about himself, and that manager he had, not the team.
28 Go to commentsYawn 🥱 nobody would give a hoot about this new trophy. End of the day we just have to beat Ireland and NZ this year then they can finally shut up 🤐
19 Go to commentsTalking bout Ryan Crotty? Heard Crotty say in a interview once that SBW doesen't care about the team . He went on to say that whenever they lost a big game, SBW would be happy as if nothing happened, according to him someone who cares would look down.. Personally I think Crotty is in the wrong, not for feeling gutted but for expecting others 2 be like him… I have been a bad loser forever as it matters so much to me but good on you SBW for being able to see the bigger picture….
28 Go to commentsThis sounds like a WWE idea so Americans can also get excited about rugby, RUGBY NEEDS A INTERNATIONAL CALENDER .. The rugby Championship and Six Nations can be held at same time, top 3 of six nations and top 3 of Rugby championship (6 nations should include Georgia AND another qualifying country while Fiji, Japan and Samoa/Tonga qualifier should make out 6 Southern teams).. Scrap June internationals and year end tours. Have a Elite top six Cup and the Bottom 6 in a secondary comp….
19 Go to commentsThe rugby championship would be even stronger with Fiji in it… I know it doesen’t fit the long term plans of NZ or Aus but you are robbing a whole nation of being able to see their best players play for Fiji…. Every second player in NZ and AUS teams has Fijian surnames… shame on you!!! World rugby won’t step in either as France and England has now also joined in…. I guess where money is involved it will always be the poor countries missing out….
90 Go to commentsNo surprise there. How hard can it be to pick a ball off the ground and chuck it to a mate? 😂
4 Go to commentsSometimes people just like a moan mate!
9 Go to comments