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

Concussion 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.

Physical Demands of Refereeing Rugby Sevens Matches at Different Competitive Levels.

ABSTRACT: Sant'Anna, RT, Roberts, SP, Moore, LJ, and Stokes, KA. Physical demands of refereeing rugby sevens matches at different competitive levels. J Strength Cond Res 35(11): 3164-3169, 2021-The aim of this study was to compare the physical demands of officiating across different competitive levels in rugby sevens. An observational design was used involving 27 referees (26 men and 1 woman, age: 27 ± 6 years, body mass [mean ± SD]: 78.5 ± 9.3 kg, and height: 179 ± 5 cm). Global Navigation Satellite Systems data were collected across a total of 114 matches during 5 separate rugby sevens tournaments played in England-between May and July 2018-categorized into 4 competitive levels: (a) international, (b) professional, (c) semiprofessional, and (d) amateur. Compared with referees officiating at the international, professional, and semiprofessional levels, referees officiating at the amateur level covered less total (p < 0.001) and relative distance (p < 0.001). In addition, these referees covered more distance walking and jogging (p < 0.001). Amateur referees also completed fewer sprints (p = 0.006), repeated high-intensity efforts (RHIEs) per game (p < 0.001), and spent longer between RHIEs (p = 0.015). Finally, for the amateur referees, the duration of the longest repeated high-intensity bout (i.e., worst case scenario) was lower (p < 0.001), with less distance covered (p < 0.001) and fewer high-intensity accelerations (p < 0.001). Refereeing rugby sevens is therefore more physically demanding at higher competitive levels, particularly in terms of high-intensity efforts. The results provide vital information for practitioners involved in the physical preparation of rugby sevens referees.

Rugby union referees' physical and physiological demands across different competitive levels.

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to compare the match demands of officiating 15-a-side rugby union at different competitive levels. METHODS: Data was collected using Global Navigation Satellite Systems from 21 referees during 82 competitive rugby union matches across three different competitive levels: 1) professional; 2) semi-professional; 3) amateur. RESULTS: Compared with referees at the professional and semi-professional levels, referees at the amateur level covered less total distance (P=0.005). Additionally, these referees covered less distance jogging, and at low and medium intensity (all P<0.05), and had less time between repeated high-intensity efforts (P<0.001). Furthermore, compared with referees at the semi-professional and amateur levels, referees at the professional level had a higher sprint duration and covered more distance sprinting (all P<0.05), and achieved a higher maximal speed during the longest repeated high-intensity effort or "worst-case scenario" (P=0.026). The professional level referees also displayed a lower average heart rate (P<0.001), spent a higher percentage of time at <60% HRmax (P<0.001), and a lower percentage of time between 71% and 80% HRmax (P=0.004). Finally, external and internal load were strongly correlated for referees at the semi-professional level only (r=0.75, P<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Overall, the findings demonstrate that refereeing 15-a-side rugby union is more physically demanding at higher competitive levels, particularly in terms of high-intensity efforts. The results provide important information for practitioners involved in the physical preparation and training of rugby union referees.

Aerobic power and field test results of amateur 15-a-side rugby union players.

BACKGROUND: The aim of the present study was to verify whether it is possible to predict aerobic power in amateur 15-a-side rugby union players through the Yo-Yo Intermittent Recovery Test Level 1 (Yo-Yo IRT1) and the 5-meter Multiple Shuttle Test (5-m MST). METHODS: Forty-two amateur players - 22 forwards and 20 backs - were evaluated in three phases: 1) maximum treadmill test in the laboratory; 2) field test set by a drawing in the first phase; and 3) second field test. Descriptive, comparison, correlation, regression and level of agreement analyses were performed. RESULTS: Backs, when compared to forwards, showed a higher VO2max (61.7±15 mL/kg/min and 51.6±10.1 mL/kg/min, respectively), Yo-Yo IRT1 final level (16.4±0.8 and 14.9±0.9, respectively) and Yo-Yo IRT1 total distance (1283.3±312.5 m and 792±277.6 m, respectively), and a higher final distance in the 5-m MST (686.8±36.6 and 642.9±46.5, respectively). Significant correlations were found between the result and the total distance on the Yo-Yo IRT1 and the VO2max (r=0.425 and r=0.459, respectively). Using the total distance covered in the Yo-Yo IRT1, the VO2max of amateur 15-a-side rugby union players can be estimated through the equation VO2max = 0.016 × (DIST Yo­Yo) + 40.578. CONCLUSIONS: Yo-Yo IRT1 is most useful when the objective is to evaluate the aerobic power of amateur RU players in comparison with the 5-m MST.