Match injury incidence during the Super Rugby tournament is high: a prospective cohort study over five seasons involving 93 641 player-hours
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Date
2018
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
BMJ Publishing Group
Abstract
OBJECTIVES: To determine the incidence and nature of
injuries in the Super Rugby tournament over a 5-year
period.
METHODS: 482 male professional rugby union players
from six South African teams participating in the Super
Rugby tournament were studied (1020 player-seasons).
Medical staff of participating teams (2012–2016
tournaments) recorded all time loss injuries (total injuries
and match injuries) and exposure hours (93 641 total
playing hours; 8032 match hours). Injury incidence,
injured player proportion, severity (time lost), anatomical
location, tissue type and activity/phase during which
injury occurred are reported.
RESULTS: The overall incidence of match injuries (per
1000 player-hours; 95% CI) for each year was as follows:
2012 (83.3; 69.4–99.2); 2013 (115.1; 98.7–133.5);
2014 (95.9; 80.8–113.1), 2015 (112.3; 96.6–129.9)
and 2016 (93.2; 79.9–107.9). The injured player
proportion for each year was as follows: 2012 (54.6%);
2013 (49.4%); 2014 (52.0%); 2015 (50.0%); and
2016 (39.8%). The thigh, knee, head/face and shoulder/
clavicle are the most frequently injured locations, and
muscle/tendon and joint/ligament injuries account for the
majority of injuries. Most injuries (79%) occur in contact
situations, in particular during a tackle (54%).
CONCLUSION: The incidence of match injuries and
the injured player proportion in South African teams
competing in the Super Rugby tournament is high.
Match injury incidence is consistently higher than
previously reported for senior male rugby players at elite/
professional level. Targeted risk management strategies
are therefore needed in the Super Rugby tournament to
manage risk of injury.
Description
Keywords
Super Rugby, Sports injuries, Injury incidence, Contact situations
Citation
Schwellnus, M.P. et al. (2018). Match injury incidence during the Super Rugby tournament is high : a prospective cohort study over five seasons involving 93 641 player-hours. British Journal of Sports Medicine, 2018: 1-8.