Abstract
Objectives: To study match injury patterns and incidence during the Rugby World Cup 2003 (RWC 2003); to compare these patterns and rates with comparative rugby injury data; and to assess differences between teams playing at different levels (eight finalists v 12 non-finalists).
Methods: Data were collected prospectively during the tournament. All injuries were recorded by the 20 participating team physicians. These were submitted to the tournament medical officer. An injury was defined as an event which forced a player either to leave the field or to miss a subsequent game or both.
Results: 189 injuries were recorded over 48 matches. This corresponds to 97.9 injuries per 1000 player-hours. Pool matches yielded a higher injury rate than non-pool matches. The 12 non-finalist teams sustained significantly higher injury rates than the eight finalist teams. The player positions open side flanker, inside centre, and number 8 were the most frequently injured positions. There was a low concussion rate, which may reflect under-reporting. The non-finalist teams had a higher rate of recurrent injury.
Conclusions: The injury rate was higher than comparative data. Mismatches in the areas of skill, fitness, and the availability of resources for medical care of players may explain these differences.
Full Text
The Full Text of this article is available as a PDF (89.3 KB).
Selected References
These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.
- Aubry M., Cantu R., Dvorak J., Graf-Baumann T., Johnston K., Kelly J., Lovell M., McCrory P., Meeuwisse W., Schamasch P. Summary and agreement statement of the First International Conference on Concussion in Sport, Vienna 2001. Recommendations for the improvement of safety and health of athletes who may suffer concussive injuries. Br J Sports Med. 2002 Feb;36(1):6–10. doi: 10.1136/bjsm.36.1.6. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Bathgate A., Best J. P., Craig G., Jamieson M. A prospective study of injuries to elite Australian rugby union players. Br J Sports Med. 2002 Aug;36(4):265–269. doi: 10.1136/bjsm.36.4.265. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Garraway W. M., Lee A. J., Hutton S. J., Russell E. B., Macleod D. A. Impact of professionalism on injuries in rugby union. Br J Sports Med. 2000 Oct;34(5):348–351. doi: 10.1136/bjsm.34.5.348. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Hawkins R. D., Fuller C. W. Risk assessment in professional football: an examination of accidents and incidents in the 1994 World Cup finals. Br J Sports Med. 1996 Jun;30(2):165–170. doi: 10.1136/bjsm.30.2.165. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Jones S. J., Lyons R. A., Evans R., Newcombe R. G., Nash P., McCabe M., Palmer S. R. Effectiveness of rugby headgear in preventing soft tissue injuries to the head: a case-control and video cohort study. Br J Sports Med. 2004 Apr;38(2):159–162. doi: 10.1136/bjsm.2002.002584. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Targett S. G. Injuries in professional Rugby Union. Clin J Sport Med. 1998 Oct;8(4):280–285. doi: 10.1097/00042752-199810000-00005. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]