Red Roses and Black Ferns join head impact study
The Black Ferns and the Red Roses will participate in a ground-breaking head impact study.
The study will involve using instrumented mouthguards to inform and advance injury-prevention initiatives in women’s rugby.
The world’s top two ranked teams will wear Prevent Biometrics’ instrumented mouthguards during the matches between the two teams on 31 October and 7 November and during training sessions.
The devices contain an impact monitor data acquisition system that collects and transmits count, load, location, direction, linear and rotational motion every time there is a collision between players or players and the ground. Every impact, including those that are not directly involving the head, are recorded by the instrumented mouthguards will be matched to time-coded video for analysis.
The landmark study will combine with research being undertaken in Otago, New Zealand, using the same devices to deliver for the first time a comprehensive, detailed and comparable picture of head impacts across women’s rugby from girls and community rugby to the elite level.
Dr Simon Kemp, RFU Medical Services Director said: “We are delighted to collaborate with World Rugby on this research project. The findings will be an important addition to rugby’s developing understanding of head impact exposure. I’d also like to thank our official mouthguard provider Opro for allowing us to participate in this World Rugby-led study.”
Red Roses captain, Sarah Hunter added: “It’s great that ourselves and New Zealand are able to work with World Rugby on this important research ahead of our upcoming back-to-back autumn international matches. Making rugby safer for every player at all levels of the game is hugely important and we’re pleased to contribute.”
This research programme, combined with the Otago Rugby Community Head Impact Detection study and Leinster, Claremont Auvergne and Benetton Treviso’s senior men’s teams, more than 1,000 players will participate in the largest-ever study of its kind, providing the sport with an invaluable platform to advance welfare for participants at all levels.
