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Background Rugby union (hereafter rugby) is a high-intensity collision sport. Consequentially, the risk of injury and concussion is high. To date, youth research in rugby has focused almost exclusively on males, despite growing popularity of the female game. Objective To examine the rates of injury and concussion in youth female rugby in England. Design Prospective cohort study. Setting English youth female rugby. Participants 248 female adolescent (ages 14–18) rugby players participating in schools, community club or developmental player pathway rugby during the 2022–2023 season. Assessment of Risk Factors Players were observed for exposure to matches and training sessions over the course of one season (2022–2023). No interventions were implemented outside of normal rugby participation. Main Outcome Measures Injury (medical attention and/or time loss) rates (IR) and concussion rates (CR:/100 players/season). Results A total of 204 rugby-related injuries were reported, of which 148 were from matches, 50 were from training, and 6 from other circumstances. The match IR was 59.7/100 players/season (95% CIs: 50.5–70.1) and match CR was 17.7/100 players/season (95% CIs: 12.9–23.8). The most common injury locations were the head (n=45, 30%), knee (n=22, 15%) and ankle (n=21, 14%). The tackle was responsible for the highest proportion of injuries (60% tackle-related: 30% tackler, 30% ball carrier), followed by the ruck (11%). Training IR was 20.2/100 players/season (95% CIs: 15.0–26.6) and training CR was 3.6/100 players/season (95% CIs: 1.7–6.9). The ankle was the most injured location in training (n=13, 26%), followed by the head (n=9, 18%) and knee (8, 16%). Conclusions The head was the most injured location in matches and the tackle event was associated with the highest injury rate. Injury and concussion rates in female youth rugby players are high and prevention strategies are required to minimise this risk.
West et al. (Fri,) studied this question.