Longitudinal study of six seasons of match injuries in elite female rugby union.

Unlabelled: ObjectiveTo establish match injury rates and patterns in elite female rugby union players in England.

Method: We conducted a six-season (2011/2012-2013/2014 and 2017/2018-2019/2020) prospective cohort study of time-loss match injuries in elite-level female players in the English Premiership competition. A 24-hour time-loss definition was used.

Prolonged restricted training, fixture congestion and player rotation: What the COVID-19 pandemic taught us about injury risk in professional collision sport.

Objectives: The COVID19-induced suspension of the 2019-20 professional England rugby union season resulted in players being exposed to an extended restricted training period, coupled with a congested match schedule once competition resumed. We assessed the impact of these changes on match and training injuries in the final 20-weeks of the season following competition resumption.

Design: Epidemiological study.

The sensitivity of the Fatigue and Fitness Test for Teams (FFITT) to measure the demands of a rugby match.

Regular monitoring of players in a team can be a challenge because it is time consuming, expensive and impractical. The Fatigue and Fitness Test for Teams (FFITT) was developed to satisfy the demands of a practical monitoring protocol for frequent use in team sports. This study aimed to quantify the sensitivity of the FFITT and assess the practicality of implementing the FFITT in a rugby team.

High Concussion Rate in Student Community Rugby Union Players During the 2018 Season: Implications for Future Research Directions.

Collision sports, such as Rugby Union ("Rugby") have a particularly high risk of injury. Of all injuries common to collision sports, concussions have received the most attention due to the potentially negative cognitive effects in the short- and long-term. Despite non-professional Rugby players comprising the majority of the world's playing population, there is relatively little research in this population.

The Fatigue and Fitness Test for Teams (FFITT): A practical option for monitoring athletes in a team as individuals.

We developed the ) to address the challenges of monitoring players in a team simultaneously. The test, which takes 8 min for the entire team, incorporates subjective measures of well-being (RTT-Q), and objective measures of the autonomic system (HRR) and neuromuscular function (SLJ). The aim of this study was to present the rationale for the FFITT as a novel athlete monitoring protocol and to measure the reliability of each component of the test.

Monitoring Rugby Players for Fitness and Fatigue: What Do Coaches Want?

Purpose: The advantages of monitoring players in a team are well documented. However, barriers associated with lack of resources and time prevent teams from implementing systematic monitoring programs. This study aimed to identify (1) the methods rugby teams use to monitor the training load and associated response to the training load and (2) prerequisites of a monitoring protocol that are scientifically suitable and practically applicable for monitoring fitness and fatigue of rugby players.