In a 2-year prospective cohort study of Canadian high school Rugby Union players, including 361 females and 429 males, females exhibited significantly higher injury incidence rates. This was in both matches (62% higher) and training sessions (twice as high). They also had a 70% higher incidence of concussion in matches compared to males. Females had a 75% more tackle-related injuries and a twofold higher rate of injury as tacklers compared to males. This highlights the need for gender-specific injury and concussion prevention strategies in youth rugby.
Isla J Shill, Stephen W West, Stacy Sick, Kathryn J Schneider, J Preston Wiley, Brent E Hagel, Amanda M Black, Carolyn A Emery. doi: 10.1136/bjsports-2023-106929. Sport Injury Prevention Research Centre, Faculty of Kinesiology, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada.