ArticleSports medicine (Auckland, N.Z.)2026
Head Acceleration Event Magnitude and Incidence Rate in Academy Rugby Union: A Comparison Across Club and International Competition.
Article in Sports medicine (Auckland, N.Z.), 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
1 citing paper in PubMed.
- Biomechanical Profiles of Diagnosed Concussions in Rugby Union: A Case Study Using Instrumented Mouthguards.Sports medicine - open · 2026Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
11 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundHead acceleration events (HAEs) are an increasing concern in rugby union due to their association with brain injury and long-term neurological health.
objectivesThis original research study aimed to establish essential baseline data on HAEs in under-21 professional rugby using instrumented mouthguards (iMGs) and to determine whether a higher competition level (professional club versus international) is associated with elevated magnitude and incidence rate of HAEs.
methodsA prospective observational cohort design was used with 32 under-21 club academy players and 38 under-20 international players. Players underwent 3D dental scans and were provided with custom-fit iMGs. The iMGs contained an accelerometer and gyroscope that sampled at 3200 Hz with measured ranges of ± 200 g and ± 35 rad/s. The iMGs recorded peak linear acceleration (PLA), peak angular acceleration (PAA) and peak angular velocity (PAV). Data were collected from academy matches (254 player-matches; 241 h of exposure) and international matches (114 player-matches; 118.2 h of exposure). Descriptive statistics (median, interquartile range [IQR], 95th percentile and peak values) were calculated to characterise HAE magnitude across positions and competition levels. Negative binomial regressions assessed incidence rates across teams, positions and thresholds, adjusting for exposure time.
resultsA total of 6508 HAEs were recorded across 368 player matches from club U21 and national U20 rugby players. Median and peak values for linear acceleration, angular acceleration and change in angular velocity were generally higher in club players, particularly in the front row and outside backs. Club outside backs demonstrated the highest PLA (72.8 g) and PAA (5740 rad/s
conclusionThis study compared HAEs in U21 professional club and U20 international rugby players using iMGs. Contrary to expectations, international players did not consistently exhibit higher HAE magnitude or incidence. Notably, club outside backs and front row players experienced the highest severe HAE rates. These findings highlight the need to consider playing style, position-specific demands and technique in strategies to mitigate concussion risk in developing elite rugby players.
Indexed as
Identifiers
41016997What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.