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Editorial
‘Tackling’ rugby safety through a collective approach
  1. Sharief Hendricks1,2,
  2. Carolyn Emery3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,
  3. Ben Jones1,2,11,12,13,
  4. James Craig Brown1,2,14,
  5. Kathryn Dane15,
  6. Stephen W West3,16,17,
  7. Keith A Stokes16,17,18,
  8. Richie Gray19,
  9. Ross Tucker14,20
  1. 1 Division of Physiological Sciences and Health through Physical Activity, Lifestyle and Sport Research Centre, Department of Human Biology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa
  2. 2 Carnegie Applied Rugby Research (CARR) Centre, Carnegie School of Sport, Leeds Beckett University, Leeds, UK
  3. 3 Sport Injury Prevention Research Centre, Faculty of Kinesiology, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
  4. 4 Integrated Concussion Research Program, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
  5. 5 Alberta Children’s Hospital Research Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
  6. 6 Hotchkiss Brain Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
  7. 7 O’Brien Institute for Public Health, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
  8. 8 Departments of Pediatrics, Cumming School of Medicine, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
  9. 9 Community Health Sciences, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
  10. 10 McCaig Institute for Bone and Joint Health, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
  11. 11 Premiership Rugby, London, UK
  12. 12 England Performance Unit, Rugby Football League, Manchester, UK
  13. 13 School of Behavioural and Health Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, Australian Catholic University, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
  14. 14 Institute of Sport and Exercise Medicine, Department of Exercise, Sport and Lifestyle Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, South Africa
  15. 15 Discipline of Physiotherapy, School of Medicine, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
  16. 16 Centre for Health, and Injury & Illness Prevention in Sport, University of Bath, Bath, UK
  17. 17 UK Collaborating Centre on Injury and Illness Prevention in Sport (UKCCIIS), University of Bath, Bath, UK
  18. 18 Rugby Football Union, London, UK
  19. 19 GSI Performance Scottish Borders, Edinburgh, UK
  20. 20 World Rugby, Dublin, Ireland
  1. Correspondence to Dr Sharief Hendricks, Division of Physiological Sciences and Health through Physical Activity, Lifestyle and Sport Research Centre, Department of Human Biology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa; sharief.hendricks01{at}gmail.com

http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/bjsports-2023-107020

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    Commitment to seeking an evidence-informed approach

    When it comes to player welfare, Rugby Union governing bodies have committed to seeking and funding an evidence-informed approach. This involves using research to make informed decisions about policy, laws and injury prevention programmes. Over the last decade, a growing body of research has informed player safety, for example, modifications to scrum laws to reduce catastrophic head and neck injuries.1 However, major gaps remain, including tackle research focusing on the women’s game.2

    A socioecological perspective

    It is well understood that player welfare, specifically injury prevention, is a complex issue. To effectively address these complexities and make a long-term impact requires a dynamic socioecological approach.3 ,4 An athlete operates within a socioecological structure (individual, interpersonal, organisational, community) that is influenced by a web of inter-related factors and actors, both of which change over time and/or when a factor/actor is modified (figure 1). Typically, injury prevention research will identify player level factors that influence injury risk (risk factors), and aim to modify these factors through behaviour change interventions. However, the socioecological view emphasises understanding contextual factors influencing implementation of such modifications. For example, if the behaviour intervention is a training programme, how much time is available to implement the training programme? Or, is the training programme appropriate for all sexes?

    Figure 1

    The collective approach of the different actors in the socioecological view for injury prevention in sport along the passive–active intervention continuum. Adapted …

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    Footnotes

    • Twitter @Sharief_H, @CarolynAEmery, @23benjones, @jamesbrown06, @kathryndane2, @westy1609, @drkeithstokes, @RichieGrayGSI, @Scienceofsport

    • Contributors SH drafted the manuscript, CE, BJ, JCB, KD, SWW, KAS, RG, RT provided input. All authors edited and reviewed the final version.

    • Funding The authors have not declared a specific grant for this research from any funding agency in the public, commercial or not-for-profit sectors.

    • Competing interests BJ is employed in a consultancy capacity by Premiership Rugby, the Rugby Football League and Leeds Rhinos Rugby League club.

      KS is employed by the Rugby Football Union, the national governing body for rugby union in England.RT is a research consultant for World Rugby. SH is a member of the BJSM editorial board.

    • Provenance and peer review Not commissioned; externally peer reviewed.