TY - JOUR T1 - Longitudinal study of six seasons of match injuries in elite female rugby union JF - British Journal of Sports Medicine JO - Br J Sports Med SP - 212 LP - 217 DO - 10.1136/bjsports-2022-105831 VL - 57 IS - 4 AU - Lindsay Toyah Starling AU - Niki Gabb AU - Sean Williams AU - Simon Kemp AU - Keith A Stokes Y1 - 2023/02/01 UR - http://bjsm.bmj.com/content/57/4/212.abstract N2 - To 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.Results Five-hundred and thirty-four time-loss injuries were recorded during 13 680 hours of match exposure. Injury incidence was 39 injuries per 1000 hours (95% CIs 36 to 42) with a mean severity of 48 days (95% CIs 42 to 54) and median severity of 20 days (IQR: 7–57). Concussion was the most common specific injury diagnosis (five concussions per 1000 hours, 95% CIs 4 to 6). The tackle event was associated with the greatest burden of injury (615 days absence per 1000 hours 95% CIs 340 to 1112), with ‘being tackled’ specifically causing the most injuries (28% of all injuries) and concussions (22% of all concussions).Conclusions This is the first multiple-season study of match injuries in elite women’s rugby union players. Match injury incidence was similar to that previously reported within international women’s rugby union. Injury prevention strategies centred on the tackle would focus on high-burden injuries, which are associated with substantial player time-loss and financial costs to teams as well as the high-priority area of concussions.All data relevant to the study are included in the article or uploaded as supplementary information. ER -