Original paper
A survey of injury knowledge and technical needs of junior Rugby Union coaches in Townsville (North Queensland)

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Summary

Data of the injury knowledge and technical needs of registered coaches of junior Rugby Union teams in the Townsville district junior Rugby Union (North Queensland) were collected via a questionnaire mailed to coaches to determine the knowledge of the management, risk and protective factors of injury. A total of 35 completed self-administered questionnaires were returned in March 2003 for a response rate of 100%. Half of all coaches (54%, n = 18) identified the upper limb of the tackler as the body part most likely to be injured in a tackle and one-quarter (26%, n = 9) identified the lower limb of the ball carrier. Half (46%, n = 16) of coaches identified rest/ice/compression/elevation as the treatment for soft tissue injury. The total injury knowledge score increased with the total number of seasons coached (Spearman's rs = 0.401, p = 0.017). Coaches with a current first aid qualification were more likely to identify rest/ice/compression/elevation as the treatment for soft tissue injury (Fishers Exact test, p = 0.002). The results of this survey demonstrate that coaches of junior Rugby Union teams require education of the mechanisms of injury and procedures for the early management of minor and soft tissue in Rugby Union coaching courses.

Introduction

Rugby Union attracts immense public interest and media exposure in Australia.1 In 2005 the Australian Rugby Union (ARU) estimated that 176,655 Australians played Rugby Union in organised competitions. Three-quarters of all players were from either New South Wales (42.0%) or Queensland (28.0%). Participants were predominantly male, and more than two-thirds (68.5%) play in school and junior competition. One-third (33.5%) of players in school and junior competitions are from Queensland.2 Rugby Union ranked 31s in participation rates in Australian Bureau of Statistics pooled data from 12 quarterly population surveys of organised sport and physical activity from 1995 to 1998.3

While physical activity confers numerous health benefits,4, 5, 6 participation in contact sports such as Rugby Union is associated with an increased risk of injury and is a major source of injury morbidity in Australia.7 In 1998/1999 the Queensland Injury Surveillance Unit estimated that Rugby Union accounted for approximately 10.0% of all sporting injury presentations to hospital emergency departments throughout Queensland.8 This is consistent with emergency department injury presentation data for South Brisbane (Queensland) in 19809 and Mackay (Queensland) from 1998 to 2000.10 Half of all injury presentations to public hospitals in Queensland arising from participation in Rugby Union are in the 5–14 years age group.11

The cost of injury in Rugby Union is disproportionately high compared to estimates of participation. The direct cost of Rugby Union injuries in Australia in 1990 was estimated at AUD$25 million, the third highest for all sports.12 Similarly, in New South Wales from 1979 to 2000, benefits paid for Rugby Union injuries under the state government administered Sporting Injuries Insurance Scheme were the second highest of all sports totalling AUD$1.67 million.13

Injury has a demonstrated negative impact on participation in Rugby Union. Among a cohort of 911 adult Scottish players recruited upon sustaining an injury while playing Rugby, injury (26%) was the most commonly cited reason at 5 years follow-up for ceasing to play.14 Similarly, qualitative research conducted in 11–12-year old non-players of Rugby Union in Australia identified maternal fear of injury as the most common barrier to participation for prospective players, while fear of injury and poor coaching were commonly cited as potential barriers to continued participation in current players.15

Coach education is a fundamental component of contemporary sports injury prevention and risk management models.16 More specifically, increasing the knowledge of coaches of the correct techniques for high risk injury game situations and injury management have been suggested as potential injury prevention strategies for junior sports injury.7, 17, 18 However, there are no published evaluations of interventions addressing these principles. Coaches are uniquely positioned to not only teach safe playing skills, but also motivate primary and secondary prevention behaviours and initiate immediate injury management for players they supervise.19, 20 For these reasons, coaches are an ideal target group for injury prevention and management strategies in junior Rugby Union where rates of minor injuries are relatively high compared to other sports.

The frequency and cost of injury in combination with the paucity of epidemiological data identifies Rugby Union as a priority high-risk sport for injury prevention interventions.21 The objective of this study is to determine the knowledge of the mechanisms and management of Rugby injury and the technical needs of coaches of the Townsville district junior Rugby Union (TDJRU).

Section snippets

Methods

Data of the injury knowledge and perceived technical needs of coaches of Rugby Union teams in the age groups from 11 to 19 years in the TDJRU were collected via a self-administered questionnaire. Items in the questionnaire pertaining to injury risk and management were developed from a review of Rugby Union injury surveillance data in the published literature.22, 23, 24 Items relating to coaching experience, qualification and technical needs were developed via open-ended interviews conducted by

Results

Of the 40 mailed questionnaires, five were returned marked “return to sender” and as the addressees were not contactable by three follow-up telephone calls. The five surveys marked “return to sender” were not included in the response rate calculations. A total of 35 completed questionnaires were returned for an overall response rate of 100%.

Discussion

The analysis of responses to the survey (n = 35) provide valuable detail of the knowledge of injury and technical needs of coaches of junior Rugby Union. The median total knowledge score of three correct answers out of six suggests that the coaches in this sample have limited knowledge of injury mechanisms and management in Rugby Union. While three-quarters (71%) of the sample correctly identify the tackle as the game situation in which most injuries occur, half or less correctly identified the

Practical implications

  • Coaches should be taught tackling techniques with specific reference to protection of the lower body for the ball carrier and the upper body for the tackler.

  • Coaches should be educated in safe scrum engagement and collapse techniques due to the potential for catastrophic injury in this phase of play.

  • Coaches should be educated in injury mechanisms and procedures for the early management of minor and soft tissue throughout all levels of Rugby Union coaching courses.

  • The preferences of Australian

Acknowledgement

The authors did not receive any financial assistance to conduct this study.

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