Factors influencing tackle injuries in rugby union football

Objectives - To assess the influence of selected aspects of lifestyle, pers onality, and other player related factors on injuries in the tackle. To des cribe the detailed circumstances in which these tackles occurred. Methods - A prospective case-control study was undertaken in which the tack ling and tackled players ("the cases") involved in a tackle injury were eac h matched with "control" players who held the same respective playing posit ions in the opposing teams. A total of 964 rugby matches involving 71 senio r clubs drawn from all districts of the Scottish Rugby Union (SRU) were obs erved by nominated linkmen who administered self report questionnaires to t he players identified as cases and controls. Information on lifestyle habit s, match preparation, training, and coaching experience was obtained. A val idated battery of psychological tests assessed players' trait anger and res ponses to anger and hostility. The circumstances of the tackles in which in jury occurred were recorded by experienced SRU coaching staff in interviews with involved players after the match. Results - A total of 71 tackle injury episodes with correct matching of cas es and controls were studied. The following player related factors did not contribute significantly to tackle injuries: alcohol consumption before the match, feeling "below par" through minor illness, the extent of match prep aration, previous coaching, or practising tackling. Injured and non-injured players in the tackle did not differ in their disposition toward, or expre ssion of, anger or hostility. Some 85% of tackling players who were injured were three quarters, and 52% of injuries occurred when the tackle came in behind the tackled player or within his peripheral vision. Either the tackl ing or tackled player was sprinting or running in all of these injury episo des. One third of injuries occurred in differential speed tackles-that is, when one player was travelling much faster than the other at impact. The pl ayer with the lower momentum was injured in 80% of these cases. Forceful or crunching tackles resulting in injury mostly occurred head on or within th e tackled player's side vision. Conclusions - Attention should be focused on high speed tackles going in be hind the tackled player's Line of vision. Comparative information on the ci rcumstances of the vast majority of tackles in which no injury occurs is re quired before any changes are considered to reduce injuries in the tackle.