Photo: NZSPORT
The largest ever study of the impact of collisions on the heads of players sheds new light on who is getting injured and how.
The New Zealand-based study used smart mouthguard technology to measure G forces in 328 male players from under 12s to top-grade community rugby.
It found that 94 percent of the G-forces experienced by players were lower than those measured on people jumping on trampolines.
Most of the incidences where higher G-forces were experienced were the result of poor tackle or rucking technique.
The study was a joint project between World Rugby, Prevent Biometrics, New Zealand Rugby (NZR), Otago Rugby and the University of Otago. Kathryn speaks with Otago University Associate Professor in Biomechanics, Dr Melanie Bussey.
