The incidence, burden and impact of tackle injuries in schoolboy Rugby Union

Objectives: To describe the incidence, characteristics and burden of tackle-event injuries in under-19 schoolboy Rugby Union in Ireland comparing the profile of tackler and ball-carrier injuries independently and to examine the burden on school absenteeism. Design: A four-season prospective cohort study (2018–19, 2019–20, 2022–23, 2023–24) of match injuries in under-19 schoolboy Rugby Union in Ireland was conducted. Methods: Fifty teams participated. A 24-hour time-loss definition was utilised. Incidence rates per 1000 h and incidence rate ratios with 95 % confidence intervals were calculated. Results: 465 match injuries were reported from 10,924 match exposure hours. 66.7 % of these injuries occurred during the tackle event, with injuries to tacklers occurring 33 % more often than injuries to ball-carriers (incidence rate ratio = 1.33, 95 % confidence interval 1.06–1.67). Tacklers sustained more head and shoulder injuries than ball-carriers who, in contrast, sustained significantly more knee and ankle injuries. No difference was observed for injury severity; however, the overall burden of tackler injuries was 36 % higher than that of ball-carrier injuries (590 v 435 days absent from rugby participation, p < 0.001). 12.8 % (n = 38) of tackle-event injuries resulted in a median of one day absence from school. Conclusions: The incidence and burden of injuries to the tackling player are significantly higher than that of injuries to the ball-carrier in this cohort. Head injuries, concussions and shoulder injuries are priority areas for risk mitigation strategies which could be targeted through improving tackler behaviour. Future research in schoolboy cohorts should investigate academic absence in addition to time lost from rugby participation.