Managing racial diversity: Positional segregation in South African rugby union in the post-apartheid era by Bernard Cros

“…This article intends to delineate the evolution of South African rugby union elite teams since the end of apartheid in the 1990s, when racially inclusive sports appeared, particularly the involvement of black players in what was often described as an essentially “white man’s game”. …”
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In-match physical demands on elite Japanese rugby union players using a global positioning system by Hayato Yamamoto, Masanori Takemura, Junta Iguchi, Misato Tachibana, Junzo Tsujita, Tatsuya Hojo

“…Objectives Our aim of this study was to quantify the physical demands of elite rugby union players by each position as a step towards designing position-specific training programme using a Global Positioning System/accelerometer system.Methods This study was performed as a retrospective observational study. …”
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Macronutrient requirements and intake by professional male rugby players by Maryke Meyer, Elmine du Toit, Riette Nel, Derik Coetzee

“…Background Rugby union is a high-contact team sport where professional rugby players are exposed to considerable training and game loads in pre-season and in-season. …”
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‘Mental heAlth and well-being in rUgby pLayers’ (MAUL) study: an online survey of diverse cohorts of rugby union players internationally by Jon Patricios, Paul Kelly, Simon Kemp, Debbie Palmer, Karim Khan, Caithriona Yeomans, Kathryn Dane, Steffan Griffin, Samantha Fawkner, Heather Lewis, Kearnan Myall, Rebecca Syed Sheriff, Kaitlin Simpson

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Changes in northern hemisphere male international rugby union players’ body mass and height between 1955 and 2015 by Neil E Hill, Sian Rilstone, Michael J Stacey, Dimitri Amiras, Stephen Chew, David Flatman, Nick S Oliver

“…Objectives We sought to establish the effects of professionalism, which officially began in 1995, on the body mass and height of northern hemisphere male international rugby union (RU) players. We hypothesised that mass would significantly increase following professionalism. …”
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Tackle characteristics associated with concussion in elite men’s rugby union: unpicking the differences between tacklers and ball-carriers by Keith A Stokes, Simon P T Kemp, Ben Jones, Sean Williams, Duncan Locke, Simon Roberts, Stephen W West, Steffan Griffin, Matt Cross

“…Objective To identify characteristics of tackling, of being tackled and interactions between tackle characteristics that are associated with concussion.Methods A case-control study in male professional rugby union players in England over five seasons (2016/2017 to 2020/2021) analysed characteristics of tackles that led to a clinically diagnosed concussion (cases), and a control group of tackles that did not result in a concussion. …”
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Low Rates of Return to Sport and Reduction in Performance Following Acute Achilles Tendon Ruptures in Elite Rugby Union Players by James J. Butler MB BCh BAO, Adarsh Aratikala BS, Alan P. Samsonov BS, Taylor Wingo MD, James Calder TD, MD, PhD, FRCS (Tr & Orth) FFSEM (UK), John G. Kennedy MD, MCh, MMSc, FFSEM, FRCS (Orth)

“…Category: Sports; Other Introduction/Purpose: The purpose of this study was to assess outcomes following acute Achilles tendon ruptures (AATR) sustained by elite rugby union players. Methods: Elite rugby union players who sustained an AATR were identified using a publicly available database, match reports and injury reports. …”
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Evaluation of a prospective interdisciplinary assessment of return to play in male professional rugby union following lower-limb injury: A pilot study by Molly F. McCarthy-Ryan, Stephen D. Mellalieu, Holly S.R. Jones, Adam Bruton, Isabel S. Moore

“…This pilot study used a prospective interdisciplinary approach to assess male professional Rugby Union players' (n ​= ​7) rehabilitation following a non-contact lower-limb injury. …”
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Individual differences provide a nuanced understanding of the contributions of age, experience, and level played to superior perceptual-cognitive-motor skill by Khaya Morris-Binelli, Minerva A. Westbrook, Benjamin Piggott, Sean Müller, Paola Chivers, Paola Chivers

“…Superior decision-making was not dependent solely upon greater experience in playing rugby union, nor age or level played. Further, superior decision-making was not solely dependent upon those participants who specialized in positional play during the typical game scenarios. …”
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Lowering the maximum legal tackle height in Scottish community women’s rugby: an injury surveillance and video analysis study across two seasons by Debbie Palmer, Sharief Hendricks, Ross Tucker, Hannah Walton, Neil Graham, Lara Paul, Isla J Shill, Hamish Gornall, Anthony P Turner

“…Objectives The tackle carries the highest risk of concussion in women’s rugby union. To reduce concussion risk, a lowered maximum tackle height (LTH) law, lowering the maximum legal tackle height from the shoulder to below the base of the sternum, was implemented across Scottish community rugby. …”
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Lowered tackle height law variation in Scottish men’s community rugby: a video analysis evaluation of 18 702 tackles across two seasons by Debbie Palmer, Sharief Hendricks, Ross Tucker, Hannah Walton, Isla Shill, Neil Graham, Lara Paul, Hamish Gornall

“…Background/objectives The tackle has the highest risk and causes the most concussions in rugby union. As such, law variation prevention strategies aiming to reduce head contact have been introduced. …”
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High-Speed Running and Sprinting Thresholds in Elite Female Team Sports: A Systematic Review by Raúl Nieto-Acevedo, Alfonso de la Rubia, Enrique Alonso-Pérez-Chao, Moisés Marquina Nieto, Carlos García-Sánchez

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Perspectives of researchers and clinicians on patient and public involvement (PPI) in preclinical spinal cord research: An interview study by Pádraig Carroll, Éimear Smith, Adrian Dervan, Ciarán McCarthy, Cliff Beirne, John Quinlan, Geoff Harte, Dónal O'Flynn, Fergal J. O'Brien, Frank Moriarty, Michelle Flood

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Using mobile technologies to support the training of community health workers in low-income and middle-income countries: mapping the evidence by David Peiris, James O'Donovan, Niall Winters, Shobhana Nagraj, Laurenz Langer, Promise Nduku, James Robson, Pallab Maulik, Chris Paton

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Early life adversity, contact with children’s social care services and educational outcomes at age 16 years: UK birth cohort study with linkage to national administrative records by John Macleod, Alison Teyhan, Andy Boyd, Dinithi Wijedasa

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