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Published on: September 21, 2017
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Wearing Regulation Soft-Padded Headgear Does Not Reduce the Risk of Head Injuries in Professional Men's Rugby
James Brown1,2,3, Marc Douglas4, Ben Hester4
1Carnegie Applied Rugby Research (CARR) Centre, Carnegie School of Sport, Leeds Beckett University, Leeds, UK.
European Journal of Sport Science
|December 19, 2025
Summary
Soft-padded headgear in rugby does not reduce head injury risk. Players wearing headgear experienced higher head injury rates and tackle exposure, suggesting it may not be protective.
Area of Science:
- Sports Medicine
- Biomechanics
- Injury Prevention
Background:
- Soft-padded headgear is widely used in rugby, but empirical evidence of its protective effect against head injury risk is lacking.
- Previous studies have not adequately accounted for tackle-event exposure when assessing headgear efficacy.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare head injury rates between rugby players with and without headgear, considering tackle-event exposure.
- To investigate the relationship between headgear use and tackle-related head injury incidence and propensity.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of video data from the 2018-2019 SuperRugby season, recording headgear use, playing position, match time, and head injury assessments.
- Tackle-event data obtained from a third-party provider to calculate head injury rates per 1000 hours (incidence) and per 1000 tackle-events (propensity).
- Incidence Rate Ratios (IRRs) and Poisson regression models were used to compare head injury risk between headgear and non-headgear wearers.
Main Results:
- Players wearing headgear were involved in more tackles per match (IRR: 1.07).
- Head injury incidence (IRR: 1.78) and propensity (IRR: 1.66) were significantly higher in players wearing headgear.
- Statistical models indicated no significant difference in risk between positional groups.
Conclusions:
- The findings suggest that soft-padded headgear, under current World Rugby regulations, does not offer a protective effect against head injury risk in professional rugby.
- Increased head injury risk observed in headgear wearers may be linked to greater injury susceptibility or increased engagement in high-contact situations.
- Continued examination of headgear's effect on individual head injury risk is crucial, especially with evolving regulations and technological advancements.
