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Head Acceleration Event Probabilities During Standardised Contact Drills in Academy Men's Rugby League
Ryan White1,2, Daniel Weaving1,3,4, Cameron Owen1,5
1Carnegie Applied Rugby Research (CARR) Centre, Carnegie School of Sport, Leeds Beckett University, Leeds, UK.
European Journal of Sport Science
|August 8, 2026
Summary
Head acceleration event (HAE) probabilities vary significantly across rugby league contact drills. Standing wrestling poses the highest risk for HAEs, while shield tackles present the lowest risk for player head impacts.
Area of Science:
- Sports Medicine
- Biomechanics
- Rugby League Research
Background:
- Head acceleration events (HAEs) are a concern in rugby league.
- Understanding HAE probabilities during training is crucial for injury prevention.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate and compare HAE probabilities across various standardized contact drills in professional rugby league.
- To quantify the risk of head impacts during different training scenarios.
Main Methods:
- Utilized instrumented mouthguards (iMGs) to capture head acceleration data (linear and angular) in 15 professional male academy players.
- Analyzed 1402 contact-drill observations using binomial logistic and ordinal mixed-effect regression models.
- Correlated HAE data with synchronized video recordings for accurate event identification.
Main Results:
- Significant variability in HAE probabilities (≥5g) was observed, ranging from 1.3% (tackle shield hits) to 41.3% (standing wrestle).
- Tacklers experienced higher HAE probabilities than ball-carriers.
- The probability of high-magnitude HAEs (≥25g) was consistently low (<1.1%) across all drills.
Conclusions:
- Standardized contact drills in rugby league exhibit diverse HAE probabilities.
- Coaches and trainers should consider drill-specific HAE risk variations when managing training exposure.
- While overall HAE risk is low, specific drills like standing wrestling require careful management to mitigate potential head impacts.
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