Irish Rugby Football Union

Fewer players, bigger opportunity: How structural rule modifications shape physical and technical demands in youth rugby union

Purpose Youth rugby governing bodies have progressively revised competition formats to align game demands with children's developmental characteristics. However, empirical evidence remains limited on whether these structural modifications increase children's locomotor and technic...

Changing playing surfaces is associated with increased injury incidence and burden rates in men’s elite rugby union

This study examined the association between playing surface changes and match injury risk in professional men’s rugby in England. Nine seasons of injury data (2013/14–2021/22) were collected from 15 clubs. Incidence, severity and burden of injury were compared between conditions...