To the best of our knowledge, most previous studies regarding the epidemiology of injuries in rugby union (rugby) players have focused on professional players. Therefore, data on injuries in collegiate rugby players in Japan is limited. The purpose of this study was to conduct a prospective injury survey of Japanese male collegiate rugby players over several years and to analyze the injuries that occurred during matches and training according to field position, type of injury, and mechanism of injury. This prospective study initially registered 128 rugby players from one university club. The occurrence of injuries was recorded by athletic trainers during the rugby seasons between 2017 and 2019. The total injury rate (IR) was 7.26 injuries/1000 player-hours (1000 PHs). The match IR (122.73 injuries/1000 PHs) was almost 31.9 times higher than the training IR (3.84 injuries/1000 PHs). Ankle sprains/ligament injuries (17.7%; 1.28 injuries/1000 PHs) were the most common injuries, in addition to acromioclavicular joint injuries in forwards and hamstring strain injuries in backs. The most common injury mechanism was tackling (16.4%). Injury characteristics differed according to field position; therefore, preventive measures according to field position are necessary. Moreover, the high number of tackle injuries suggests that improved tackle skills would help reduce injuries. The IR among Japanese collegiate rugby players was higher than that reported previously. Injury prevention training for collegiate players is necessary to reduce the number of injuries.

A high risk of ankle injury is associated with rugby; however, current epidemiological data on rugby-related ankle injuries are limited to specific age and competition levels. This study aimed to clarify the epidemiological characteristics of ankle sprains by longitudinally investigating their incidence, severity, and burden in men's collegiate rugby. Ankle sprains that occurred during rugby matches and training in 128 male collegiate rugby players were investigated across three seasons (2017-2019). The incidence of ankle sprain was 1.21 injuries/1000 player-hours (PHs). The risk of occurrence during matches (18.18 injuries/1000 PHs) was 25.6 times higher than that during training (0.71 injuries/1000 PHs). The mean severity of ankle sprain was 24.7 days. The injury burden tended to be higher in the match season than in the training season. The main injury mechanisms were thought to be related to contact play and stepping (non-contact play). In addition, a high rate of initial sprains was observed in this study. Ankle sprain prevention is important in collegiate rugby players.

Background: Rugby is a high risk of injury to the ankle, but epidemiological data on ankle injury is limited to specific competition levels and generations. This study aimed to clarify the epidemiological characteristics of ankle sprain by longitudinally investigating the incidence, severity and burden of ankle sprains in men's collegiate rugby players. Methods: The study recorded ankle sprains in rugby matches and training across three seasons from 2017 to 2019, investigating 128 male collegiate rugby players.Results: The incidence of ankle sprain was 1.21 injuries/1000 Player-hours (1000 PHs), and the risk of occurrence during matches (18.18 injuries/1000 PHs) was 25.6 times higher than during training (0.71 injuries/1000 PHs). Thus, it was thought that reducing the incidence of ankle sprains during matches would contribute greatly to reducing the loss of competition time due to injury of team members. The results suggested that the main injury mechanism was related to contact play and steps, and that contact skills and physical fitness characteristics were also involved in the risk of sprains. The incidence of ankle sprains in collegiate rugby players was higher than that reported in a previous study on professional-level players, and the rate of initial sprains was high in this study. Conclusions: This suggests that prevention of ankle sprains is important in university age rugby players.