Community Rugby Research Articles

Connecting knowledge(s) to practice: a Bernsteinian theorisation of a collaborative coach learning community project

ABSTRACTCollaborative action learning was undertaken in response to the growing criticisms of formal coach education. Since it is strongly felt that we can no longer merely commentate on what is not happening in terms of coach learning, a key requirement now is to demonstrate there are other options. The Coach Learning and Development (CLAD) programme was devised and implemented at a community rugby club in Wiltshire, England. The CLAD programme supported volunteers to engage more with contemporary designs for learning, acknowledging a fundamental problem with formal coach education in the way learning (and knowledge) is decontextualised. The theoretical endeavours of Basil Bernstein are introduced to Sport Coaching Research (SCR) for the first time, specifically the ‘pedagogical device’ to illustrate a process of recontextualisation. Findings suggest that the CLAD programme was successful in encouraging coaches to engage with more positive forms of coaching pedagogy. Therefore, the findings draw on the pivotal outcomes of the CLAD programme to re-configure more successful outcomes for coach education, coach learning and volunteers rights to knowledge.

A systems approach to understanding the identification and treatment of sport-related concussion in community rugby union

AimThe aim of the present study was to utilise a systems thinking approach to explore the perceived responsibilities for identifying and treating concussion held by different actors across the community rugby system (e.g., players, coaches, parents, medics, referees, and management), as well as their role-specific concussion management strategies. MethodsA systems approach was taken to assess what different stakeholders within rugby systems perceive their roles to be regarding concussion identification and treatment. Through an online survey, 118 members of the amateur (community) rugby union system were asked about their role-specific concussion management responsibilities and strategies. Respondents included players, parents, medics, coaches, club managers, administrators, and volunteers. ResultsThe majority of respondents indicated that they were able to identify the symptoms of rugby-related concussion, however, only medics stated their responsibility to use formal concussion assessments (e.g., SCAT2). A smaller number of the respondents indicated that they were involved in treating concussion within their current role/s (majority of which were medics). ConclusionsThis study illustrated that the current challenges in the identification and treatment of rugby-related concussion in community sport may be due to role/responsibility confusion and possible overreliance on field-side medics. These findings offer insight into the possible limitations of the current concussion management guidelines and may offer empirically based direction for future revisions.

Concussions in Community-Level Rugby: Risk, Knowledge, and Attitudes.

Background:Rugby is a popular collision sport where participants are at risk of sustaining concussions. Most research focuses on elite-level or youth divisions. Comparatively, little is known about adult community rugby. The aim of this research was to estimate the risk of sustaining a concussion during participation in community-level rugby and summarize the collective knowledge and attitudes toward concussions.Hypothesis:Concussion symptoms will be reported frequently among community-level rugby players and a substantial proportion will report a willingness to continue participation despite the risk.Study Design:Cross-sectional analysis.Level of Evidence:Level 3.Methods:An anonymous, voluntary survey was administered to all 464 senior rugby players registered in the province of Manitoba in 2015. Two primary domains were assessed: (1) concussion history from the preceding season including occurrence, symptomatology, and impact on daily activities and (2) knowledge and attitudes toward concussion risks and management.Results:In total, 284 (61.2%) rugby players responded. Concussive symptoms were reported by 106 (37.3%). Of those, 87% were formally diagnosed with a concussion and 27% missed school and/or work as a result. The danger of playing while symptomatic was recognized by 93.7% of participants, yet 29% indicated they would continue while symptomatic. Furthermore, 39% felt they were letting others down if they stopped playing due to a concussion.Conclusion:Concussive symptoms were common among the study cohort and had a notable impact on daily activities. A high proportion of players were willing to continue while experiencing symptoms despite recognizing the danger. The observed discord between knowledge and attitudes implicates a culture of “playing injured.”Clinical Relevance:Understanding the risk of injury may affect an individual’s decision to participate in community-level rugby. Moreover, evidence of discord between the knowledge and attitudes of players may direct future research initiatives and league governance.

COGNITION IN FORMER RUGBY UNION PLAYERS AND IMPACT OF CONCUSSION HISTORY

BackgroundInformation is needed on the effects on health after retirement from participating in sport and any effects of sustaining concussions.ObjectiveTo investigate differences in cognitive function between former rugby and non-contact...

EPIDEMIOLOGY OF INJURIES IN ENGLISH COMMUNITY LEVEL RUGBY UNION USING SMS PLAYER SELF-REPORTED DATA

BackgroundThe reporting of non-time loss injuries in community sport can be challenging due to infrequent contact between players and team medical staff. Text messaging or short messaging service (SMS) is...

EFFICACY OF A MOVEMENT CONTROL INJURY-PREVENTION PROGRAMME IN AN ADULT COMMUNITY RUGBY UNION POPULATION; A CLUSTER RANDOMISED CONTROLLED TRIAL

BackgroundExercise programmes aimed at reducing injury have been shown to be efficacious for some non-collision sports, but evidence in collision sports such as rugby union is lacking.ObjectiveTo evaluate the efficacy...

IT'S NOT ‘WHO’ BUT ‘HOW BADLY’: THE ASSOCIATION OF FUNCTIONAL MOVEMENT SCREEN SCORE WITH INJURY OUTCOME IN COMMUNITY RUGBY UNION

BackgroundThe use of the Functional Movement Screen (FMS) is widespread, but evidence supporting its use as an injury-screening tool in team sports such as Rugby Union is equivocal.ObjectiveTo determine the...

A knock to the system: A new sociotechnical systems approach to sport-related concussion

ABSTRACTBroader contextual factors that influence concussion management have tended to be overlooked. To address this, the present study used a sociotechnical systems approach to identify perceived responsibilities and applied strategies for three domains of concussion management (i.e., prevention, identification and treatment). Participants were 118 members of the community rugby union system in Australia (69.2% male). Participants from throughout the rugby system (e.g., players, parents, coaches, club management) were asked open-ended questions about their perceived responsibilities and the strategies they use for concussion management. It was found that (a) proper training, technique correction and education were recurrent prevention themes; (b) the majority of key stakeholders felt that they could consistently identify concussion; however, medical aids (medics) were the only system actors who stated a responsibility to use standardised concussion assessment measures and (c) less than one third of the respondents indicated their involvement in treating concussion. This study identifies specific junctures in the system that prevents effective concussion management strategies. A sociotechnical systems approach improves the understanding of concussion prevention, and management beliefs and behaviours.

Concussions and Head Injuries in English Community Rugby Union Match Play

Background: Previous research has described general injury patterns in community-level rugby union, but specific information on time-loss head injuries has not been reported. Purpose: To establish the incidence and nature of significant time-loss head injuries in English community rugby match play, and to identify the injury risk for specific contact events. Study Design: Descriptive epidemiology study. Methods: Over 6 seasons, injury information was collected from 46 (2009-2010), 67 (2010-2011), 76 (2011-2012), 50 (2012-2013), 67 (2013-2014), and 58 (2014-2015) English community rugby clubs (Rugby Football Union levels 3-9) over a total of 175,940 hours of player match exposure. Club injury management staff reported information for all head injuries sustained during match play whereby the player was absent for 8 days or greater. Clubs were subdivided into semiprofessional (mean player age, 24.6 ± 4.7 years), amateur (24.9 ± 5.1 years), and recreational (25.6 ± 6.1 years) playing levels. Contact events from a sample of 30 matches filmed over seasons 2009-2010, 2010-2011, and 2011-2012 provided mean values for the frequency of contact events. Results: The overall incidence for time-loss head injuries was 2.43 injuries per 1000 player match hours, with a higher incidence for the amateur (2.78; 95% CI, 2.37-3.20) compared with recreational (2.20; 95% CI, 1.86-2.53) (P = .032) playing level but not different to the semiprofessional (2.31; 95% CI, 1.83-2.79) playing level. Concussion was the most common time-loss head injury, with 1.46 per 1000 player match hours. The tackle event was associated with 64% of all head injuries and 74% of all concussions. There was also a higher risk of injuries per tackle (0.33 per 1000 events; 95% CI, 0.30-0.37) compared with all other contact events. Conclusion: Concussion was the most common head injury diagnosis, although it is likely that this injury was underreported. Continuing education programs for medical staff and players are essential for the improved identification and management of these injuries. With the majority of head injuries occurring during a tackle, an improved technique in this contact event through coach and player education may be effective in reducing these injuries.

Developing rugby club leaders is a long game

Purpose Most grass-roots rugby clubs in England are small businesses, which are mostly led by volunteers. The Leadership Academy developed by the Rugby Football Union (RFU) has sought to improve the effectiveness of these leaders for the past ten years. The aim was to make clubs more effective and sustainable, so they could gain maximum benefit from public interest in rugby following the Rugby World Cup. The purpose of this paper is to document the evolution of this unique training programme with emphasis on three key improvements that were identified during this ten-year period: content progression, tutor development and mentor investment. Design/methodology/approach Every year since the Leadership Academy programme began in 2005, feedback has been sought from the candidates through written evaluations to identify improvements to the programme. These improvements are then implemented for the following season. A formal external programme evaluation has also been carried out, as well as observations from the RFU programme sponsor – RFU Club Management and Governance Manager. All of these inputs are analysed to assess the effectiveness of the Leadership Academy in developing community rugby club leaders. Findings The results showed that the continual improvement of the Leadership Academy enhanced the experience of the candidates who attended in subsequent years. Leaders gained strategic insights, built stronger local relationships, and improved confidence levels. Practical implications The implications of these findings are relevant for others who design and deliver training programmes. The use of reflection and a continuous improvement cycle should play a role in all long-term training programmes so that learning can be applied to continually enhance the programme for future candidates. Originality/value The findings from this paper provide useful input for any other organisations that has a volunteer workforce or sports governing bodies that want to implement a leadership programme over a number of years to improve the effectiveness of their current or future leaders.

Shoulder Injuries in English Community Rugby Union.

The aim of this study was to describe the incidence, severity and type of shoulder injuries resulting from match play in adult community rugby union between 2009-2013. A total of 254 time-loss shoulder injuries were reported, an overall incidence of 2.2 per 1 000 h (95% CI: 1.9 to 2.4), and a mean injury severity of 9.5 weeks missed (95% CI: 8.2 to 10.8). The semi-professional group had an incidence of 2.8 injuries per 1 000 h (95% CI: 2.2 to 3.5), which was higher than the recreational group at 1.8 injuries per 1 000 h (95% CI: 1.4 to 2.2, p=0.004). The incidence of acromioclavicular joint injury for semi-professional players was 1.2 per 1 000 h (95% CI: 0.8 to 1.6); which was significantly higher than the incidence of this injury type in recreational players (0.5 per 1 000 h 95% CI: 0.3 to 0.7, p=0.002). Overall, back row players sustained the highest incidence of all shoulder injuries for a given playing position, 2.9 injuries per 1 000 h (95% CI: 2.2 to 3.6). The tackle was the main event associated with injury. Injury prevention programs and coaching strategies that consider tackle technique and physical conditioning of the shoulder region are therefore considered important.

Implementation of concussion guidelines in community Australian Football and Rugby League-The experiences and challenges faced by coaches and sports trainers.

While guidelines outlining the appropriate management of sport-related concussion have been developed and adapted for use within community sport, it remains unknown how they are experienced by those responsible for implementing them. Longitudinal study. 111 coaches and sports trainers from community-level Australian Football and Rugby League teams completed pre- and post-season surveys assessing their attitudes towards using concussion guidelines. Participants also provided post-season feedback regarding their experiences in using the guidelines. 71% of participants reported using the guidelines in the preceding season. Post-season attitude was related to pre-season attitude (p=0.002), football code (p=0.015), and team role (p=0.045). An interaction between team role and guideline use (p=0.012) was also found, with coaches who had used the guidelines, and sports trainers who had not, reporting more positive post-season attitudes towards using the concussion guidelines. Implementation challenges included disputing of decisions about return-to-play by players, parents, and coaches, and a perceived lack of time. Recommendations for improved guideline materials included using larger fonts and providing for witnessing of advice given to players. This is the first study to examine the implementation of concussion guidelines in community sport. Training of coaches/sports trainers needs enhancement. In addition, new education should be developed for parents/players about the importance of the return-to-play advice given to them by those who follow these guidelines. Information provided by those who attempted to use the guidelines will assist the refinement of implementation and dissemination processes around concussion guidelines across sports.

Responsibilities in the Prevention of Concussion in Community Rugby Union

Despite growing awareness of the issue of sport-related concussion, the extent to which different participants in rugby union (e.g., players, coaches, parents, medics, and referees) understand how to prevent concussion is unclear. The aim of this study was to examine how people with different roles in community rugby union prevent sport-related concussion; specifically, how individuals understand their role-specific responsibilities in prevention, as well as their prevention behaviours. Using a social-ecological systems perspective, this study identified both communalities and discrepancies in the role-specific responsibilities held by different actors within the community rugby system. There was notable congruency in the responsibilities and prevention strategies presented by coach, athlete, and parent respondents. Conversely, inconsistencies were identified in the specificity of inter-role responsibilities, as well as in the prevention strategies utilized by both different individual actors, as well as different levels of the system. Future prevention strategies should aim to recognize the occurrence of role multiplicity in community sport, and consider the impact this may have on information translation within the real-world context of the community rugby culture.

Incidence and Nature of Medical Attendance Injuries in English Community Rugby Union.

Background:Previous research has identified injury patterns during community-level rugby union match play, but none have investigated the frequency and reasons for on-field injury management.Purpose:To establish the frequency, reasons, and patterns of on-field injury management in English community rugby, including differences between different levels of play.Study Design:Descriptive epidemiology study.Methods:Over 3 seasons, injury information was collected from 46 (2009-2010), 67 (2010-2011), and 76 (2011-2012) English community clubs (Rugby Football Union [RFU] levels 3-9). Club injury management staff reported information for all medical attendances during match play, including details on the injury site and type, playing position (seasons 2010-2011 and 2011-2012 only), and whether the player was removed from play. Clubs were subdivided into groups A (RFU levels 3 and 4 [mainly semiprofessional]; n = 39), B (RFU levels 5 and 6 [mainly amateur]; n = 71), and C (RFU levels 7-9 [social and recreational]; n = 79) to differentiate playing levels.Results:The overall medical attendance incidence was 229 per 1000 player-match hours (95% CI, 226-232), with 45 players removed per 1000 player-match hours (95% CI, 44-46). Attendance incidence for group A (294 per 1000 player-match hours; 95% CI, 287-301) was higher compared with group B (213; 95% CI, 208-218; P < .001) and C (204; 95% CI, 200-209; P < .001). There was a higher incidence of attendances to forwards (254; 95% CI, 249-259) compared with backs (191; 95% CI, 187-196; P < .001). The head was the most common specific site of injury (55 per 1000 player-match hours; 95% CI, 53-57) but the lower limb region overall accounted for most attendances (87; 95% CI, 85-89) and the greatest chance of removal from the pitch (22; 95% CI, 21-23).Conclusion:With the likelihood of 1 injury for each team per match severe enough for the player to leave the pitch and with at least 1 attendance for a head injury per match, there is clear evidence that pitch side staff should be trained to recognize potentially serious injuries.

Understanding mismatches in body size, speed and power among adolescent rugby union players

With adolescent sport increasingly challenged by mismatches in size, new strategies are important to maximize participation. The objectives were to (1) improve the understanding of mismatches in physical size, speed and power in adolescent rugby union players, (2) explore associations between size and performance with demographic, playing-history, and injury profiles, and (3) explore the applicability of existing criteria for age/body mass-based dispensation (playing-down) strategies. Cross-sectional study. Four hundred and eighty-five male community rugby union players were recruited from three Australian states selected to represent community-based U12, U13, U14 and U15 players. Body mass, stature, speed (10, 30, and 40 m sprints) and lower-leg power (relative peak power and relative peak force) were measured. Independent student t-tests, linear regressions and Chi square analyses were undertaken. Mean values in age groups for size, speed and power masked considerable overlap in the ranges within specific age groups of adolescent rugby players. Only a small proportion of players (approximately 5%) shared the highest and lowest tertiles for speed, relative peak power and body mass. Physical size was not related to injury. The mean body mass of current community rugby union players was above the 75th percentile on normative growth-charts. The notion that bigger, faster, and more powerful characteristics occur simultaneously in adolescent rugby players was not supported in the present study. Current practices in body mass-based criteria for playing down an age group lack a sufficient evidence for decision-making. Dispensation solely based on body mass may not address mismatch in junior rugby union.

EPIDEMIOLOGY OF HEAD INJURIES IN ENGLISH COMMUNITY LEVEL RUGBY UNION

BackgroundThe rate and severity of head injuries are of particular interest in contact sports but are under-researched in amateur rugby union.ObjectiveTo investigate the epidemiology of head injuries in English community...

RECURRENT MILD TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY AMONGST A COHORT OF RUGBY UNION PLAYERS

BackgroundCommunity, or non-professional, rugby has a high incidence of mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI). Risk of further mTBI, or long term consequences of repeat mTBI, is an emerging public health...

Collapsed scrums and collision tackles: what is the injury risk?

AimTo establish the propensity for specific contact events to cause injury in rugby union.MethodsMedical staff at participating English community-level rugby clubs reported any injury resulting in the absence for one...

Improving the diffusion of safety initiatives in community sport

The "Mayday Safety Procedure" (MSP) is included in the Australian Rugby Union (ARU) Medical and Safety Recommendations and the mandatory SmartRugby training for coaches. Previous research indicates that translating the Mayday Safety Procedure into practice among community rugby coaches is challenging. This study investigated whether Mayday Safety Procedure translation could be enhanced by systematically planning and implementing a range of theory-informed and context-specific diffusion strategies. A controlled before-and-after study. Coaches of senior community rugby teams in five zones in New South Wales (Australia) were invited to complete a questionnaire about their Mayday Safety Procedure knowledge and practice at the end of the 2010 and 2011 rugby seasons. During 2011, coaches in the intervention zone were exposed to a range of strategies to promote Mayday Safety Procedure diffusion which were planned by following Step 5 of the Intervention Mapping protocol. Coaches in the other four zones were exposed to usual strategies to promote Mayday Safety Procedure diffusion. Using the RE-AIM evaluation framework, statistically significant improvements were found among intervention zone coaches in: knowledge of most Mayday Safety Procedure key criteria; the number of coaches recognising their zone policy requiring them to train players in the Mayday Safety Procedure; frequency of provision of Mayday Safety Procedure training to players; coach perceptions of the quality of Mayday Safety Procedure training for players; and in confidence that referees could implement the Mayday Safety Procedure during a game if required. The findings suggest that the translation of injury prevention policy into community practice can be enhanced by developing and implementing a theory-informed, context-specific diffusion plan, undertaken in partnership with key stakeholders.

Epidemiology of time-loss injuries in English community-level rugby union

ObjectivesUsing a prospective cohort study design, to establish the incidence and nature of time-loss injuries in English community rugby and to assess the differences between different playing levels.SettingEnglish community rugby...