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Injury epidemiology and prevention in youth rugby union: tackling prevention through coach education
Date
2025-09-30
Abstract
Background: Ten percent of Irish children and adolescents regularly participate in Rugby Union. Compared to other popular field sports, Rugby Union carries a higher risk of injury, with the tackle event being a major contributor. Although injury prevention programmes (IPPs) have proven effective in reducing both the rate and severity of injuries, their implementation continues to be limited by ongoing intrapersonal and contextual barriers.
Aim: To investigate the most prevalent mechanism of injury in schoolboy rugby in Ireland –the tackle; and to develop and pilot a coach-focused strategy to support the implementation of an IPP within this youth rugby context.
Methods: A systematic programme of research was undertaken. This comprised of five thesis work packages: 1) An investigation of tackle injuries across four seasons of schoolboy rugby, 2) A scoping review of the coach education component of IPPs, 3) A qualitative analysis of youth rugby coach preferences for education to support delivery of IPPs, 4) The development of a coach-focused implementation strategy using pertinent models and frameworks and 5) The piloting of a coach educational workshop series which aimed to change behaviour to optimise IPP delivery.
Results: (1) A four-year analysis of tackle injuries across fifty schoolboy rugby teams (16-19 years) reported 465 match injuries, 66.7% of which were sustained during the tackle event. Injuries to tacklers occurred 33% more often than injuries to ball-carriers (IRR = 1.33, 95% CI 1.06-1.67). Tacklers sustained more head and shoulder injuries than ball-carriers who, in contrast, sustained significantly more knee and ankle injuries. (2) The findings of the scoping review highlight a once-off, unsupported and under-resourced approach to coach education inpreparation for their delivery of IPPs. One-quarter of coach educational interventions for IPPs cite the use of a behaviour change theory or model in their design. (3) School and youth club rugby coaches expressed their preference for live pre-season workshops to upskill in preparation for the in-season delivery of the IPP to their players. To aid this, the workshop should focus on the development of implicit knowledge of the programme with practical opportunities to coach and learn from peers. (4) A two-part educational workshop was developed which addresses six identified behavioural determinants of coach behaviour change. Part one is facilitated online and primarily addresses motivational determinants, while part two is an in-person practical session primarily addressing volitional determinants of behaviour change. In addition, a coach-focused manual was developed. (5) The workshops were piloted with one hundred and eleven coaches at nine sites across the 2024/25 preseason. 82.9% of coaches returned questionnaires at baseline, while 52.3% and 45% of coaches returned questionnaires immediately post-workshop and midway through the season respectively. Coaches deemed the workshop series highly appropriate and acceptable. All measures of behavioural determinants significantly increased immediately after the workshop series, except for intention which remained consistently high. The median weekly use of the IPP across all teams was two sessions per week while coaches of 36 teams (68%) reported using the IPP at all available collective team sessions.
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Publisher
University of Limerick
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Funding Information
Sustainable Development Goals
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Type
Thesis
Rights
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/