Patterns of training volume and injury risk in elite rugby union: An analysis of 1.5 million hours of training exposure over eleven seasons

ABSTRACT

Rugby union is a popular team sport that demands high levels of physical fitness and skill. The study aim was to examine trends in training volume and its impact on injury incidence, severity and burden over an 11-season period in English professional rugby. Data were recorded from 2007/08 through 2017/18, capturing 1,501,606 h of training exposure and 3,782 training injuries. Players completed, on average, 6 h 48 minutes of weekly training (95% CI: 6 h 30 mins to 7 h 6 mins): this value remained stable over the 11 seasons. The mean incidence of training-related injuries was 2.6/1000 player-hours (95% CI: 2.4 to 2.8) with a mean severity rising from 17 days in 2007/08 to 37 days in 2017/18 (Change/season = 1.773, P <0.01). Rate of change in severity was dependent on training type, with conditioning (non-gym-based) responsible for the greatest increase (2.4 days/injury/season). As a result of increasing severity, injury burden rose from 51 days absence/1000 player-hours in 2007/08 to 106 days’ absence/1000 player-hours in 2017/18. Despite the low incidence of injury in training compared to match-play, training accounted for 34% of all injuries. Future assessments of training intensity may lead to a greater understanding of the rise in injury severity.

KEYWORDS:

• Training
• rugby
• injury
• epidemiology
• burden

Acknowledgments

Funding for this study was provided by the Rugby Football Union and Premiership Rugby. The authors would also like to sincerely thank the players and medical/conditioning staff of the clubs involved within the study, without whom this work would not be possible.

Data availability statement

Under the terms of the ethics associated with this study and the sensitive nature surrounding private medical player data, data sharing is not possible.

Disclosure statement

SPTK and KS are employed by the Rugby Football Union. MJC is employed by Premier Rugby Limited. CWF provides risk management consultancy services to World Rugby. The remaining authors report no conflict of interest.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Rugby Football Union and Premiership Rugby [1].