Injury and Illness Incidence in 2017 Super Rugby Tournament: A Surveillance Study on a Single South African Team.
Kim Buchholtz, Curt Barnes, Theresa L Burgess
PMID 35693864WHAT IT FOUND
In one South African rugby team, 76.9% of players sustained at least one time-loss injury over 28 weeks.
Match injuries occurred at 241 per 1000 player hours, far higher than training. Illness rates were low, with respiratory issues most common.
Key findings
01Nearly three-quarters of the squad sustained at least one time-loss injury during the season.
02The incidence of match injuries was 241.0 per 1000 player hours, compared to 3.3 per 1000 player hours for training injuries.
03The lower limb was the most frequently injured anatomical location, accounting for 62.5% of all injuries.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
The study involves a single team, limiting generalizability to other franchises or levels of play. A large proportion of injury mechanisms were classified as 'other' (32.5%), making it difficult to identify specific preventable actions. Data was collected retrospectively from routine clinical records, which lacked detailed diagnostic information such as injury grade or specific structure involved. Anthropometric data (height, weight) was excluded to maintain confidentiality, preventing comparison of injury rates relative to body mass.
Declared interests
The authors declare no conflicts of interest. The study was conducted with ethical approval from the University of Cape Town and permission from the relevant Rugby Union.
The easy way to misread this
Do not interpret the high match injury incidence as a universal rate for all rugby players. This finding is specific to one elite South African team in 2017 and may not apply to other competitions or levels of professionalism.