Discussion

The sport of rugby union (henceforth called ‘rugby’) requires players to engage the opposition in physical contact to prevent them from scoring points and to compete for possession of the ball. This physical contact is dynamic and requires a degree of physical fitness and a set of coordinated movement patterns. The ability to engage in rugby contact is, therefore, a highly demanding sports skill.

Even though a player spends a relatively larger part of a match in non-contact activities, contact events are an integral part of the game and players should be appropriately prepared. The contact skills expected from rugby players come in different forms—ruck, scrum, maul, line-out, tackling and carrying the ball into contact, which account for 80% of all time-loss injuries.1 In an 80 min match, these contact skills occur at different frequencies (figure 1), have distinct injury-risk profiles and each has specific physical and technical requirements. Given that the tackle is the most frequently executed contact skill and has the highest injury incidence and the second highest risk of injury per event, the tackle has understandably been the most studied (some studies suggest that the ball-carrier is at a higher risk of injury, while others found the tackler to be at higher risk). The evidence from these studies suggests that effective contact skills in the tackle result in better performance and a reduced risk of injury.2–4 Arguably, the same may be said for the other contact events. Therefore, developing effective contact skills is essential for safe participation and optimal performance in rugby.

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Figure 1

Number of contact events per match by injury incidence (per 1000 player hours) and propensity (per 1000 contact events). The size of the bubble indicates the percentage proportion of injuries per 1000 playing match hours (red) and percentage proportion of injuries per 1000 events (blue). Data from Roberts et al.6 Number in brackets indicates published articles for each contact event based on a Scopus search using the search terms ‘Rugby Union’ AND the contact event (eg, ‘Tackle’).

Since rugby contact is a movement skill, it can be acquired, developed and mastered. Like any sports skill, adequate exposure and conditioning of the skill will reduce the potential for injury.4 Over the past decade, knowledge has been gained about the dynamic nature of contact, the physical match demands, fitness conditioning requirements, contact injury mechanisms, technical requirements and how to design training for open skills in order for it to effectively transfer to match play (note, not all the applicable literature have been cited).2 ,5 ,6 Most of this work is intended to guide the design and development of contact training programmes. However, the translation of this research into practice has been slow.

Current coaching manuals to train for rugby contact provide primarily technical guidelines and drills. In addition, coaches seem to base the majority of their knowledge of contact training on their playing experiences or from colleagues.7 Detailed specifications for a rugby contact training programme—for example, frequency, intensity, contact type, timing, conditions and the number of sessions to train contact have not been described. The contact training programme should be aimed at all ages and playing levels, from the developing school player to the elite player, and account for the player's experience, maturation, phase of the season, skill level and position. In principle, the contact skill-training programme should have the same detail as a resistance or endurance training programme.

The Knowledge Transfer Scheme (KTS) aims to bridge the gap between science and practice, by solving problems in practice using the available scientific evidence.8 Given the current available contact skill evidence, in combination with the literature on skill development and training prescription, it is reasonable to state that we can adequately prepare players of different ages and levels for rugby contact. In 2010, Hendricks and Lambert attempted this and published guidelines to develop tackle skills.3 Although these guidelines are useful, they lacked the specificity required for training prescription. The ultimate goal of the KTS is to translate the evidence into a usable and sustainable product for practice. To ensure implementation is successful, the KTS proposes the establishment of a Knowledge Transfer Group (KTG) with all key stakeholders represented in the group—players, coaches, sport physicians, physiotherapists, conditioning coaches, sport and exercise scientists, parents, referees, administrators, policymakers and governing bodies.8 The purpose of the KTG is to translate the information into actions—by discussing the problem and the available evidence, and ultimately the development of the product for practice. The KTG can assist where evidence for specific components of the contact training programme may be inadequate or unavailable. For instance, the current available studies on contact skills in rugby are mostly conducted on top-level players—the KTG in this case can discuss whether the findings of these studies can apply to other playing levels.

In conclusion, we propose that rugby needs a contact skill-training programme that includes all contact forms—ruck, scrum, maul, line-out, tackling and ball carrying into contact. The programme should detail the frequency of contact, intensity, contact type, timing, conditions and number of sessions. This should be aimed at all ages and playing levels, from the developing school player to the elite player, and account for the player's experience, maturation, phase of the season, skill level and position. The playing field and conditions are ready for the design and development of such a contact skill-training programme for safer participation and improved performance; however, the starting XV (or KTG) still needs to be selected. We will hopefully be captaining this project, and if you feel you can provide expertise and contribute, we invite you to join our team.