Instrumented Mouthguards in Women's Rugby League: Quantifying the Incidence and Probability of Head Acceleration Events at Group and Individual Levels.

Abstract

Background: Head acceleration event (HAE) exposure is a concern in sport owing to potential effects on brain health. Despite growth in the sport's growing in popularity, HAE exposure in women's rugby league has yet to be quantified.

Objectives: The aim of the study was to examine HAE incidence and probability across Women's Super League rugby league players, including position- and player-specific HAE incidence and probability.

Methods: Instrumented mouthguards (iMGs) were worn by 136 players during the 2024 season, across 48 video-analysed matches, resulting in 568 player matches with iMG data. The incidence of HAEs and the probability of HAEs from ball-carries and tackle attempts were estimated using generalised linear mixed models and average positions on an individual-player basis.

Results: The average incidence of HAEs exceeding 25 g ranged from 0.40 to 0.65 per median playing time for back positions and 0.54 to 0.66 for forward positions. The probability of recording an HAE exceeding 25 g during a ball-carry was 1.33% and a tackle-attempt was 1.28%. Some individuals had higher HAE incidence and probability compared with position group means (e.g. one player exhibited an average of 1.77 HAEs exceeding 25 g per match, over double the average for their position).

Conclusions: This study quantifies HAE incidence and probability in women's rugby league match-play, allowing for the comparison of HAE exposure with other sports. Overall, HAE incidence is lower than previously reported for men's rugby league and for women's rugby union. However, given elevated HAE incidence in some players, continued HAE monitoring using iMGs is necessary for managing the potential risks of HAE exposure.