Among the similarities are blocking, tackling, passing and
strenuous attempts to get a ball across a goal line while
preventing the opposing team from doing likewise. And, of
course, frequent injuries, a small percentage of which are
catastrophic, life-altering events that turn recreation into
tragedy. A new study conducted by researchers at the
universities of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Otago in
Dunedin, New Zealand, now shows part of the reason why.
Protective equipment used in rugby union has only limited
effectiveness in preventing injuries. "We found that the risk of
concussion was not reduced by the use of padded headgear or
mouthguards," said lead researcher Dr. Stephen Marshall,
assistant professor of epidemiology and assistant professor of
orthopaedics at the UNC schools of public health and medicine.
Hard-shell helmets and most body padding like U.S. football
players wear are not permitted in rugby union, said Marshall,
also a biostatistician at the UNC Injury Prevention Research
Center. "We