The effectiveness of new-generation headgear in reducing brain injury in rugby has been launched, as efforts increase to find ways of protecting players now and into the future.
The Rugby Headgear Effectiveness Study will be carried out over the next two playing seasons in Ireland, and will see both male and female rugby players aged 16 years and older taking part in the research.
The study will independently evaluate if a novel, technology-led headgear design can have an effect on blood and saliva biomarker levels, and other known indicators of brain injury that can be evaluated from neuroimaging scans, neurocognitive and clinical test results and accelerometer mouthguard data, under real-world playing conditions.
The first product to receive approval under the World Rugby Law 4 Headgear Trial framework is the N-Pro Headguard, which will be the focus of the study. The N-Pro is designed to reduce the G-Force energy transferred to a player’s head during impact; one of the major factors in sports-induced brain injury in rugby, the consequences of which continue to be realised through ongoing research.
It will be led by Dr Philip J. O’Halloran, consultant neurosurgeon at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham and honorary senior clinical lecturer at the RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences. Recruitment for the study begins next year.
“We know that scrumcaps do not prevent players sustaining brain injuries, but the World Rugby Law 4 Headgear Trial framework allows for innovation and new technologies which have shown encouraging preclinical results to be validated in the real world,” he said.
“My role is to independently assess the effect of this new headgear design on brain injury using state-of-the-art blood and saliva biomarkers, neuroimaging, instrumented mouthguards and neurocognitive tests.
“We have assembled a world-leading, independent panel of scientific and medical experts in brain health and brain injury to monitor the study; it represents an important piece of the jigsaw of what is an ongoing international collective effort to protect amateur and professional players.
“Our attention will now turn to recruiting participants for the study. I would encourage players from clubs and schools to consider getting involved with the study.”
IRFU medical director Dr Rod McLoughlin said: “Today’s announcement is another important step forward as we learn more about the effectiveness of headgear in reducing brain injury biomarkers.
“This partnership reaffirms the IRFU’s commitment to making rugby a safer sport for all players and I would encourage as many participants as possible to take part in the study over the next two years.
“The IRFU’s approach, based on scientific evidence, involves a commitment to ongoing education, monitoring and application of safety protocols across the game and I would like to acknowledge the efforts of Dr Philip O’Halloran and World Rugby as we work together in this hugely important area of research.”
World Rugby’s chief medical officer, Dr Éanna Falvey, added: “We never stand still when it comes to player welfare.
“While standard padded headgear does not prevent head injury, we are always keen to explore advances in technology that have the potential to reduce the risk of injury.
“We are therefore delighted to be supporting a process that enables the assessment of headgear devices which have been designed to achieve specific, quantifiable medical purposes. We look forward to seeing the results.”
The study is co-funded by the European Innovation Council and Contego Sports, the Irish company that designed N-Pro.
