RugbySmart

Abstract

Rugby, the national sport of New Zealand, has gained injury prevention attention due to its rigorous tackles and contact plays. It became essential for New Zealand to recognize the epidemic of severe injuries that the sport was inflicting on athletes. As a response, the New Zealand Rugby Union and Accident Compensation Corporation of New Zealand developed the RugbySmart Injury Prevention Program. The intention of the program is to prevent and reduce the impact of injuries as well as to provide support for best possible recovery. The RugbySmart initiative accomplishes these goals by implementing six modules that provide athletes, coaches, and referees the knowledge and guidelines necessary to maintain the physical health of athletes. With rugby becoming increasingly popular globally an injury prevention program such as RugbySmart provides well-established foundations necessary for intensive contact sports, marking the program as an exemplary practice.

Appendices

BRIO Model: RugbySmart

Group Served: Amateur to professional rugby players 16–44, coaches and referees.

Goal: To prevent injuries to the head and spine from tackle, scrummage, ruck, and maul techniques.

Background	Resources	Implementation	Outcome
Over 140,000 players in amateur and professional leagues across New Zealand 63% of all injuries are deemed moderate-to-serious injury, which comprise any injury that requires 5 or more days of absence from employment NZRU was so concerned about data emerging about serious injuries in rugby; they made it compulsory for all coaches to attend nationwide safety seminars by 1996 Five years after this compulsory initiative and a review of the injury incidence statistics, RugbySmart was developed The aim of RugbySmart was to optimize the role coaches, players and referees can play to reduce injuries	The ACC has provided NZ$ 1.3 million to the development and implementation of RugbySmart strategies and human resources The ACC and NZRU have a contract in which ACC provides funds for RugbySmart to the NZRU and NZRU manages these funds The NZRU made a policy change to enforce the compulsory nature of the workshops The NZRU made a policy change to enforce the compulsory nature of the workshops RDOs have been involved since the inception. Their role is to facilitate the workshops using a resource book; this includes a great deal of information about injury prevention and statistics and to present materials about expectations of RugbySmart sessions	The strategies implemented into RugbySmart were developed based on promoting a combination of single approaches relevant to improving the technique in the game of rugby, which has become a multifactorial approach By 2007, RugbySmart continued to operate under the principles of the Ten-Point Action Plan of the SportSmart program, which aims to optimize peak performance, while simultaneously preventing injury E.g. Technique management requires coaches in all playing levels to demonstrate how the correct technique in the contact phases of the game reduces mild-to-serious rugby injuries, while simultaneously showing how it ensures optimal player performance and wins games	By bodily location of injury, neck/spine and back have decreased 13%; knee, ankles, and lower legs have decreased by 4%; shoulders have decreased by 7% and dental claims have decreased by 7% since the implementation of RugbySmart in 2001 From 2001 to 2005, there were five recorded spinal injuries in New Zealand rugby, while the predicted number based on previous experience with rugby injuries was 18.9 Research into claim statistics have shown that there has been a 24% decrease in moderate-to-serious head injury claims in the first year, which was maintained in the second year

Life Space Model: Rugby Smart

Sociocultural: civilization/community	Interpersonal: primary and secondary relationships	Physical environments: where we live	Internal states: biochemical/genetic and means of coping
Awareness Raising through DVD materials Use of rugby community and league to promote safe techniques in rugby practices and games Contractual obligation to adhere to the safe techniques promoted by RugbySmart Multi-faceted strategy that includes rugby players, coaches, referees, community health practitioners, media, and national-level government	Relationship between New Zealand Rugby Union and Accident Compensation Corporation to increase knowledge and improve techniques to prevent and target injuries in rugby Relationship between coaches, players, and referees to divide responsibility for the implementation of the 10-point action plan of RugbySmart	Contact sport Detailed assessment to adequately address the high-risk nature of tackles, mauls, scrums, and rucks Evaluation of the characteristics of the rugby culture and biomechanics of rugby to implement appropriate preventative measures Adoption of the 10-point action plan	Empowerment of coaches, players and referees by training in proper technique and physical conditioning, among other aspects Strengthening relationships among key stakeholders in the game to enhance communication and prevent injury in rugby