Injury surveillance during the 2010 IRB Women's Rugby World Cup

Objective To assess and evaluate injuries sustained during the 2010 Women's Rugby World Cup. Design Prospective, cohort. Participants 285 women rugby players. Results Incidence of match injury was 35.5/1000 player-hours; mean severity was 55.0 days and median severity 9 days. Only one training injury was reported. Knee-ligament injuries were the most common (15%) and resulted in most days lost (43%). The tackle was the cause of most injuries. Conclusions The risk of injury in international rugby is significantly lower for women than for men. Further research is required to assess knee-ligament injuries in women's rugby.