{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,14]],"date-time":"2026-08-14T04:18:34Z","timestamp":1786681114693,"version":"build-2736575974"},"reference-count":29,"publisher":"BMJ","issue":"3","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,8,4]],"date-time":"2025-08-04T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1754265600000},"content-version":"unspecified","delay-in-days":3,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["bmj.com"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["BMJ Open Sport Exerc Med"],"accepted":{"date-parts":[[2025,7,9]]},"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2025,8]]},"abstract":"<jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Objective<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>To identify characteristics of tackling, of being tackled and interactions between tackle characteristics that are associated with concussion.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>A case-control study in male professional rugby union players in England over five seasons (2016\/2017 to 2020\/2021) analysed characteristics of tackles that led to a clinically diagnosed concussion (cases), and a control group of tackles that did not result in a concussion. ORs were plotted against the overall frequency of each tackle characteristic.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Results<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>\n                      231 tackles resulting in concussions (tackler 178, 77%; ball-carrier 53, 23%), alongside 9963 control tackles, were analysed. For tacklers, \u2018head to torso\u2019 (\n                      <jats:sub>Lower CI<\/jats:sub>\n                      OR\n                      <jats:sub>Upper CI; 4.0<\/jats:sub>\n                      6.5\n                      <jats:sub>10.7<\/jats:sub>\n                      ) had relatively low odds of concussion compared with \u2018no head contact\u2019. \u2018Head to knee\u2019 had the highest odds of concussion (\n                      <jats:sub>75.3<\/jats:sub>\n                      155.8\n                      <jats:sub>322.4<\/jats:sub>\n                      ), but \u2018head to hip\u2019 occurred more frequently and had the highest number of concussions per 1000 tackles (3.1\/1000 tackles). For ball-carriers, \u2018head to head\u2019 contact had the highest odds of concussion (\n                      <jats:sub>56.7<\/jats:sub>\n                      104.3\n                      <jats:sub>192.0<\/jats:sub>\n                      ). When \u2018tackler body position\u2019 was \u2018upright\u2019, the odds of concussion to the tackler were significantly higher when contacting the ball-carrier\u2019s \u2018head and neck\u2019 versus their \u2018torso\u2019 (\n                      <jats:sub>3.0<\/jats:sub>\n                      23.7\n                      <jats:sub>206.7<\/jats:sub>\n                      ).\n                    <\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Conclusions<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Lower tackles reduce the chances of concussion to ball-carriers. The influence of tackle height on concussion to tacklers is more nuanced, but the chances are relatively low when contact is made with the ball-carrier\u2019s torso. These findings support ongoing implementation of strategies to reduce concussion risk by lowering tackle height to target the torso.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1136\/bmjsem-2025-002612","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,8,4]],"date-time":"2025-08-04T18:20:26Z","timestamp":1754331626000},"page":"e002612","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1136\/crossmarkpolicy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":3,"title":["Tackle characteristics associated with concussion in elite men\u2019s rugby union: unpicking the differences between tacklers and ball-carriers"],"prefix":"10.1136","volume":"11","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-5049-2838","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Keith A","family":"Stokes","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"UK Collaborating Centre on Injury and Illness Prevention in Sport, University of Bath, Bath, UK"},{"name":"Rugby Football Union, London, UK"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Duncan","family":"Locke","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Rugby Football Union, London, UK"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Simon","family":"Roberts","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"UK Collaborating Centre on Injury and Illness Prevention in Sport, University of Bath, Bath, UK"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Steffan","family":"Griffin","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-5800-7000","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Stephen W","family":"West","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"UK Collaborating Centre on Injury and Illness Prevention in Sport, University of Bath, Bath, UK"},{"name":"Sport Injury Prevention Research Centre, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-4274-6236","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Ben","family":"Jones","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Carnegie Applied Rugby Research (CARR) centre, Leeds Beckett University\u2014Headingley Campus, Leeds, West Yorkshire, UK"},{"name":"Premiership Rugby, London, England, UK"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Matt","family":"Cross","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Carnegie Applied Rugby Research (CARR) centre, Leeds Beckett University\u2014Headingley Campus, Leeds, West Yorkshire, UK"},{"name":"Premiership Rugby, London, England, UK"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Simon P T","family":"Kemp","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Rugby Football Union, London, UK"},{"name":"London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine Faculty of Epidemiology and Population Health, London, England, UK"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-1460-0085","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Sean","family":"Williams","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"UK Collaborating Centre on Injury and Illness Prevention in Sport, University of Bath, Bath, UK"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"239","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,8,4]]},"reference":[{"key":"2025121106002060000_11.3.e002612.1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1080\/02699052.2021.1972142"},{"key":"2025121106002060000_11.3.e002612.2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1136\/bjsports-2015-094982"},{"key":"2025121106002060000_11.3.e002612.3","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"480","DOI":"10.1177\/0363546516668296","article-title":"Concussions and Head Injuries in English Community Rugby Union Match Play","volume":"45","author":"Roberts","year":"2017","journal-title":"Am J Sports Med"},{"key":"2025121106002060000_11.3.e002612.4","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1136\/bjsports-2017-097895"},{"key":"2025121106002060000_11.3.e002612.5","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1136\/bjsports-2017-097912"},{"key":"2025121106002060000_11.3.e002612.6","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1177\/0363546508316768"},{"key":"2025121106002060000_11.3.e002612.7","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1186\/s40798-021-00377-9"},{"key":"2025121106002060000_11.3.e002612.8","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"214","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jsams.2024.10.006","article-title":"\u201cMind your head\u201d, tackle characteristics associated with concussions in rugby league: A case-control study","volume":"28","author":"Owen","year":"2025","journal-title":"J Sci Med Sport"},{"key":"2025121106002060000_11.3.e002612.9","unstructured":"World Rugby . 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