{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,18]],"date-time":"2026-08-18T01:38:22Z","timestamp":1787017102003,"version":"build-2736575974"},"reference-count":33,"publisher":"BMJ","issue":"1","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2022,12,6]],"date-time":"2022-12-06T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1670284800000},"content-version":"unspecified","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100001322","name":"South African Medical Research Council","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["n\/a"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["n\/a"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100001322","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"name":"World Rugby","award":["S006124"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["S006124"]}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":["bmj.com"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Inj Prev"],"accepted":{"date-parts":[[2022,9,26]]},"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2023,2]]},"abstract":"<jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Objective<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Rugby union (\u2018rugby\u2019) is popular globally, with most of its participants being amateur. Concern regarding sport-related concussion (SRC) sustained during rugby is increasing. SRC occurs most frequently in the tackle, yet few interventions have aimed to mitigate this risk factor. This study investigated the influence of a lowered legal tackle height on SRC incidence in amateur rugby.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Design<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Cross-sectional analytical study: 2018 (control\u2014standard tackle height) and 2019 (intervention\u2014lowered legal tackle height) seasons.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Setting<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>South African collegiate student rugby competition.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Participants<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Between 800 and 900 male amateur student players (age: 20\u00b11.6\u2009years) in each year.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Intervention<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Maximum legal tackle height lowered from line of the shoulder on the ball carrier to the line of the armpit.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Outcome measures<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Number of overall (medical attention) and time-loss (\u22651\u2009day lost) injuries, head injuries and SRCs in 2018 and 2019 (dependent variables); events associated with injury incidents (independent variables).<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Results<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>There was no statistically significant difference in incidences of time-loss injuries (IRR: 0.79; 95%\u2009CI: 0.6 to 1.1; p=0.13), head injuries (IRR: 0.83; 95%\u2009CI: 0.5 to 1.3; p=0.42) and SRC (IRR: 0.69; 95%\u2009CI: 0.4 to 1.2; p=0.20). In 2018 and 2019, most time-loss head injuries (57%, n=43) and SRCs (55%, n=26) occurred during the tackle.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Conclusions<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Despite a trend towards reducing injuries, head injuries and SRC, lowering maximum legal tackle height to armpit level did not change SRC incidence in this amateur male rugby cohort. Most time-loss head injuries and SRCs occurred during the tackle. Further tackle-related interventions to reduce SRC incidence require investigation.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1136\/ip-2022-044714","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2022,12,6]],"date-time":"2022-12-06T13:31:01Z","timestamp":1670333461000},"page":"56-61","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1136\/crossmarkpolicy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":34,"title":["Tackling sport-related concussion: effectiveness of lowering the maximum legal height of the tackle in amateur male rugby \u2013 a cross-sectional analytical study"],"prefix":"10.1136","volume":"29","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-2858-0863","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Riaan","family":"van Tonder","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Institute of Sport and Exercise Medicine, Department of Exercise, Sport and Lifestyle Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Stellenbosch University, Cape Town, South Africa"},{"name":"IOC Research Centre, Cape Town, South Africa"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Lindsay","family":"Starling","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department for Health, University of Bath, Bath, UK"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Sean","family":"Surmon","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Maties Sport, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, South Africa"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Pierre","family":"Viviers","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Institute of Sport and Exercise Medicine, Department of Exercise, Sport and Lifestyle Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Stellenbosch University, Cape Town, South Africa"},{"name":"Campus Health Service, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, South Africa"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Wilbur","family":"Kraak","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Division of Sport Science, Department of Exercise, Sport and Lifestyle Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, South Africa"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Pieter-Henk","family":"Boer","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Human Movement Science, Cape Peninsula University of Technology, Wellington, South Africa"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Esme","family":"Jordaan","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Biostatistics Unit, South African Medical Research Council, Cape Town, South Africa"},{"name":"Statistics and Population Studies Department, University of the Western Cape, Cape Town, South Africa"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-3416-6266","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Sharief","family":"Hendricks","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Division of Physiological Sciences and Health through Physical Activity, Lifestyle and Sport Research Centre, Department of Human Biology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa"},{"name":"Carnegie Applied Rugby Research (CARR) Centre, Carnegie School of Sport, Leeds Beckett University, Leeds, UK"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Keith A","family":"Stokes","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department for Health, University of Bath, Bath, UK"},{"name":"Medical Services, Rugby Football Union, London, UK"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-8879-177X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Wayne","family":"Derman","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Institute of Sport and Exercise Medicine, Department of Exercise, Sport and Lifestyle Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Stellenbosch University, Cape Town, South Africa"},{"name":"IOC Research Centre, Cape Town, South Africa"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-7778-7783","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"James Craig","family":"Brown","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Institute of Sport and Exercise Medicine, Department of Exercise, Sport and Lifestyle Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Stellenbosch University, Cape Town, South Africa"},{"name":"IOC Research Centre, Cape Town, South Africa"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"239","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2022,12,6]]},"reference":[{"key":"2025092604370023000_29.1.56.1","unstructured":"World Rugby . 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