Injury Incidence, Severity and Burden in Elite Youth Rugby Players

NCT07355582 | Recruiting

• 1 other identifier: 2025-CHITS-016
• Study Type: observational
• Target: 400
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 2

Brief Summary

Observational cohort study, with a closed, both retrospective and prospective design, aiming to describe the incidence, severity, and burden of injuries among male and female players enrolled in the Rugby Club Toulonnais (RCT) Association program (U14 to U18 categories) over two consecutive seasons (2024-2025 and 2025-2026), based on routinely collected medical data recorded in the Askamon software. Youth male and female players registered with the RCT Association program, starting from the U14 category, and enrolled in partner school structures within the Toulon Metropolitan area. These players benefit from an integrated academic and athletic support program. Inclusion criteria: male or female players licensed with the RCT Association from the U14 category and above; under the medical supervision of the RCT Association; having sustained at least one injury requiring a medical consultation between August 1, 2024, and June 30, 2026; non-opposition from the participant and/or their legal guardians after being informed about the study. Exclusion criteria: opposition from the participant or their parents/legal guardians to the use of personal data for research purposes; players not under the medical responsibility of the RCT Association. Enrollment (estimated): approximately 200 licensed players per season, with an estimated 400 injuries per season, and exhaustive inclusion of all injured players from the active registry over two seasons.

Conditions

Rugby-related Injuries

Keywords

Injury; Sport Injury; Sport prevention; Rugby; Injury incidence

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Injury incidence rate among youth rugby players over two consecutive seasons

  Number of injuries requiring a medical consultation divided by the total number of player-hours of exposure (training and matches), expressed as injuries per 1000 player-hours.

  Up to 24 months

Secondary Outcomes (10)

• Distribution of injuries by type and anatomical location.

  Up to 24 months

• Context of injury occurrence (match versus training, playing position and competition category).

  Up to 24 months

• Frequency of recurrent injuries.

  Up to 24 months

• Injury severity according to time-loss days.

  Up to 24 months

• Injury mechanisms.

  Up to 24 months

Study Arms (1)

French elite youth rugby players of Rugby Club Toulonnais

Youth rugby players (boys and girls, aged 13-18) licensed in RCT Association elite youth program (U14, U15, U16, U18) who present at least one injury during the two-season study period. Medically followed by the Sports Medicine and Traumatology Unit (UMTS).

Other: Medical consultation

Interventions

Medical consultation OTHER

Injury-related medical consultations provided by the Sports Medicine and Traumatology Unit (UMTS) at Centre Hospitalier Intercommunal Toulon - La Seyne sur Mer (CHITS)

French elite youth rugby players of Rugby Club Toulonnais

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 13 Years - 18 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: No
• Age Groups: Child (0-17), Adult (18-64)
• Sampling Method: Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

Youth rugby players (boys and girls, aged 13-18) licensed in RCT Association elite youth program (U14, U15, U16, U18). Integrated in specialized schools of Toulon metropolitan area with adapted schedules for dual academic-sport pathway. Medically followed by the Sports Medicine and Traumatology Unit (UMTS) at Centre Hospitalier Intercommunal Toulon - La Seyne sur Mer (CHITS). All injuries recorded in Askamon database.

You may qualify if:

• Licensed players (boys or girls) in the RCT Association program from U14 category onwards
• Players presenting at least one injury requiring medical consultation between 01/08/2024 and 30/06/2026

You may not qualify if:

• Opposition from participant or parents to participate in the research
• Players not under medical responsibility of the RCT Association

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Rugby Club Toulonnais Association: collaborator
• Centre Hospitalier Intercommunal de Toulon La Seyne sur Mer: lead
• Laboratoire Jeunesse - Activité Physique et Sportive - Santé (J-AP2S), Université de Toulon: collaborator
• Rugby Club Toulonnais S.A.S.P: collaborator

Study Sites (2)

CHITS

Toulon, Var, 83100, France

RECRUITING

RCT Association

Toulon, Var, 83200, France

RECRUITING

Related Publications (5)

• A King D, N Clark T, A Hume P, Hind K. Match and training injury incidence in rugby league: A systematic review, pooled analysis, and update on published studies. Sports Med Health Sci. 2022 Mar 27;4(2):75-84. doi: 10.1016/j.smhs.2022.03.002. eCollection 2022 Jun.

  PMID: 35782281 BACKGROUND

• Cruz-Ferreira A, Cruz-Ferreira E, Santiago L, Taborda Barata L. Epidemiology of injuries in senior male rugby union sevens: a systematic review. Phys Sportsmed. 2017 Feb;45(1):41-48. doi: 10.1080/00913847.2017.1248224. Epub 2016 Oct 26.

  PMID: 27741401 BACKGROUND

• Leahy TM, Kenny IC, Campbell MJ, Warrington GD, Cahalan R, Harrison AJ, Lyons M, Glynn LG, Comyns TM. Injury surveillance in school Rugby: A systematic review of injury epidemiology & surveillance practices. Phys Ther Sport. 2019 Jul;38:170-178. doi: 10.1016/j.ptsp.2019.05.005. Epub 2019 May 25. No abstract available.

  PMID: 31158741 BACKGROUND

• Fuller CW, Molloy MG, Bagate C, Bahr R, Brooks JH, Donson H, Kemp SP, McCrory P, McIntosh AS, Meeuwisse WH, Quarrie KL, Raftery M, Wiley P. Consensus statement on injury definitions and data collection procedures for studies of injuries in rugby union. Br J Sports Med. 2007 May;41(5):328-31. doi: 10.1136/bjsm.2006.033282.

  PMID: 17452684 BACKGROUND

• Thomas A, Davis K, Regnier A, López AD. Injury incidence and severity rates in male professional Rugby-15s: A systematic review. Int J Athl Ther Train. 2024. doi:10.1123/ijatt.2024-0051.

  BACKGROUND

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Wounds and Injuries

Study Officials

• Tristan CANESSA, Strength/conditioning coach

  RCT Association

  STUDY DIRECTOR

• Jean-Jacques RAYMOND, MD

  CHITS

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Central Study Contacts

Jean-Jacques RAYMOND, MD

CONTACT

04 94 14 50 00; Jean-Jacques.Raymond@ch-toulon.fr

Study Design

• Study Type: observational
• Observational Model: COHORT
• Time Perspective: OTHER
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: SPONSOR

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: January 5, 2026
• First Posted: January 21, 2026
• Study Start: December 18, 2025
• Primary Completion (Estimated): June 30, 2026
• Study Completion (Estimated): June 30, 2026
• Last Updated: April 14, 2026

Record last verified: 2026-04

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

FR (2)