The first season of a pioneering research study on the effectiveness of headgear in reducing brain injury has concluded in Ireland. The IRFU welcomed the research team and Season One site representatives to the IRFU High Performance Centre on Saturday the 31st of August. The study’s Principal Investigator, Consultant Neurosurgeon, Professor Philip J. O’Halloran BSc MB FRCS FSEM PhD provided an update on Season One of The Rugby Headgear Effectiveness Study which is supported by the Irish Rugby Football Union (IRFU) and is being carried out under World Rugby’s “Law 4 Headgear Trial” framework.
World Rugby developed the ‘Law 4 Headgear Trial’ framework to enable manufacturers to field test new designs of rugby headgear which may be of assistance in reducing or helping to prevent brain injuries. N-Pro is the first product to receive approval under this framework.
The study seeks to evaluate the effectiveness of the N-Pro Headguard in reducing brain injury biomarkers. The study is co-funded by the European Innovation Council and Contego Sports, the Irish company that designed N-Pro.
Prof O’Halloran is a Consultant Neurosurgeon in the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham and an Independent Match Day Doctor for the English Gallagher Rugby Premiership and European Champions Cup.
Commenting on the launch of Season Two of the study, Prof O’Halloran, said:
“I am delighted that we have successfully concluded Season One of the Rugby Headgear Effectiveness Study. Operationally, it has been a mammoth task to gather so much data, but this is testament to the brilliant team of researchers, clubs, schools and players that have been recruited for this significant study, from all over the country.
In Season One we had 189 players enrolled from 13 teams across Ireland. 13% of the players were female and all the players were aged 16 years or older. Every player in the study wore an Instrumented Mouthguard to record head acceleration events, of which over 16,000 were collected. We have also bio-banked over 9000 blood samples from the players and over 400 salvia samples. We had excellent compliance rates across the range of neurocognitive assessments, video analysis and advanced MRI scans throughout the season
We know traditional rugby headgear were not designed to protect your brain from trauma, but it is vital we field test novel technologies, and my role is to independently assess the effect of this new headgear design on brain injury using state-of-the-art blood and saliva biomarkers of brain injury, advanced neuro-imaging, instrumented mouthguards and neurocognitive tests.
We have assembled a world-leading, independent panel of scientific and medical experts in brain health and brain injury to monitor the study; it represents an important piece of the jigsaw of what is an ongoing international collective effort to protect amateur and professional players. Our attention has now turned to Season Two of the study. We have added another 6 teams bringing the total number of players in the study to over 300. We would expect results to be available in Q4 of 2027”.
IRFU Medical Director Dr. Rod McLoughlin added,
“Season One of the study was a very important step forward as we learn more about the effectiveness of headgear in reducing brain injury biomarkers. This partnership reaffirms the IRFU’s commitment to making rugby a safer sport for all players. We are encouraged by the number of participants and compliance rates in Season One and look forward to the study’s expansion in Season Two. To each club and school participant, thank you for your vital role in this trial. The IRFU’s approach, based on scientific evidence, involves a commitment to ongoing education, monitoring and application of safety protocols across the game and I would like to acknowledge the efforts of Prof Philip O’Halloran and the clinical team as we work together in this hugely important area of research”.
This website uses cookies.
Read More