Tackle technique of rugby union players during head impact tackles compared to injury free tackles

The majority of head injuries in rugby union occur during tackles in which the head receives an impact. Head impacted tackles may be a result of poor tackle technique. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to analyse ball-carrier and tackler technique proficiency in head impacted tackles and compare the technique proficiency to successfully completed tackles in real-match situations. Retrospective video analysis. Video footage of head impacts with the ‘head impacted player’ (n=157) and the opposing player ‘impacting player’ (n=156) were scored for contact technique using a list of technical criteria and compared to contact technique scores of role and tackle-type matched injury-free, successful tackles (n=170). Ball-carriers contacting their head during front-on head impacted tackles (mean 6.4, 95%CI 5.6–7.1 AU, out of a total score of 14) scored significantly less than the ‘impacting player’ (mean 8.1, 95%CI 7.1–9.1 AU, p