Injury Incidence, Severity and Burden in Elite Youth Rugby Players

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

Interventions

OTHER

Medical consultation

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

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Rugby Club Toulonnais Association

  collaborator UNKNOWN

• Rugby Club Toulonnais S.A.S.P

  collaborator UNKNOWN

• Laboratoire Jeunesse - Activité Physique et Sportive - Santé (J-AP2S), Université de Toulon

  collaborator UNKNOWN

• Centre Hospitalier Intercommunal de Toulon La Seyne sur Mer

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• Tristan CANESSA, Strength/conditioning coach · RCT Association

• Jean-Jacques RAYMOND, MD · CHITS

Eligibility

Min Age

13 Years

Max Age

18 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2025-12-18

Primary Completion

2026-06-30

Completion

2026-06-30

Countries

• France

Study Locations