Table 3 Characteristics of collision intensity detected by microtechnology in rugby union and rugby sevens

Rugby union

Coughlan et al. (2011) [39]

Impacts

Forwards:

Backs:

NR

Very heavy: 53

Very Heavy: 40

Severe: 10

Severe: 13

Cunniffe et al. (2009) [20]

Impacts

Forwards:

Backs:

NR

Very heavy: 56

Very heavy: 24

Severe: 13

Severe: 4

Dubois et al. (2020) [42]

Impacts (> 8 g) weekly (game included)

Forwards:

Backs:

NR

23.7 ± 27

26.7 ± 38.5

Grainger et al. (2018) [48]

Impacts

Impacts G:

Forwards:

Backs:

NR

Impacts > 9.01:

229 ± 160

226 ± 151

Impacts 9.01–11:

114 ± 79

118 ± 79

Impacts 11.01–13:

48 ± 41

47 ± 38

Impacts > 13:

66 ± 44

59 ± 40

MacLeod et al. (2018) [25]

Impacts

Impacts (> 8 g)

Forwards:

Backs:

NR

Prop: 19.1 ± 7

Half back: 17.8 ± 6.9

Hooker: 19.6 ± 7.9

Centre: 19.1 ± 8

Second row: 17.7 ± 7.1

Back three: 20.4 ± 7.5

Back row: 18.7 ± 7.3

McLellan et al. (2013) [29]

Impacts

Impacts (g)

Forwards:

Backs:

NR

Very heavy

First half: 35 ± 23

First half: 32 ± 25

Second half: 37 ± 25

Second half: 24 ± 19

Total match: 70 ± 43

Total match: 54 ± 42

Severe

First half: 9 ± 3

First half: 7 ± 4

Second half: 9 ± 6

Second half: 5 ± 4

Total match: 18 ± 7

Total match: 11 ± 6

Owen et al. (2015) [59]

Impacts (first half)

Forwards:

Backs:

NR

Very heavy: 42 ± 21

Very Heavy: 34 ± 18

Severe: 25 ± 11

Severe: 22 ± 12

High level: 120 ± 55

High level: 99 ± 44

Pollard et al. (2018) [61]

Collisions

NR

Mean of the whole match:

Forwards: 0.5 ± 0.1

Backs: 0.3 ± 0.1

Suarez-Arrones et al. (2012) [76]

Impacts per match

Forwards:

Backs:

NR

Very heavy: 66.6 ± 48

Very Heavy: 35.2 ± 26

Severe: 10.4 ± 5

Severe: 6.3 ± 4

Suarez-Arrones et al. (2013) [77]

Impacts for the match

Forwards:

Backs:

NR

Very heavy: 39 ± 7.6

Very heavy: 51.6 ± 35.3

Severe: 5.2 ± 3.5

Severe: 6.3 ± 0.6

Tee et al. (2015) [81]

Impacts

NR

Forwards:

Backs:

Impacts > 5G: 10 ± 3

Impacts > 5G: 9.5 ± 3.2

Impacts > 8G: 1.1 ± 0.5

Impacts > 8G: 1.1 ± 0.4

Tee et al. (2017) [82]

Total impacts

NR

Forwards:

Backs:

Impacts > 5G:

Impacts > 5G:

First half: 8.7 ± 2.4

First half: 10 ± 3.5

Q1: 9.3 ± 4.5

Q1: 10.4 ± 5.3

Q2: 9.2 ± 2.4

Q2: 10 ± 3.9

Q3: 8.2 ± 3.7

Q3: 10.4 ± 4.1

Q4: 7.4 ± 2.1

Q4: 9.6 ± 4.8

Second half: 7.9 ± 3.2

Second half: 9 ± 0.3

Q1: 8.2 ± 3.7

Q1: 9.7 ± 3.7

Q2: 9.4 ± 4.8

Q2: 9.4 ± 3.3

Q3: 8.2 ± 3.1

Q3: 10 ± 3.6

Q4: 8.7 ± 4

Q4: 7.1 ± 4

Impacts > 8G:

Impacts > 8G:

First half: 0.8 ± 0.3

First half: 1.1 ± 0.3

Q1: 0.8 ± 0.6

Q1: 1 ± 0.5

Q2: 0.9 ± 0.4

Q2: 1.1 ± 0.4

Q3: 0.6 ± 0.3

Q3: 1.1 ± 0.4

Q4: 0.8 ± 0.5

Q4: 1.1 ± 0.7

Second half: 0.7 ± 0.3

Second half: 1.1 ± 0.4

Q1: 0.8 ± 0.5

Q1: 1.1 ± 0.5

Q2: 0.8 ± 0.4

Q2: 1.2 ± 0.6

Q3: 0.7 ± 0.4

Q3: 1.1 ± 0.5

Q4: 0.8 ± 0.4

Q4: 0.9 ± 0.7

Tee et al. (2020) [83]

Impacts per game (> 5 G)

NR

Forwards:

Backs:

8.3 ± 2.7

9.5 ± 3.1

Q1: 11 ± 5

Q1: 10 ± 4

Q2: 8 ± 2

Q2: 10 ± 4

Q3: 8 ± 4

Q3: 10 ± 3

Q4: 8 ± 3

Q4: 9 ± 3

Vaz et al. (2012) [90]

Impacts

Novice:

Experienced:

NR

Very heavy: 21.3 ± 17.1

Very heavy: 14 ± 10.4

Severe: 4.7 ± 9.1

Severe: 1.6 ± 2.4

189.8 ± 93.3

182.5 ± 61.4

Venter et al. (2011) [91]

Impacts

Severe impacts > 10G:

NR

Front row forwards: 8 ± 4.6

Inside backs: 12.2 ± 3.2

Yamamoto et al. (2020) [95]

Impacts total

Impacts 8.1–10 and > 10 g: (mean ± Standard error)

Impacts 8.1–10 and > 10 g: (mean ± Standard error)

NR

Forwards: 202.3 ± 14.5

Backs: 171.9 ± 6.3

Props: 192.4 ± 17.6

Scrumhalf: 138.1 ± 31.4

Hooker: 197.2 ± 24.7

Fly-half: 145.9 ± 14.9

Locks: 225.4 ± 36

Centres: 217.9 ± 11.2

Flankers: 181.8 ± 11

Wings: 149.5 ± 8

No. 8: 196 ± 17.9

Fullback: 168.5 ± 18.9

Impacts > 10 g: (mean ± Standard error)

Impacts > 10 g: (mean ± Standard error)

Forwards: 48 ± 4.3

Backs: 35.6 ± 2.1

Props: 40.5 ± 7

Scrumhalf: 26.6 ± 7.6

Hooker: 20.5 ± 5.1

Fly-half: 35.6 ± 6

Locks: 57 ± 10.1

Centres: 42.4 ± 4.8

Flankers: 42.6 ± 3.8

Wings: 31.3 ± 2.7

No. 8: 50.2 ± 8.5

Fullback: 36.5 ± 5.1

Rugby sevens

Clarke et al. (2015) [35]

Impacts

Day one:

Day two:

NR

National: 5–6 games

Impacts 8–10 g:

Impacts 8–10 g:

National: 32 ± 14

National: 34 ± 24

State: 4–6 games

State: 26 ± 18

State: 23 ± 17

Impacts > 10 g:

Impacts > 10 g:

National: 15 ± 6

National: 17 ± 9

State: 12 ± 7

State: 10 ± 5

Clarke et al. (2015) [36]

Impacts

Impacts > 10 g:

NR

National: 29 ± 11

State: 22 ± 11

Clarke et al. (2017) [38]

Impacts

Impacts > 10 g Elite:

NR

Male: 25 ± 11.2

Female: 12.6 ± 4.7

Impacts > 10 g Senior:

Male: 11.8 ± 6.6

Female: 10.2 ± 7.1

Higham et al. (2016) [51]

Impacts during the 22 matches

NR

Forwards: 26.2 ± 10.7

Backs: 23.5 ± 9.6

Suarez-Arrones et al. (2014) [78]

Impacts

Forwards:

Backs:

NR

Very Heavy:

Very Heavy:

First half: 9 ± 5.1

First half: 8 ± 6.1

Second half: 7 ± 3.7

Second half: 6.6 ± 3.8

Severe:

Severe:

First half: 0.7 ± 1

First half: 0.9 ± 1.1

Second half: 1.4 ± 1.3

Second half: 1.9 ± 1.8

Impacts > 7 g:

Impacts > 7 g:

Whole match: 45.1 ± 24.5

Whole match: 41.8 ± 20.7