Former players have endorsed a pioneering study examining concussion effects in women’s rugby.
Research shows that head impacts affect women distinctively from men, with female players experiencing higher concussion risk and extended recovery periods.
Symptoms differ as well; men often suffer from amnesia, whereas women frequently cite persistent headaches, mental fatigue, and concentration difficulties.
Nevertheless, current rugby concussion protocols remain primarily derived from men’s play, a point former internationals argue must be updated.
Cardiff University’s medical engineering team is working to develop the inaugural head‑impact assessment protocol tailored for female athletes.
The research tracked 30 members of the university’s women’s rugby squad, employing custom mouthguards, cognitive assessments, and MRI scans.
Investigators aim to collect sufficient data by year’s end to evaluate the feasibility of establishing new guidelines.
Lead researcher Peter Theobald remarked, “The female brain differs from the male brain, and women’s rugby is not identical to the men’s game; applying the same safety thresholds used for men would conflict with the evidence we have gathered.”
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