THE NEW-ZEALAND RUGBY INJURY AND PERFORMANCE PROJECT .2. PREVIOUS INJURY EXPERIENCE OF A RUGBY-PLAYING COHORT

The Rugby Injury and Performance Project (RIPP) is a prospective cohort study by a multidisciplinary research group. Rugby injuries constitute an important area for research because rugby union is New Zealand's national sport and because of the considerable cost of all sports injury acknowledged by the Accident Rehabilitation and Compensation Insurance Corporation (ACC). The initial phase of data collection in the RIPP involved a pre-season questionnaire which, among other things, sought to establish variables relating to the past injury experience of players. The influence of previous injury, the use of safety equipment and the availability and significance of medical advice were among the variables identified by individual questionnaires. This paper analyses the responses to pre-season questions about injury experience in the previous 12 months. In so doing, it identifies baseline data which will be used to address a possible relationship between past injury experience and the prediction of injury during the season.