A study revealed that professional rugby players who play more than 25 matches in a season are "more likely to suffer a concussion than not," according to Dylan Cleaver of the NEW ZEALAND HERALD. The report recommended "limiting the number of matches players are involved in during a season to 25." The best professional New Zealand rugby players "tend to play close to that number every year." The research, led by James Rafferty of Cardiff Metropolitan University and published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, included the "sobering" conclusion that return-to-play protocols "warrant investigation" after it was discovered players were 38% more likely to be injured again shortly after suffering a concussive injury than those who suffered non-concussive injuries. The study took place over four years, from the '12-13 season to the '15-16 season, "using the injury surveillance database" of the Welsh Rugby Union. Concussions were the most common injury (10%) and "although the incidence increased over the four seasons, the severity of concussions did not" (NZ HERALD, 3/18).
