MELBOURNE – All 12 teams at the Women’s Rugby World Cup will be offered the use of “smart” mouthguards to better understand and reduce in-game concussions, World Rugby said.
Rugby’s world governing body said in a statement the initiative is part of an official supplier agreement with US-based developer of the mouthguard, Prevent Biometrics.
Australia and New Zealand are co-hosts of the World Cup, which runs from October 8th to November 12th.
“The technology within the mouthguard will allow researchers to assess the frequency and magnitude of head contact and head accelerations, and provide players, coaches and academics with reliable, objective measures of both game and training head impact and contact stress,” World Rugby said .
England and New Zealand tested the mouthguard in training and games last year.
Mouthguards equipped with electronic sensors that collect data on head impact metrics are being tested in multiple sports including American football, soccer, rugby and Australian rules football.
English football has expanded its study of the risks of heading the game this year, with 12 clubs in both men’s and women’s leagues wearing an instrumented mouthguard in training until the end of the season.