connected equipment makes mouthguards squeak – Libération

For the first time compulsory in Super Rugby and the Six Nations Tournament, connected mouthguards still seem too limited to convince players and coaches.

The idea is good, but the execution is difficult to convince. After only a week of competition, Super Rugby, a league which brings together Australian and New Zealand clubs, no longer requires its players to leave the field to undergo a concussion test in the event of an alert sent by the so-called mouth guards. “intelligent”, the southern hemisphere competition announced this Friday, March 1. These new accessories make it possible, using sensors, to measure the strong “head accelerations” experienced by players during violent impacts, in order to inform doctors and target players to be controlled by concussion protocols.

Super Rugby players will continue to wear them this weekend, “but will not be required to immediately leave the field for a head injury assessment when their mouthguard triggers an alert to pitchside medics,” explained the league, specifying that the modification was only temporary. For the moment, players will instead be checked by a doctor directly on the field, which they will only leave if there is concern for a real concussion protocol. They will still be subject to a full evaluation at half-time or at the end of the match.

“Technical problems” and lack of confidence

The technology had been the subject of criticism from several players in the industry, including Scott Barrett, captain of the Crusaders, reigning Super Rugby champions. The player considered its implementation as a “step too many” which could go so far as to influence the outcome of a match, in the event of a player leaving. During his team’s loss to the Waikato Chiefs, three players were visibly disconcerted when they were called off the field. None of them thought they were injured, and they returned to the game after undergoing medical examinations, before losing by a close score of 33-29.

In Europe too, the device raises questions, while it is used at the Six Nations Tournament. Gregor Townsend, Scotland coach, expressed his reservations after the first two days of the Six Nations. “We have to be careful what we do in putting our trust in unproven technologies,” he explained after his team’s victory against England, while a Scottish player had to leave the field for the second time in two games, “there is still work to be done before this technology works properly”.

Criticisms which seem justified, when Super Rugby admitted to having encountered “technical problems” in the collection and transfer of data from mouthguards. New tests will be carried out this weekend, on the occasion of the third day of the southern hemisphere competition, “to monitor the improvements made to the data transfer process, with a view to reestablishing alert protocols a once these problems are fully resolved.

Two million euros invested by World Rugby

Made compulsory in January 2024, these connected mouthguards must, ultimately, be used in all elite international rugby competitions managed by World Rugby. In the month of October, thehe federation mentioned an investment of 2 million euros in this device to integrate it into its Head Injury Assessment (HIA) protocol during play. The organization notably mentioned a study on ice hockey , a sport also subject to violent contact, and in which it was estimated that this technology could “reduce the risk of concussion by 20%”. “Advancements in smart mouthguard technology are enabling elite players to receive better care than ever before,” World Rugby Chief Medical Officer Eanna Falvey said in the same statement.