Physical inactivity is a leading risk factor for non-communicable diseases (World Health organisation, 2024). Consequently, activities that promote physical activity are both global and national health priorities (WHO, 2024: DHSC, 2025). Participation in team-based sports is associated with both physical (Hornstrup et al., 2020; Nielson, Wikman, Jensen, Schmidt, Gilemann & Andersen, 2014; Krustrup et al., 2010) and mental health benefits (Griffin et al., 2020). However, common barriers to participation in physical activity include a lack of engagement (Cooper et al., 2021), fear of not being fit enough to participate, and fear of injury (Griffin et al., 2020). Sustaining an injury has both physical and psychological consequences for individuals (Cooper et al., 2021; Kendrick et al., 2012) but is also associated with a socioeconomic burden to individuals and healthcare providers (Ding et al., 2017; Lee, Shiroma, Lobelo, Puska, Blaire & Katzmarzyk, 2012; WHO, 2024). Touch Rugby is a rapidly growing minimal contact team sport which appeals to a broad demographic (England Touch Association, 2019). As such recreational Touch Rugby has the potential to be an inclusive physical activity intervention and encourage engagement and long-term adherence through its social capital (Anderson, Riis, Ottesen, Werthmann & Krustrup, 2018), while also providing physical and cardiovascular health benefits (Dobbin et al., 2020; Fialliau, Ferret, Perrey, Baert, Fabre & Chevalier, 2015). However, team sports present a higher injury risk compared to individual sports due to the unpredictable nature of team play (Theisen, Frisch, Malisoux, Urhausen, Croisier & Seil, 2013). To date there are no published literature regarding injury epidemiology in Touch Rugby, and movement demands of the sport at the recreational level are unknown. The aim of this thesis was to address the critical gaps in the literature by exploring the injury epidemiology, movement demands, and neuromuscular outcomes associated with recreational Touch Rugby, to improve understanding of the physiological and injury-related profiles. Chapters 3 & 4 described and compared the injury incidence, type, severity and timing of injuries sustained in Touch Rugby across different playing standards. Injury incidence was identified as 100.5 and 103.5 per 1000 player hours in international and domestic (national and regional) tournaments, respectively. Across both international and domestic (national and regional) levels of play, the most common injury type was muscle/tendon injuries (33%; 55% respectively) occurring in the lower limb in the hip/thigh/groin region (27%; 16% respectively) due to running based activities (41%; 44% respectively). Injuries were predominantly transient in nature (76%; 62.2% respectively), resulting in no time loss. The middle position was the most injured (47%; 51% respectively). The following factors were identified as significantly influencing injury rates: cumulative fatigue and inadequate pre-conditioning and insufficient neuromuscular readiness. Chapter 5 analysed the physiological and movement demands of recreational Touch Rugby match play, including positional variations. Mean heart rate was 155 ± 25 bpm, corresponding to 83.5% of players maximum heart rate. Players spent 25.8 ± 6.5 minutes on the field during the 40-minute match, covering 2159.9 ± 579.2 m at a mean speed of 84.6 ± 11.8 m/min. Most of this distance (1934.3 ± 511.6 m) was at low speed (<14 km/h), with the remaining proportion at high speed (>14 km/h) (225.3 ± 126.9 m). There was a significant difference (p = 0.003) in high-speed distance, between inside players (256.5m ± 123.0) and outside players (150.0m ± 104.8) with a with a moderate effect size (Cohen’s d = 0.9, 95% CI [0.31, 1.49]) and data identified that that inside players are exposed to greater high-intensity movement demands compared to outside players, including volume of accelerations (p = 0.014), decelerations (p = 0.028), and changes of direction (p = 0.03) suggesting a meaningful difference between the two positional groups. Chapter 6 assessed the effect of match play on neuromuscular function including countermovement jump metrics and balance measures via portable force plate and perceived fatigue in recreational players. Paired-sampled t-tests revealed no meaningful change between pre and post values in countermovement jump metrics, and therefore any observed changes in jump metrics did not exceed what could be expected due to chance. This suggests that a single recreational Touch match does not induce detectable neuromuscular performance decrements. However, significant decreases in balance excursion (right [p < 0.001] and left [p = 0.007]) and sway (right [p = 0.005] and left [p = 0.007]) in both limbs following match play were identified indicating that players’ ability to control their balance improved. This finding contrasted with previous research (Hogarth, Burkett & McKean, 2015; Morris et al., 2023), suggesting that Touch Rugby ’s minimal-contact, intermittent-play nature may facilitate a short term neuromuscular “priming” effect through post activation potentiation (Sale, 2002). Collectively, the findings of the four studies form an original contribution to knowledge with this thesis identifying both the injury incidence and epidemiology in Touch Rugby, the movement characteristics, physiological demands and neuromuscular responses to recreational match play. This evidence provides new insights and establishes an evidence base that enhances understanding of relevant factors to inform safer participation in recreational Touch Rugby.
| Date of Award | 6 Mar 2026 |
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| Original language | English |
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| Supervisor | Matthew Haines (Main Supervisor) & Craig Twist (Co-Supervisor) |
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