Sports Medicine
Listen to the podcast: Injury Surveillance Insights - 2022 SARU Girls' Youth Rugby Report
In this episode Professor Mike Lambert and guests delves deep into injury surveilance into girls rugby, identifying the various mechanisms causing concussions and other injuries during the SARU Girls’ Youth Week tournaments from 2015-2022.
They will further assess the recommendations for improving the confidence and proficiency of young female rugby players in contact situations to minimise concussions and other injuries.
And lastly, these experts will provide for an indepth understanding of the methods for recording and reporting epidemiological data on injury and illness in sport, as recommended by the International Olympic Committee consensus statement.
Joining Professor Lambert is Senior Manager: Medical at the South African Rugby Union (SA Rugby), Clint Readhead, Senior Manager: Rugby Safety at the South African Rugby Union (SA Rugby), Dr Wayne Viljoen, and injury surveillance research consultant for SA Rugby, Lara Paul.
Identify Injury Mechanisms: Recognise the various mechanisms causing concussions and other injuries during the SARU Girls’ Youth Week tournaments from 2015-2022.
Evaluate Injury Prevention Strategies: Assess the recommendations for improving the confidence and proficiency of young female rugby players in contact situations to minimise concussions and other injuries.
Interpret Epidemiological Data: Understand the methods for recording and reporting epidemiological data on injury and illness in sport, as recommended by the International Olympic Committee consensus statement.
Dr. Wayne Viljoen
Senior Manager: Rugby Safety at the South African Rugby Union (SA Rugby).
He currently manages the BokSmart National Rugby Safety programme and has been working for SA Rugby in this capacity since 2008. He is a biokineticist and exercise physiologist by qualification and has specialised in operational injury prevention strategies with a specific focus on head, neck, and spinal injuries in rugby union. He is also a Research Associate at the University of Cape Town’s Health through Physical Activity, Lifestyle and Sport Research Centre, Division of Physiological Sciences, Department of Human Biology, Faculty of Health Sciences, and is well published. Wayne has been with the BokSmart programme since the very beginning and has played a key role in shaping and developing it to where it is today.
Lara Paul
PhD candidate at the University of Cape Town.
Researching skill development in women’s rugby union. Additionally, Lara is an injury surveillance research consultant for SA Rugby for almost four years. This role involves monitoring injuries for all South African teams in the URC, Currie Cup, Women’s Premier Competition and the annual SA Rugby Youth Weeks. It also includes analysing the injury data and writing reports for the tournaments. Lara also works on and/or leads various other research projects. Currently, Lara is consulting on the World Rugby tackle height project at the community level.
Clint Readhead
Senior Manager: Medical at the South African Rugby Union (SA Rugby).
He qualified as a Physiotherapist in 1993 at the University of Cape Town and has been actively involved in rugby for over 30 years. He has worked at all levels of the game and was a member of the South African u21 teams that won the Junior World Cup in 1999 and 2002. Clint became the Team Physiotherapist for the Springboks in 2003, with being part of the Rugby World Cup Winning Springbok Squad of 2007 listed as a career highlight. He also holds a post graduate diploma in Advanced Management obtained from the University of Witwatersrand Business School. He is also a Research Associate at the University of Cape Town’s Health through Physical Activity, Lifestyle and Sport Research Centre, Division of Physiological Sciences, Department of Human Biology, Faculty of Health Sciences, and is well published. Clint’s focus is mainly aimed at ensuring the professional side of the game of rugby is aligned and meets the medical standards set by World Rugby. He therefore works very closely with medical professionals locally and internationally. He also has a big interest in issues related to doping in Sport and is a member of World Rugby’s Anti-Doping Advisory Panel.
