Our unwavering dedication to brain injury prevention drives us to continuously implement evidence-based strategies and make a positive impact on the wellbeing of our rugby community. Through education, research, protocols, and collaboration, we proactively address concussion risks and support our players' long-term health.
Concussion and the potential consequences of forces to the head are one of the biggest issues facing modern day rugby and contact sports in general. The more we can do to manage the risks of concussion and support brain health, the better the health of game and its players.
A comprehensive plan for rugby in New Zealand developed in partnership with the New Zealand Rugby Players Association and the New Zealand Rugby Foundation.
2025 Brain Health Concussion Risk Management Plan
This guide outlines key initiatives and developments in brain health and concussion risk management, this is a summary of the comprehensive plan.
2025 Brain Health Concussion SummaryManaging injury risks in rugby doesn't mean eliminating all injuries. Instead, it means that everyone involved should:
Serious harm includes injuries that result in:
When the evidence isn't clear, we take a cautious approach. We:
We use a 'continuous cycle of improvement' to prevent injuries in rugby:
This approach is used by both World Rugby and New Zealand Rugby (NZR) for injury prevention.
In July 2021, World Rugby, the sport's governing body, released an action plan for player welfare. It focuses on six main areas:
These efforts aim to make rugby safer and more enjoyable for everyone involved.
Rugby is a contact sport, which means injuries can happen. Despite this, hundreds of thousands of Kiwis play and enjoy playing the game. At New Zealand Rugby, we are dedicated to reducing injury risks, especially head injuries and concussion.
NZR supports initiatives like evolving rugby laws and tackle heights to reduce injury, training coaches to teach players safer techniques, ensuring that people know how to spot concussion and how to manage it, and allowing referees to issue blue cards after suspected concussions.
More recently, we have been supporting independent research into understanding the long-term risks and benefits associated with playing rugby. This research looks at brain health and the connection between repetitive impacts and conditions such as dementia.
Note: Safety initiatives are making serious injuries in rugby increasingly rare.