Sports injury in Australia

The term ‘rugby’ covers both the major codes, rugby union and rugby league. Hospital records often do not specify which type of rugby an injured person was playing.

An estimated 345,000 Australians aged 15 and over played rugby in 2021–22 (ASC, 2022).  There were 3,400 injury hospitalisations attributed to rugby – 2,800 males and 540 females. For those aged 15 and over, the rate of hospitalisations was about 760 per 100,000 participants.

After a rebound in 2020–21, rugby injury hospitalisations in 2021–22 have dipped again (Figure 1).

Figure 1: Trend in rugby injury hospitalisations, by sex, 2012–13 to 2021–22

For more detail, see data tables B1–2.

The highest number of hospitalisations was in the 15–19 age group (Figure 2).

Figure 2: Age distribution of rugby injury hospitalisations, 2021–22

Source: AIHW NHMD.

For more detail, see data table A14.

Just over half of these injuries were fractures (52%), and another 20% were soft-tissue injuries (Figure 3).

Figure 3: Top 5 injury hospitalisations from rugby, by type of injury as a proportion, 2021–22

Note: Type of injury is derived from the principal diagnosis.
Source: AIHW NHMD.

For more detail, see data table A25.

There were 280 hospitalisations for concussion, 220 males and 57 females.

The main injury was most often to the leg or hip (28%), followed by the head or neck (27%) (Figure 4).

Figure 4: Rugby injury hospitalisations, by body part injured, as a proportion, 2021–22

Notes
1. Body part injured is derived from the principal diagnosis.
2. ‘Trunk’ includes thorax, abdomen, lower back, lumbar spine & pelvis.

Source: AIHW NHMD.

For more detail, see data table A26.

Where it was specified, the cause of injury was most often either ‘falls involving another person’ (38%) or ‘contact with another person’ (28%) (Figure 5).

Figure 5: Cause of injury as a proportion when specified, rugby injury hospitalisations, 2021–22

Source: AIHW NHMD.

For more detail, see data table A27.