Abstract

Rugby Union is a very important international sport, while in South Africa it played an important part in unifying racial groups in the country during challenging political times, making it the second most popular sport in South Africa. It is contact sport and due to the nature of the sport, players experience high injury incidences. Rugby players in rural areas might experience unique challenges and risk of injury.  Rugby injury incidence in rural areas has not been well researched and it is unclear if rural based teams in South Africa are at increased risk of injury.  Aim: The aim of this study was to determine the overall injury incidence of the male senior rugby team at the University of Zululand during the competitive part of the 2019 season and to compare the injury incidence between matches and training. Methods: This study used a purposive, quantitative design which included 30 rugby players from the University of Zululand`s first team and collected training and match injury data during the competitive phase of the season.  Injuries were expressed relative to exposure as number of injuries per 1000 hours of exposure.