Rugby 101
Rugby injury, rehab and fitness guides
Understand what common rugby injury symptoms can mean, work out what the test you just did measures, and see what the rehab can involve. Written for players and the people who coach them.
82 guides
Injury and recovery
48- Abdominal & Oblique Muscle StrainWhat a side strain is, how tears are graded, and honest timelines from the sports that measure them5 min
- Achilles ParatenonitisThe sleeve around your Achilles can inflame while the tendon inside stays healthy7 min
- Ankle Sprain: Grades & Return-to-PlayWhat the grades mean, and why the balance work is the part people skip5 min
- Anterior Elbow ImpingementWhat the term actually describes, and what front of elbow pain in a rugby player needs ruled out5 min
- Biceps Tendon InjuriesWhy a tear at the elbow is a different problem from a tear at the shoulder7 min
- Bone Bruise (Bone Contusion)The deep bone injury that only an MRI can see, and why it outlasts the pain that announced it5 min
- Boutonniere DeformityThe torn central slip that bends the middle knuckle down and tips the fingertip up6 min
- Boxer's Fracture (5th Metacarpal) in RugbyThe closed-fist hand injury props, hookers, and tacklers all see7 min
- Calf Strain RecoverySoleus or gastrocnemius: which one you tore sets the testing and the timeline5 min
- Chronic Ankle InstabilityRepeated rolls and persistent ankle giving way3 min
- Concussion ProtocolGraduated return-to-play, red flags, and when to go to hospital6 min
- CostochondritisThe sharp chest pain from inflamed rib cartilage, and why a doctor still needs to see it8 min
- Dislocated ShoulderThe most dislocated joint in the body, and what decides your recovery path9 min
- Exertional RhabdomyolysisThe medical emergency behind a session that went too far, when muscle breaks down faster than the kidneys can safely clear it9 min
- Eye and Orbital InjuriesFrom corneal scratches to orbital fractures, protecting vision on the pitch5 min
- Femoral Neck Stress FractureA high-risk stress injury at the top of the thigh bone that needs urgent assessment4 min
- Growth Plate Injuries in Youth RugbyWhat young players and parents need to know about developing bones8 min
- Hamstring Strain RecoveryWhat actually tore, how long players are really out, and how to stop the repeat5 min
- Hamstring TendinopathyThe deep pain on your sitting bone that hates hard chairs and will not shift4 min
- Hand, Finger & Thumb InjuriesTaping techniques, when to play through, and when to stop8 min
- Hip Flexor StrainTwo different muscles can be behind the pain at the front of your hip, and telling them apart is a physio's job5 min
- Hip Pointer (Iliac Crest Contusion)The painful hip bruise from direct contact that makes walking, twisting and even breathing sore6 min
- Knee Ligament InjuriesACL, MCL, and combined injuries: what heals on its own and what does not6 min
- Lower Back Pain & Disc InjuriesWhat a disc injury actually is, the red flags that mean hospital now, and how players really get back4 min
- Medial Collateral Ligament (MCL) SprainsGrading, bracing, and the path back to contact4 min
- Meniscus Injuries in RugbyWhen cartilage tears meet the demands of the pitch5 min
- Morton's NeuromaForefoot nerve pain between the toes3 min
- Neck & Cervical Spine InjuriesDistinguish stingers from serious cervical injuries and learn prevention strategies5 min
- Osgood-Schlatter Disease in Young Rugby PlayersUnderstanding and managing this common growth-related knee condition5 min
- Osteitis Pubis (Pubic Bone Stress)Chronic groin pain at the pubic symphysis, and why it outlasts a simple strain3 min
- Pes Anserine BursitisMedial knee pain just below the joint line, often confused with MCL injury3 min
- Piriformis SyndromeDeep buttock pain that looks like sciatica, blamed on a small muscle sitting on the nerve, and argued over by the people who treat it8 min
- Plantar Fasciitis in Rugby PlayersManaging heel and arch pain to stay on the pitch5 min
- Posterior Tibial Tendon DysfunctionThe tendon that holds up the arch, and what happens when it fails6 min
- Proximal Hamstring Tendon AvulsionWhen the hamstring tears clean off the ischial tuberosity5 min
- Quad Strain RecoveryStrain vs dead leg, grading, and getting back to full speed and kicking5 min
- Quadratus Lumborum StrainDeep side low-back muscle injury5 min
- Rib & Intercostal InjuriesBruised ribs, fractures and intercostal strains, from breathing pain to returning to contact5 min
- Shin Splints: Medial Tibial Stress SyndromeWhy your shins hurt after training spikes and what a physio will look for4 min
- Shoulder Impingement SyndromeThe shoulder pain now called subacromial pain syndrome, and what actually helps6 min
- Snapping Hip SyndromeThe clicking, popping hip that sounds alarming but usually needs nothing while it stays painless5 min
- Sternoclavicular Joint InjuryCollarbone-to-breastbone joint sprains from contact4 min
- Stinger & Burner Nerve InjuriesUnderstanding brachial plexus injuries from contact6 min
- Subacromial BursitisShoulder pain with overhead reach5 min
- Tarsal Tunnel Syndrome in RugbyBurning under the foot that builds the longer you play3 min
- Thoracic Spine and Mid-Back PainWhy scrums, rucks and tackles work the mid-back so hard, and what sensible recovery looks like4 min
- Thumb UCL Injury (Gamekeeper's Thumb)The thumb tear that takes your grip with it11 min
- Turf Toe & Foot InjuriesThe big toe sprain that needs proper grading4 min
Performance
26- 1RM Testing Protocols for RugbyHow max strength testing runs, and what professionals lift3 min
- Attacking Shape and Width AnalysisHow spread, depth, and alignment create opportunities, or close them down8 min
- Beep Test Training: Reaching Level 13+How the test works, what the levels mean, and an 8-week plan4 min
- Breakdown & Ruck Performance AnalysisUnderstanding ruck speed, turnover rates, and what professional analysts track3 min
- Change-of-Direction DeficitThe time you lose turning, measured separately from straight-line speed3 min
- Defensive System ComparisonHow the three systems actually differ, and how to pick between them on the day8 min
- Grip Strength & Ball CarryingHow to test your grip, what measured players squeeze, and how to train it4 min
- Hand-Eye Coordination & CatchingWhat steady catchers do differently, and the practice that builds safe hands5 min
- How to Improve Your Bronco TimeThe 20-40-60 shuttle protocol, real professional times, and a six-week plan4 min
- How to throw a rugby lineoutA repeatable throwing action, a simple accuracy progression, and the current legal target3 min
- Improving Your 40m SprintAcceleration technique, resisted sprints, and an eight-week speed block5 min
- Isometric Mid-Thigh Pull TestingPeak force on a force plate, and how squads actually run it3 min
- Metabolic Profiling and Energy SystemsWhich energy system pays for each rugby action, and how to train it6 min
- Offside Line Management and AnalysisGetting off the line fast without handing the referee an easy penalty14 min
- Passing Accuracy and Decision SpeedHow good passers combine precision with rapid decision-making7 min
- Passing Velocity and Spin MetricsMeasuring how fast the ball gets there and how cleanly it flies3 min
- Reactive Strength Index (RSI)Jump height divided by ground contact time, the field test of fast stretch-shortening capacity3 min
- Restart Strategy EffectivenessAnalysing which restart options generate the most territory, possession, and scoring pressure8 min
- Running Economy for Rugby PerformanceWhat the oxygen cost of pace means, and what measurably lowers it3 min
- Standing Broad Jump for RugbyHow to run the horizontal power test and what measured rugby squads actually jump3 min
- Stride Length × Frequency in Sprint PerformanceThe two levers of maximum sprint velocity3 min
- The Physics of Tackling: Force, Technique and DominanceWhy technique beats size, and how to train tackle dominance4 min
- Upper Body Power Testing for RugbyThe bench throw, the medicine ball pass, and the plyometric push up, and how to make the numbers mean something4 min
- Vertical Jump & Power TestingCMJ protocol, measured academy heights, and fatigue monitoring3 min
- Work Rate and Metres Per MinuteThe running metric that lets you compare players who play different minutes6 min
- Yo-Yo intermittent recovery test for rugbyThe IR1 and IR2: protocol, scoring, and measured rugby distances3 min
Session plans
4- Beginner rugby evasion sessionTeach players to find space, move a defender, and accelerate away without contact3 min
- Beginner rugby kicking and catching sessionA grounded introduction to the punt and an uncontested catch4 min
- Beginner rugby passing sessionA simple progression from two-hand technique to a small-sided handling game4 min
- Beginner rugby support play sessionHelp players move after the pass and become a useful option again4 min
Training programs
3- How to warm up before a rugby matchA practical sequence that builds from easy movement to match-speed rugby skills4 min
- Junior player development (U16-U18)What changes in a growing player, and who decides how much they train6 min
- The over-30s training programWhat actually declines after 30, and how to keep training and playing around it4 min