(Sports Correspondent: Imran Sohail)
World Rugby Urges Men to Follow Women’s Lead in Using Smart Mouthguards
World Rugby Chief Medical Officer Prof Éanna Falvey has encouraged male players to adopt smart mouthguards like their female counterparts, highlighting their growing role in player safety.
The instrumented mouthguard (iMG) technology will make its debut at the Women’s Rugby World Cup, starting August 22, with England hosting the USA. The new iMGs feature LED lights that flash red during high head acceleration events, helping monitor potential concussions in real time.
Falvey praised the women’s game for its high uptake of the technology, noting that most female players are eager to participate in research and off-field head injury assessments (HIA). In contrast, some male players have opted out due to discomfort or concerns about Bluetooth tracking.
“Across the world, the majority of male players wear mouthguards, but a small percentage still opt out, mainly due to gag reflex issues or personal preference,” Falvey explained. “The women’s game shows how much easier it is when players are proactive about their safety.”
He added that former stars like double World Cup-winning All Black Conrad Smith can influence current players, saying, “Conrad Smith noted he would have loved to wear these mouthguards during his career. That’s the kind of message that resonates.”
The iMGs, widely used in elite rugby for the past 18 months, have already provided valuable insights into head injuries. Falvey highlighted how data from the Six Nations revealed significant variations in head acceleration events across positions and games — information that traditional video review could not capture.
Rugby is also collaborating with other sports like the NFL, NRL, and AFL to share iMG data and improve player welfare. Falvey emphasized the unique traditions of rugby that encourage players, coaches, and administrators to adopt safety innovations: “Everyone comes together because it’s for the good of the game.”
With the Women’s World Cup set to showcase the benefits of smart mouthguards, Falvey hopes male players will follow suit, making iMGs a standard safety tool across all levels of rugby.
