The Women’s Rugby World Cup, which begins on August 22, will bring with it the use of mouth guards that flash to indicate that a player requires a head injury assessment.
This is part of the development of smart mouth guards which are calibrated to pre-determined pressure thresholds, and will issue alerts if players experience higher levels that that in play and collisions.
The mouth guards were originally launched at the WXV in 2023, and are set to be rolled out across the elite game off the back of their World Cup inclusion.
How does the mouth guard work?
Currently, pitch side doctors receive an alert about a potential head injury and have to wait for a break in the game to remove the player. They then have a 12 minute head injury assessment, which includes a general wellbeing check, and cognitive and coordination checks to establish the gravity of the knock.
With these new mouth guards, the alert will be visible across the pitch with the mouth guard emitting a red light, meaning that the referee will be able to stop play and send off these players much more quickly.
The use of these mouth guards at the Women’s World Cup is particularly interesting as women are thought to be more susceptible to concussions in their game, although currently there is a similar diagnosis rate to the men’s game.
The mouth guard’s sensors measure rotational force - with a limit set at 4,500 radians - and changes in velocity - which is set at 75G for men and 65G for women.
How will they feature in the World Cup?
Although the use of the mouth guards was not mandatory for the upcoming tournament, all players across the 16 teams competing will be sporting the new technology, apart from two athletes who cannot due to braces.
Rugby news and related links
- England demolish France in final World Cup warm-up
- Allianz confirmed as sponsors for RWC 2025
- England's Women's World Cup 2025 squad, assessed: Who are the Red Roses?