日本にラグビーが公式に紹介されてから88年後，1987年に第1回ラグビーワールドカップ（以下RWC）が開催され，今年第9回RWC2019大会が日本で開催される．日本代表は，このRWCに1回目から連続で出場し続けている．そのチームスタッフにはドクターとともに“外傷・障害の予防”と“パフォーマンスの発揮”を目的としてドクター，他スタッフと連携し，スポーツ現場での健康管理に携わるトレーナー（アスレティックトレーナー）が帯同している．スポーツ医・科学のサポートが今現在も現場でラグビー日本代表を支えている．その変遷を紹介する．

Background: The concussion reporting system be­came part of safe measures in the Japan Rugby Football Union (JRFU) beginning in 1990’s. Only scores of cases had been reported annually until 2011 when the World Rugby Concussion Guideline was published. The JRFU has tried to spread its contents to every player by having safe measuring courses in all regional unions resulting in an increase of 300 reports since 2012.

Objective: To ascertain the present state and propose some strategies of concussion management.

Method: We reviewed the concussion reports be­tween April 2012 and March 2015. Each report was sent to a regional union mainly by the team manager of the injured player. The match doctor and the referee could also report, when a player had concussion. In the case of non-game time concussion, the team manager reported. Annual number of concussed players, their ages, phase of play where the concussion occurred and repetitive injury cases occurring on the same player were analyzed.

Results: There were 1,451 concussions (336 to 388 cases per year) in those 4 years. Eighty five (5.9%) happened to those between 8 and 12 years old, 263 (18.1%) to 13–15, 548 (37.8%) to 16–18, 350 (24.1%) to 19–22, 205 (14.1%) to 23 and over. The phase of play was tackling in 758 cases (52.2%), being tacked in 416 (28.7%), other plays including maul and saving 98 (6.8%) and no-reported incidences in 95 (6.5%). Fifty-five players had two or more concussions for four years, two cases incurred within two weeks.

Conclusion: Young and adolescent ages should be the main target of the safe measures approaches to prevent from concussion especially focusing on tack­ling situations.

    The purpose of this study was to investigate the physical activities of referees during rugby games. Referees in 6 games (including 2 company games, 2 university games and 2 high school games) were filmed with 2 video tape recorder to estimate the distance and velocity using a DLT method. Accelerate phase and tum movement of referees were videotaped using another video tape recorder.

    The results were summarized as follows:

(1) The mean time of out-of-play per a play was almost 30 second.

(2) The mean time of in-play per a play in high school games was almost 20 second.

(3) The longest total distance was 6567.4m in university games.

(4) Jogging (under 4m/sec.) shared the highest percentage of almost 90%.

(5) There were 286 times of accelerate phase in university games.

(6) There were 379 times of tum movement in high school games.

 Two game analytical studies were conducted to examine kick-off play in rugby football. In study 1, fourteen rugby matches at the top level in domestic university teams were analyzed to verify the importance of kick-off play in the game of rugby football. Main results were as follows: 1) The number of kick-off plays averaged about 13 per match. 2) The average percentage of gaining balls were very low at the kicking side in kick-off play. 3) Whether the ball could be gained in kick-off play related significantly to the length of time the kicking side occupied the opponent ground after kicking off, and it related significantly to the rate of the kicking side's getting score and score chance. From these results, kick-off play was concluded to be an important set play in the game of rugby football at the level concerned. In study 2, four matches were analyzed to diagnose the kick-off play of a team which was at the top level in the domestic university teams. The diagnosis found out some problems on the kickers, the catchers, and the supporters. Making better these faults of kick-off play will be an important task in coaching the team.

Background: Sport-related concussion should be taken more seriously. Repetitive concussion in a short period is likely to worsen a player's injury. To immediately remove players who have concussion, or are suspected of having concus­sion, is the safest way to protect them from a more serious state. Graduated Return to Play (GRTP) after having concus­sion is essential.

Objective: To ascertain the level of understanding of concus­sion among high school rugby players.

Method: We investigated with a questionnaire on concus­sion to 396 high school rugby players who participated in a Tokai District tournament in March 2013. The questionnaire contained the following: knowledge of symptoms and signs of concussion (S&S); knowledge of GRTP; personal experience of concussion (Experience); participation in sports concussion lectures (Lecture); observance of GRTP; and reasons for the non-observance of GRTP. The S&S and GRTP were taken from the International Rugby Board Concussion Guidelines.

Results: The players knew around 70% of S&S and GRTP procedures. Experience, Lecture, GRTP observance, and non-observance were 39%, 56%, 34%, and 38% respectively. The most common reasons for non-observance of GRTP were ignorance of its importance and not knowing of it. The most common S&S they had were dizziness, poor attention, loss of consciousness, and headache (66%, 59%, 48%, and 38% respectively). Players were less aware of inappropriate playing behavior, irritability, and feeling nervous or anxious as symptoms of concussion.

Conclusion: The results of this study showed the high school rugby players had some knowledge of concussion, but it wasn't sufficient and they didn't all complete GRTP. Recognition of concussion, removing the players from the field, and observance of GRTP prevent further injuries. Teachers, coaches, and others concerned with rugby, as well as the players themselves, should know about and practice correct concussion management.

本研究では、

    The purpose of this study was to clarify attack aspects from ruck in the breakdown and to compare the difference of the attack aspects from ruck of southern hemisphere and of northern hemisphere. This study was analyzed mainly by two points. The first were the options of attack from ruck. The second were situations of ruck. The main results of this study were as follows;
1) The most 39% of the attack from ruck is Side Attack. There is Line Attack of 27％ in the second, and Pick Attack of 14％ in the third.
2) In total, eighty percent of ball out from ruck was ruck of less than 5 seconds. Comparing the Southern Hemisphere and Northern Hemisphere, ruck of less than 5 seconds is high ratio in the southern hemisphere, and ruck of more than 5 seconds is high ratio in the northern hemisphere.
3) Line Attack decrease at attack from ruck of more than 5 seconds, and Pick Attack and Kick Attack increase.