LAUSR

WORLD RUGBY’S STRATEGIC PLAN Recent reviews and editorials have highlighted the paucity of research within women’s rugby and the challenges with conducting research in women’s sport. In November 2017, World Rugby (WR) launched a strategic plan that included growing participation in women’s Rugby Union (‘rugby’) across the globe. The broader strategy was initially based on five pillars. The updated plan now includes a pillar dedicated to women’s player welfare to support research on women’s rugby in areas of concussion, women’s health, mental wellbeing and the use of wearable technology. Furthermore, WR sought to improve injury surveillance in the women’s game and provide bespoke video analyses. The player welfare pillar also ensures the women’s game is represented during the law review process and examines whether genderspecific laws are required to improve safety in the women’s game. Lastly, this pillar prioritises medical and technical interventions specific to women. The six pillars are highly reliant on each other (figure 1). For example, player injury risk may relate to the player’s progression through the development pathway and the extent of their game experience, and player mental health may be linked to available support.