Rugby players who think wearing padded clothing makes them "bullet proof" are exposing themselves to greater risk of injury, New Zealand researchers said today.
The study - undertaken by Otago University and supported by the New Zealand Rugby Football Union, Accident Compensation Corp and Sports Science New Zealand - found body protection clothing reduced the impact of tackles by less than 5 percent.
Researchers tested a range of International Rugby Board-approved products.
The padded clothing, mainly aimed at protecting the shoulder region in tackles, is commonly worn from international level down to club and schoolboy level.
"The perception is that kids are going into games thinking that because they have padding on, they're less likely to be injured, so they go into tackles harder and more aggressively," researcher Peter Milburn said.
"The big concern is that players are tackling differently than they used to, particularly in the use of smother tackles that are designed to prevent opponents releasing the ball," he said.
Players could generate forces of up to one-third of a ton in such tackles, and padded clothing, while useful for providing protection against cuts and bruises, could not protect players from serious injuries.
Reuters