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2w ago

World Rugby Rolls Out LED-Flashing Mouthguards for Women’s World Cup

Visible red flashes from the mouthguards prompt instant head injury assessments on the field, heralding a major upgrade in player welfare tools.

Rugby Union - Women's World Cup - Final - England v New Zealand - Eden Park, Auckland, New Zealand - November 12, 2022 New Zealand celebrate winning the Women's World Cup with the trophy REUTERS/David Rowland/File Photo
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Taking guard: Australia’s Faliki Pohiva (L) and Samantha Wood tackle Carys Cox (C) of Wales in a Test in Sydney on August 1. At the World Cup, the players will wear high-tech gum shields
The mouthguards light up red, left, when players surpass specific thresholds for movement

Overview

  • Players at the Women’s Rugby World Cup will wear LED-equipped smart mouthguards with full opt-in apart from two athletes who cannot due to braces.
  • The devices trigger a red flash within split seconds when head acceleration exceeds 65g for women (75g for men) or 4,500 radians/sec², prompting referees to stop play for an HIA.
  • World Rugby stresses that the mouthguards detect only the top 1% of impacts, are not standalone concussion detectors and must be used alongside clinical judgement and standard protocols.
  • All impact readings are classified as confidential medical data, with World Rugby declining to publish G-force outputs and indicating any future sharing would require player consent.
  • Following the tournament, World Rugby plans to introduce the LED-flashing mouthguards in elite men’s competitions next season, with the Rugby Championship targeted for 2026.