The reports from the 2025/26 season - covering 30 adult amateur men’s and women’s Clubs and 15 School Senior Cup teams - offer the most comprehensive overview of rugby injuries across Ireland’s grassroots game.
Overall, in the Men’s Energia AIL a single player would have to play on average 22 matches to sustain one injury, while in the Women’s Energia AIL a single player would have to play 42 matches to sustain one injury. In the School’s Game a single player would have to play, on average, 20 matches to sustain one injury.
Key Insights Across Clubs and Schools from the 2025/26 season
Club Game (Men & Women)
Concussion and overall injury rates continue to drop since the implementation of the Tackle Behaviours Trial in 2023/24 season
Hamstring strains were the second most common injury in the Men’s AIL
Knee sprains remain one of the most common injuries in the Women’s AIL, and resulted in the greatest time-loss for Women’s players
The number of tackle-related injuries decreased compared to previous seasons
Schools Game (Senior Cup Level)
Concussion and shoulder injuries were the most common injuries overall
The shoulder was the most commonly injured body location, accounting for 25% of all injuries
Shoulder dislocations / subluxations and knee ligament sprains resulted in the greatest time-loss on average
Prof. Rod McLoughlin, IRFU Medical Director, said:
“The annual IRIS reports are a valuable component of how we develop welfare policies specific to our grassroots game. Over the last three seasons, the landmark reductions in concussion and injury rates seen during the IRFU Tackle Behaviours Trial are encouraging and show the benefit of evidence-informed strategies to improve player welfare and performance.”
McLoughlin continues: "Our relationship with UL and the IRIS Project has grown over the last decade and has been central to how we shape and support the grassroots game. This relationship has been key to our delivery of IRFU player welfare strategies.”
Professor Tom Comyns, Principal Investigator at UL, emphasised the scale and significance of the project.
Comyns adds: "Translational research such as this is imperative and this work is positively influencing player health and wellbeing.”
Professor Ian Kenny, Principal Investigator, added:
“This year the analysis was led by researchers Shane Scanlon (Schools) and Jack Hickey (Clubs). Longitudinal data from Schools and Clubs, allow us to continually monitor injury patterns from youth to adult levels."
About the IRIS Project
Launched in 2016, the Irish Rugby Injury Surveillance (IRIS) Project is a collaboration between the IRFU and University of Limerick. It collects and analyses injury data from the amateur men’s, women’s, and schools’ games to improve player safety and performance, reduce injury risk, and support evidence-based policy across Irish rugby.
Now starting its ninth season of data collection, IRIS has become a global reference point for community-level injury surveillance and prevention.
To read this year's report and all previous reports click here.