Source: Radio New Zealand
By Gwenaёlle Chollet, journalism student
The Ruru headgear development team includes (from left) Dr George Stilwell, Emeritus Professor Keith Alexander, Professor Nick Draper, Annette Swale (PhD student), Dr Simon Blue and Dr Natalia Kabaliuk. Joe Draper (front) is wearing the prototype. Supplied/University of Canterbury
New protective headgear for junior rugby players, developed by University of Canterbury researchers, could be on sale next year, if the prototype passes World Rugby testing.
The softshell headgear, branded ‘Ruru’ after New Zealand’s native owl or morepork, is the result of 10 years of research by the health and engineering faculties, involving more than 300 players and First XV teams.
Junior players aged 8-18 make up about 80 percent of people involved in New Zealand rugby, with girls the fastest-growing group.
A recent University of Auckland and NZ Rugby study linked head injuries and repeat concussions with an increased risk of developing neurological disorders.
University of Canterbury faculty of health professor Nick Draper said researchers investigated the causes and consequences of head collisions involving rugby players.
“All of the studies we’ve done over the years on collisions and the data we’ve collected from field trials on players, particularly in the junior grades, has helped us understand what kind of headgear will make a real difference,” he said.
“As researchers and as a university, we have a responsibility to find ways to make the game safer for our children. Rugby is our national game, it’s a contact sport and the majority of our active rugby players are juniors, so the effect of concussion on kids is a significant health issue.”
Draper said the data had been integrated with cutting-edge UC engineering innovations, including advanced impact testing, machine learning-based analysis of head impacts and protective material design.
The ruru design was part of the team’s focus – “the wise owl looking after our heads, looking after our brains,” he said.
World Rugby testing would be done by an independent laboratory, likely in the United Kingdom, in early to mid-2026.
Mechanical engineering senior lecturer Dr Natalia Kabaliuk said a United States-based company was already interested in licensing the new headgear.
“It’s very exciting, so once it’s approved for use by World Rugby, we will look to launch it on the market,” she said.
The UC research project was done in collaboration with the Canterbury Rugby Football Union and Ellesmere Rugby Sub Union, with more than 300 players from Year 8 (U12/13) to First XV teams involved over the past decade.
The studies have involved MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) scanning and neurocognitive testing for players before and after the rugby season, as well as any hard knocks during games or training, which were also filmed for video analysis.
Custom 3D-printed mouthguards with sensors measured changes in speed during collisions.
Draper said rules around tackle height and stand-downs after concussions were also important, as well as how the game was coached.
“We’ve recognised through our research that up to half and in some cases over half of the tackles that players are involved in are tackles from the side or from the rear, whereas most coaching technique is around a front-on tackle. If we understand that we can change coach education,” he said.
As a rugby coach and father of three rugby-playing sons, Draper said he was conscious of the cost of protective gear for families and wanted to keep the product’s price to a minimum.
“We wish to make the headgear as affordable as possible for families and really bring that price down, so it’s affordable and comparable with ordinary headgear you can buy off the shelves now,” he said.
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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand
