When Ffion James first stepped onto a rugby pitch aged eight, a knock to the head was just part of the game. 'I'd just get up and carry on,' she said. 'I always assumed everything would be fine.' Now 22, James is one of 30 women taking part in a first-of-its-kind study at Cardiff University that is forcing her – and the sport – to think again.
The study, led by researcher Peter Theobald, is the first project of its kind focused on female athletes. For a full season, participants wore specially-designed mouthguards to measure both the number and force of head impacts during matches. Some also had detailed MRI scans to track changes in the brain over time.
“First women-focused rugby concussion study at Cardiff University changes how players like Ffion James view head impacts and their health.”
James said the lack of research on female athletes has been a long-standing issue. 'It isn't acceptable that things like head injury assessment protocols in rugby are largely based on data from men and then slightly adapted for women,' she said. Theobald noted that some evidence suggests female brains could be more vulnerable to injury, making the study 'a really important step forward'.
Taking part changed how James thought about her health and future in the sport. 'Now, if I take a blow to the head, I stop and think about whether I need to take a step back,' she said. As a university student, she explained how the research highlighted the importance of brain health, particularly for studying and retaining information.
James added that several teammates had suffered concussions which 'affected their day-to-day lives', with one unable to return to rugby for about six months because of ongoing symptoms. Despite the heightened awareness, she said the study would not stop her playing. 'The reality is that we still don't know enough about what repeated knocks to the head mean for women in the long term,' she said.
The findings from the Cardiff study come as rugby bodies face growing scrutiny over concussion protocols, particularly for women. For James, the project has replaced childhood indifference with a question that remains unanswered: at what cost?