A new rugby head guard has today been announced as being approved to go under trial with World Rugby, as the manufacturers claim it is scientifically proven to provide impact protection.
The N-Pro headguard has been proven in laboratory testing to provide significant impact protection.
World Rugby is implementing a Global Law Trial for headgear over the next five years. The trial has been devised to allow approved manufacturers to gather further scientific evidence during games and demonstrates World Rugby’s continued dedication to improving player welfare.
Utilising cutting edge defentex™ technology, N-Pro is designed to reduce the G-Force energy transferred to a player’s head during impact; one of the major factors in sports-induced brain injury. N-Pro manages G-Force impact energy through its multi-layer construction.
The product has undergone extensive testing, this includes bench testing, simulated conditions-of-use tests, simulated ageing tests, fatigue tests, biomechanical tests, three-dimensional finite element computational modelling, pre-clinical studies and clinical feasibility studies by independent experts and independent test laboratories.
The pioneering biomechanics expert, Prof. Michael Gilchrist, University College Dublin, who has been leading an independent finite element study on N-Pro commented: “Computational modelling has allowed us to advance testing beyond standard ‘drop tests’ by replicating the stresses and strains that a player’s brain tissue is subjected to during a game scenario, in a more realistic way. The initial results have shown that the N-Pro Headguard will provide a clear and quantifiable level of protection against head impact if worn while playing a contact sport such as rugby.”
Mark Ganly, founder of N-Pro said: “We are delighted to be working with World Rugby on this innovative global headgear trial. N-Pro has been designed to reduce the risk of injury to rugby players by efficiently managing head impact energy. Our R&D has been built upon rigorous scientific data, this global trial allows us to observe the performance of N-Pro and gather live match data from all levels of the game.”
Martin Raftery, Chief Medical Officer at World Rugby added: “Player Welfare is World Rugby's number one priority, therefore we have developed a trial process to enable the assessment of headgear devices which, according to the manufacturers have been designed to achieve specific, quantifiable medical purposes. In order to maximise player safety, we have set the entry criteria for this trial at a very high standard to achieve specific, quantifiable medical advances, while aligning with Law 4 and Regulation 12 criteria. Independent consultants will be examining the research and development data generated by N-Pro during the trial to understand effectiveness.”
About N-Pro
N-Pro reduces impact force to the head by up to 75% compared to other rugby headguards on the market. N-Pro uses an evidence-based approach to product design.
N-Pro may look like other rugby headgear, but it performs very differently. Current headguards are designed to prevent cuts, abrasions and “cauliflower ears”; they provide only minimal impact protection.
- N-Pro has been scientifically proven to reduce the G-Force impact transferred to a player’s head
- No other headguard on the market has adopted an evidence-based approach to product design, or been tested to this extent
- All N-Pro components have been anti-bacterial treated to minimise bacteria and odours
- N-Pro has a replaceable chin strap, another first for rugby headguards
N-Pro is available to buy for €120.00 / €150.00 online at www.n-pro.com.
Medical Publications
https://bmjopensem.bmj.com/content/4/1/e000464
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/02699052.2017.1363407?journalCode=ibij20
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