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@planetrugbycom

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The world's biggest rugby club. Keeping you onside with the latest rugby union news since 1999.

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Data-based #HeinekenTeamOfTheWeek… but who completes the line-up at 5, 8 and 10…? 👀

The XV is based on stats from Oval Insights, EPCR’s official data provider📊

Check out all of the #InvestecChampionsCup Round 1 highlights on our website, link in bio🔗

#Rugby

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Football vs Rugby - which is harder? @tntsportsrugby #football #rugby #premierleague #premrugby

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All Blacks brothers Beauden and Scott Barrett are reportedly in advanced talks with Bristol Bears over a move to England after the 2027 Rugby World Cup 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿👀

According to Planet Rugby, Bristol are leading the race to sign the pair, with the big spending Newcastle Red Bulls also chasing their signatures 💵

Beauden, 35, has seen limited opportunities under new All Blacks head coach Dave Rennie, while Scott, 32, recently returned to the side after recovering from a back injury 👊

No deal has been confirmed, but could we see two of the Barrett brothers heading overseas after next year’s World Cup? 👀🇳🇿

👉 Follow @mythrugby
✍️ @planetrugbycom / @nzstuff
#AllBlacks | #NZRugby| #GallagherPremiership | #rugby

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The Average Winning Margin in #MLR2026 was the highest in @usmlr history!

Victorious sides won by 17.2pts on average, surpassing the previous high of 15.6pts in 2022. Interestingly, if the undefeated @chicagohoundsrugby are excluded, the average margin drops to 14.5pts!

2026 also only saw 1 in 5 games end within 7pts, by far the lowest in MLR history and less than half as many as the league average all-time.

If you’re look for some new rugby gear, head to rugbynow.com and use the code ‘MLRSTATS’ for 15% your order for some new gear!

#MLRStats #MLR2027 #MLR #Rugby

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🏉 SHOULD CHILDREN TACKLE DEBATE?

Source : UKCOACHING

We know contact carries risk

But does removing it completely create another?

A new 2026 paper questions the ethics of exposing children to contact sport +raises the possibility of delaying tackling until 16–18 years of age

The case for reducing exposure is compelling:

🧠 Concussion is an important injury in youth rugby
🏉 The tackle is a major mechanism of injury
⚠️ Repetitive head-impact exposure is a legitimate concern

But there is no scientifically established age at which tackling suddenly becomes safe

And we don’t yet know whether delaying contact until later adolescence produces better outcomes than introducing it earlier through carefully controlled, progressive exposure

Earlier, low-dose contact may help players develop:

🏉 Tackle technique
💪 Physical capacity
🧠 Decision-making and perceptual skills
📈 Confidence and contact competency

before they become bigger, faster and stronger

But we need better evidence here too

So perhaps this isn’t simply:

CONTACT vs NO CONTACT

Perhaps the more useful question is:

What is the MINIMUM EFFECTIVE DOSE of contact?

Enough to develop a competent, confident rugby player while minimising unnecessary collision and head-impact exposure

Treat contact like a training load:

Have a purpose
Dose it
Progress it
Monitor it

The challenge is balancing two objectives:

🧠 Protect the developing player

AND

🏉 Prepare them appropriately for adult rugby

We don’t yet know exactly where that balance lies

That’s the debate rugby needs to have

👇 Where do you stand: delay tackling until later adolescence, or progressively develop contact competency from an earlier age?

Evidence note: The “minimum effective dose” is a proposed framework for discussion, not an established or validated youth-rugby protocol. Evidence on the optimal age, dose and progression of contact remains incomplete

📕 I explore tackle injury prevention, contact preparation, youth rugby injuries, and shoulder and neck injury prevention in Rugby Injury Prevention & Return to Play — available on Amazon

Save • Share • Join the debate

#rugby #rugbytackle #rugbycoach #rugbyparent #sportsphysio

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Based on the average points scored per game, #MLR2026 was the highest scoring @usmlr season to date, by far!

This year’s competition marked the first time that the average points per game rose over 60, surpassing the previous high of 57.2 back in 2018!

Interestingly, both 2018 & 2026 are the league’s smallest full seasons in terms of games played and teams but 2020, which saw 30 games played before it was cancelled, bucks this trend.

Does a ‘smaller’ season lead to more scoring?

If you’re look for some new rugby gear, head to rugbynow.com and use the code ‘MLRSTATS’ for 15% your order for some new gear!

#MLRStats #MLR2027 #MLR #Rugby

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@samwarbs takes on the football / rugby pyramid quiz!

Every match of the Gallagher PREM is live on TNT Sports and HBO Max.

@tntsportsrugby

#football #rugby #premierleague

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@dflatman ranks how good these England stars would be at rugby! 👀

Every match of the Gallagher PREM is live on TNT Sports and HBO Max

#football #rugby #englandfc

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TNT Sports host @craigdoyletv has his say on the Premier League vs Gallagher Prem 👀

Every match of the Gallagher PREM is live on TNT Sports and HBO Max.

#football #premierleague #rugby #gallagherprem

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