As England’s Red Roses continue to celebrate their victory in the Women’s Rugby World Cup a leading sports lawyer said the competition will hopefully shine a light on the specific risks of females playing the sport.

Imogen Mitchell-Webb, (pic)  partner and head of sport at law firm HF told Emerging Risks that the competition itself had been a success in terms of how risks were managed.

“The first thing we have to recognise is there was no disruption of the games caused by external risks and there were no serious injuries,” she explained. “The biggest issue in both male and female remains concussion, but again they are differences as to the primary causes.

“In the male game it remains head to head contact between players, however in the women’s game it is the head striking the ground and the whiplash effect.”

The women’s world cup saw a trial of a new smart gum shield designed to further the ability to identify if a player has suffered a significant bow to the head.

“Smart gum shields have been in use for some time and they measure the impact of a strike to the head,” Mitchell-Webb explained. “Currently the smart gumshields will alert a doctor pitch side via Bluetooth that a significant impact has been recorded and the doctor will then attend to the player in the next break in play.

“The new gumshields will immediately flash red if a blow of a certrain force or above is recorded so the officials and players are immediately aware of the situation and play can be stopped. It is likely these will be rolled out in future.”

She added world rugby is leading the way in the protocols which look to ensure that concussions are identified and treated quickly, and new coaching and training systems designed specifically for women are being introduced to protect players and reduce injuries.

“There are physiological difference between men and women’s and we cannot look to implement the training systems used in the male game,” Mitchell-Webb continued. “We are seeing specific training systems introduced and there is some small progress when it comes to kit, where again much is based on the male physiology .”

She added that as with the England Lionesses’ win in the recent Women’s European Football championship the Red Roses’ win is likely to see a surge in females looking to take up the sport and this is where the authorities need to focus in how they make the game safe and enjoyable.

“The international sides and professional clubs have the coaching and risk management protocols in place,” added Mitchell-Webb. “What we tend to see at grass root level is girls’ and women’s teams are likely to be attached to established men’s clubs and the coaching is done by volunteers.

“There are specific safeguarding and safety issues for girls which want to play rugby. If girls and women who are new to the sport arrive and are then injured the likelihood is that they simply will not return to the game.

“We need to ensure grass roots clubs and coaches can gain access to the right training, and advice around the risks and how best they can be managed. The Red Roses’ win has the potential to transform the women’s game not only in the UK but around  the world given the success of the tournament, but to do so the risks need to be recognised and managed.”