What are smart mouthguards in rugby union? Gumshield technology and head impacts explained
Updated 16/11/2025 at 11:44 GMT
One of World Rugby's newest advancements has been the use of smart mouthguards, which players wear and feed real-time data about impacts and collisions sustained during games. You may have heard some conversations about the mouthguards during the Quilter Nations Series, so TNT Sports has all you need to know about the technology, and why smart mouthguards are being implemented.
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If you have been watching the Quilter Nations Series closely, you may have noticed some slightly different mouthguards are being worn this year.
World Rugby has introduced flashing LED mouthguards that light up when a player suffers a significant head impact during a match.
If the impact is severe enough to potentially cause a concussion, then the mouthguard will flash red. This will cause the referee to stop play, and the player will go off for a head injury assessment (HIA).
In the 34th minute of South Africa's win over Italy, that exact situation happened as Gerhard Steenekamp was sent off for a HIA.
Steenekamp's mouthguard had triggered a significant impact, and the matchday doctor stepped in and said that the prop needed to go through the protocols.
South Africa's own medical staff initially attempted to opt against Steenekamp's removal, showing exactly why an independent matchday doctor is required, in order to avoid players playing on when they should not.
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But how do smart mouthguards work?
The new mouthguard, which debuted at the Women's Rugby World Cup, measures how much a player's head moves up and down and rotates upon impact. They are fitted with accelerometers and gyroscopes that measure head impacts in real time.
If an impact exceeds the pre-set threshold, the mouthguard flashes red via an LED light, transmitting data, via Bluetooth, to the medical staff. This automatically triggers a mandatory head injury assessment of the player.
The pre-set thresholds for men are; an acceleration above 75g (g-force) and 4,500 radians per second squared.
The pre-set thresholds for women are; 65g and 4,500 rad/s².
With real-time data, medical personnel are immediately alerted to dangerous impacts, and are no longer just reliant on outward symptoms.
Dr Eanna Falvey, the chief medical officer at World Rugby, said every player at the Women’s World Cup wore the new mouthguards, apart from two who had braces.
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Why are smart mouthguards so important?
World Rugby intends to use the data from the mouthguards used in the men's and women's game in order to determine how many head impacts players can sustain before they are advised not to play.
The issue of safety, and concern around impacts to the head in rugby union, has soared in recent years, influencing how the game is coached, officiated, and viewed.
Research is increasingly suggesting that the high number of impacts to the head in the game can correlate with neurodegenerative diseases.
Better understanding of head impacts and their effects is vital to the game of rugby union, and the technology comes at a critical time for the sport.
There are 784 former union players who have joined a concussion lawsuit against World Rugby, England Rugby and the Welsh Rugby Union.
Three members of England's 2003 Rugby World Cup-winning squad have joined: Steve Thompson, Mark Regan and Phil Vickery.
Whilst former Wales stars Gavin Henson, Colin Charvis and Ryan Jones have also joined the lawsuit.
In addition to smart mouthguards, World Rugby also introduced a new player load guideline to cover the elite men's and women's game.
The guidelines take a "precautionary approach" to player load, and state that players should:
- Play no more than 30 games in a single season or six consecutive match weeks
- Have a dedicated five-week off season break
- Be entitled to minimum rest periods should they be selected for international fixtures of at least one week.
- Across a year, have 12 weeks of non-contact time
- Communicate thoroughly between club & country.
Watch and stream every game of the Quilter Nations Series live on TNT Sports and discovery+
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