Concussion claims cause headache for female rugby players – Horwich Farrelly

Female rugby players typically have a longer recovery time from concussion compared to male players, resulting in higher insurance claim payouts and significantly increased time loss costs, according to Imogen Mitchell-Webb, associate partner and head of sports at law firm Horwich Farrelly.

Speaking exclusively to Insurance Times, Mitchell-Webb noted that while male rugby players are more likely to suffer a concussion – defined as a head injury that happens when the brain moves or twists inside the skull – from impact with another player, “the data for women indicates that they usually suffer it with a whiplash type injury”.

Whiplash refers to a neck injury that is typically caused by a forceful, rapid back and forth movement of the neck.

Mitchell-Webb explained: “[Female players] might have a blow to another part of the body which moves the neck or the head in a particular way, or they might suffer [concussion] from hitting the floor.”

An annual injury review conducted by rugby union governing body World Rugby and published in April 2025 reported that the number of concussions suffered in elite male rugby during the 2023/24 season was in line with previous years at 13 per 1,000 playing hours.

In elite ­women’s rugby over the same period, this ­figure was 11 concussions per 1,000 playing hours, which is an increase on prior years.

On average, each concussed player was out of the game for around three weeks.

The challenge with this type of injury from an insurance perspective, according to feedback from the structured return to play process undertaken by rugby teams, is that “it takes women longer to get to the point where they can be medically signed off to train or play again”, Mitchell-Webb confirmed.

She added: “[Knowing this] can hopefully feed into the rules of the game, the kits and the regulation to try and protect women because they are suffering these injuries in slightly different ways than men.”

Different paygrades

Although insurers might be prepared to pay out more for female rugby players’ concussion claims, whether these women can afford the necessary cover is another issue entirely.

The fact that rugby is a contact sport remains true for both the men’s and women’s game, with similar injury risks such as anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tears. However, there is a substantial difference in terms of players’ salaries.

Mitchell-Webb told Insurance Times that in the UK, women’s rugby has a salary cap for an entire squad of about 45 to 50 people. This is currently set at £220,000, which is roughly £4,000 or £5,000 per person if the amount is split equally.

Mitchell-Webb added that female rugby players often supplement this income through broadcasting deals, sponsorships or second jobs.

Meanwhile, the annual salary for an individual male rugby player at club or international level is typically around £100,000 to £150,000, she confirmed.

As a result of this pay difference, “claims from male professional rugby players will be much more valuable and on the radar of insurers than women’s claims”, Mitchell-Webb noted. She continued that this wage gap also makes it more challenging for women to obtain cover for non-negligent risks, such as accidents or spontaneous injuries – although many insurance policies will exclude these types of injuries, regardless of gender.

To fill this cover gap, professional athletes could look to secure personal accident policies that can protect against career ending injuries or death. These are often placed via Lloyd’s syndicates.

However, female rugby players’ salaries struggle to pay for this additional cover.

Mitchell-Webb said: “Millionaire footballers and rugby players in the male sports world are much more able to afford those [policies] than women.

“Women rugby players are semi-professional – they’re going to earn very little for playing rugby. Their ability to afford these premiums to protect themselves and their own future earnings is very different to men’s ability to do that.”

Mitigating measures

Mitchell-Webb noted that there have been sector-wide steps taken to mitigate the risk of prolonged concussion injuries, however. She cited past rule changes around scrums and tackle heights which require players to bend more, subsequently reducing the risk of head-to-head impact that commonly causes concussions.

For example, Scottish Rugby’s community level pilot in the 2023/24 season found that lowering the tackle height led to a 45% reduction in head-to-head contact, therefore helping to prevent concussions.

Although injury reduction focused regulations are gaining traction in the rugby world, Mitchell-Webb observed, whether sporting bodies will start to introduce different rules for women and men remains to be seen.

She continued: “With more data and more information about the risks, [sporting governing bodies] could change tackling rules in the men’s game versus the women’s game if they wish.”