- The N-Pro rugby headguard is scientifically proven to provide significant impact protection
- World Rugby have devised a new five-year Global Law Trial for headgear, designed to help reduce head injury risk
- The N-Pro is the first headguard to be approved for this trial by World Rugby and can be used in competitive games at all levels globally
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 aging 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.”
For further information, keep up to date with, or to purchase an N-Pro, please visit www.n-pro.com, follow @NProSports on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
