The vision for how the sport plans to learn from and use the findings was then outlined in the group's Injury Risk Management Plan.

The extensive study includes an analysis of injuries and training practices, covering international and club matches in the 2002/03 and 2003/04 seasons. It defines an injury as something that prevented a player from taking a full part in all training activities and match play for more than 24 hours.

The study recorded over 2,000 injuries at Premiership clubs, which translated to an average of 92 injuries per team per season. 263 injuries causing 5,161 days absence were also sustained while playing and training for England international teams (England, England A, U21 and 7s).

Key Findings:

- Players had a 1 in 8 chance of sustaining an injury in a club match (12.5%), resulting in an average 18 days absence.

- Players had a 1 in 4 chance of sustaining an injury in an international match (29%), resulting in an average 14 days absence.

- 34% of England injuries (compared to 23% of club injuries) resulted in less than 72 hours absence.

- The number of match injuries sustained causing a subsequent match to be missed was 0.8 per club match and 1.1 per international match

- On average, 9 players at every club required treatment and rehabilitation each day for the injuries reported.

- 72% of match injuries occurred in contact, 51% of them in the tackle situation

The Way Forward - Injury Risk Management Plan:

The findings have enabled the RFU, PRL and PRA to work together, as England Rugby, on an Injury Risk Management Plan, to manage injury risk at the elite level of the game.

The plan, presented to England Rugby Limited in May 2005, includes policies for Hepatitis B immunisation, training in pitch-side immediate trauma care, minimum standards for medical and also prehab and rehab equipment and facilities. As a result, Premier Rugby has raised the level of the minimum standards criteria for medical equipment and training at all Premiership clubs and has provided funds to help clubs comply with the criteria.

This month the Premiership clubs and the RFU, with the support of the PRA, will jointly return to match and training injury data collection.

To help further reduce the risk of players suffering injuries and the number of days lost through injury, an application for funding has been made to the International Rugby Board, for detailed research over an 18 month period, into injuries relating to the tackle.

Roy Headey, the RFU's Head of Elite Support said: "For the first time, we are now able to plan to manage the risk of injury in elite rugby from a base of evidence. We've always known and understood that rugby union is a game in which injuries occur. It's an inevitable aspect of a collision sport. But now we know quantifiably where to focus our attention in order to reduce the time elite players spend injured."

"The audit will start again from today, in order to assess the impact of the injury risk management plan as it is rolled out."

"Our aim in this respect must be excellence as an industry, not just as a sport, so we've retained Dr Colin Fuller, an expert in industrial risk management, to work with us for this next importance stage."

Phil Winstanley, Rugby Manager for PRL added: "As a body we must define industry standards for injury prevention and management and the audit has informed that approach."

"Based on the specific findings of this report Premier Rugby has already raised the minimum standards required for medical facilities at club grounds and minimum qualifications for club medics for next season, with funding to ensure compliance being provided centrally."

"As employers we have a duty of care to our players and, working in partnership with the RFU, PRA and our clubs, we will ensure the Injury Risk Management Plan delivers the highest standards of both prevention and care".

Damian Hopley, Chief Executive of the PRA said: "Whilst there has long been anecdotal evidence to support the information gathered through this survey, this positive piece of work from all the stakeholders within the English game provides us with a platform to better manage our elite players, and ensure that the industry encourages best practice in terms of quality and quantity of medical support and injury risk management."

"It is encouraging that, after years of lobbying, the sport is now working together to ensure that player welfare is the number one priority."