BBC Focus Magazine

[Shadowwolf]

A new study suggests that head impacts experienced during contact sports such as football and hockey may worsen some college athletes' ability to acquire new information. The research is published in the May 16, 2012, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

The study involved college athletes at three Division I schools and compared 214 athletes in contact sports to 45 athletes in non-contact sports such as track, crew and Nordic skiing at the beginning and at the end of their seasons. The contact sport athletes wore special helmets that recorded the acceleration speed and other data at the time of any head impact.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/05/120516173721.htm

And there was me thinking they were in sports because they weren't so hot at the other thing they do in college

Sorry, couldn't resist.

[King Random]

what about rugby?

[Shadowwolf]

Well it is a contact sport and one of the more significant ones so I'd imagine it's the same as any other.