10 things we bet you didn't know about rugby injuries

Rugby is a brutal game, and there is even talk among the organisers of the World Cup that it is too brutal, and the public's baying for blood is putting our players at risk.

While they contemplate what to do, here are 10 interesting facts about rugby injuries.

• Between 5-25% of rugby injuries are head injuries, including concussions.
  
• Hookers and flankers sustain the most injuries.
  
• Approximately half of all injuries occur while a player is tackling or being tackled. On average each player performs 20- 40 tackles per match.
  
• Injuries are most likely to occur in the third quarter of a match.
  
• Illegal tackles usually result in more severe injuries than legal ones.
  
• While only 5% of scrums collapse, a collapsed scrum involves a four times higher injury risk than a non-collapsed one.
  
• 45% of rugby injuries are muscle/tendon injuries.
  
• Lower limbs are most commonly affected, accounting 56% of all injuries.
  
• Tackles and rucks are the most common cause of lower limb injuries.
  
• Only 12% of injuries are recurring, yet recurring injuries are usually more severe.