Rugby is a contact sport that leads to injuries resulting primarily from the physical collisions players experience during games and practices. The epidemiology of rugby injuries has been the subject of numerous international studies. This literature review presents a synthesis of epidemiological knowledge on injuries in rugby league and rugby union, as published in scientific journals accessible through bibliographic databases. In rugby league, overall incidence rates over a season range from 114 to 825 injuries per 1,000 hours of play (all injuries) or from 27 to 68 per 1,000 hours of play (injuries preventing participation in the next match). In rugby union, the corresponding figures are: 53 and 91 (all injuries), and 16 to 74. Overall, injuries appear to occur more frequently in rugby league than in rugby union. Professional players have higher incidence rates than amateur players, but lower rates than semi-professional players. Amateurs and semi-professionals sustain more injuries in the second half of the season. During a match, injuries are more frequent in the second half among amateurs and in the first half among semi-professionals. Tackling is by far the phase of play that causes the most injuries. Muscle injuries are the most common. The vast majority of injuries are minor, ranging from 89% to 93% depending on the study. Among non-minor injuries, between 15% and 25% are classified as severe. Prevention initiatives carried out in several countries have proven effective, notably in New Zealand with the "RugbySmart" program, where the number of serious cervical injuries has been cut in half since the program’s introduction in 2000. The success of these efforts has led to the development of a similar prevention program in France. Projects by the French Rugby Federation and the National Rugby League are moving in this direction, with the implementation of longitudinal monitoring of players and the conduct of epidemiological surveys on injuries. (R.A.)