Background Acute injuries are common in rugby and threaten both player health and career longevity. Previous studies often focused on isolated risk factors, while limited research has comprehensively examined the interplay of physiological, environmental, and situational variables. Methods Study conducted A cohort study of 40 elite male players from the Tianjin Rugby Team was conducted, monitoring 575 match exposures across 2.5 consecutive seasons (2022–2025). Acute injuries were defined accordi