Additionally, one of the stars of this year’s Rugby World Cup, France fly-half Romain Ntamack, has been ruled out due to a ruptured ACL.

While this may appear to be a mini-epidemic in elite sports, experts assert there’s little evidence to indicate that these injuries are becoming more prevalent.

“The rate of these injuries hasn’t changed, but we may be witnessing more cases because more individuals are participating in collision sports,” explained Dr. Erik Hohmann, an orthopedic surgeon with experience in Australian rugby and FC Bayern Munich.

“Football is popular, and while the injury rate is significant, the total number of ACL injuries per hours played constant.”

The ACL connects the shinbone to the thigh in the knee and is crucial for activities like pivoting, jumping, and landing.