Category: Match Statistics
Rugby Science Update 19
By Lara Paul
Assessing the feasibility of a neck‐strength training intervention in university women’s rugby
The purpose of this study was to pilot a neck strengthening intervention with a university women’s rugby team. Furthermore, the study aimed to understand participant’s perceptions of the training intervention. Fourteen British University rugby union players participated in the study. A fixed‐frame dynamometer was used to assess the multi‐directional isometric neck strength in the participants. They then followed a neck-strengthening program after baseline testing. After completing the programme, they underwent end‐of‐season testing again. The neck strengthening exercises were incorporated into bi‐weekly strength and conditioning sessions and were performed at the end of the session as a team. Following the intervention, semi-structured interviews were conducted to understand the players’ experiences of the testing sessions and intervention and to provide a space for feedback on the intervention. Ten players and two coaches participated in these interviews. Neck strengthening values increased by 9.2%–26.7%, depending on direction. Both players and coaches preferred completing the neck strengthening exercises at the start to the session and in a group. Improvement in educating players and coaches about neck strengthening exercises in needed. The study found that players reported a lack of awareness of neck strength training, and coaches believed that it can only assist in scrum performance. This was a pilot study and further research is required to draw conclusive results.
This study is published in the European Journal of Sport Science – Open Access.
Injury in Starting and Replacement Players from Five Professional Men’s Rugby Unions
The aims of this study were two-fold, 1) to determine if there was an association between the number of replacements and replacement minutes used by one team in a match and the number of injuries to the opposing team, and 2) to determine whether the incidence, severity, and mean of injuries were different between starting and replacement players in professional men’s rugby. Injury and exposure data were collected from men’s professional rugby teams in England, New Zealand, Australia, and South Africa for three seasons. Any replacement player with an exposure of 1 minute or longer was included as a replacement in the analysis. The study found that the use of replacements by one team did not impact the injuries sustained by the opposing team. Overall, injury incidence was similar in starting and replacement players. However, starting players had a higher injury incidence rate than replacement players in the third and fourth match quarters. This finding was attributable to the high injury rates in the starting forwards. Fatigue may be contributing to these injuries. The injury severity and burden were greater in replacements compared with starters. This study allows governing bodies to make evidence-based decisions regarding replacements and does not support any law changes about replacement in the game based on injury risk.
This study is published in Sports Medicine.
Changing gears: data-driven velocity zones to support monitoring and research in men’s rugby league
The aim of this study is twofold: 1) to apply a data-mining approach to league-wide data to identify absolute velocity zone thresholds for male rugby league players, and (2) to apply the respective velocity zones to league-wide data to examine the locomotor demands of individual playing positions within elite match-play. All match data were collected from NRL elite male rugby league players across one season. All players wore microtechnology devices. Following data collection, 10 Hz microtechnology data and match-play time-coded event statistics were analysed. After applying spectral clustering to the league-wide microtechnology dataset, the authors determined four absolute velocity zones ranging from <13.99 km·h−1 to >24.50 km·h−1. The four zones include low: 0–13.99 km·h−1; moderate: 14.00–20.99 km·h−1; high: 21.00– 24.49 km·h−1 and very-high: >24.50 km·h−1. Furthermore, they identified a high speed threshold of >21.00 km·h−1 which is 3.00 km·h−1 higher than the commonly used threshold of >18.00 km·h−1. These results will assist in preparing players for the demands of the game.
This study is published in Science and Medicine in Football.
Rugby Science Update 15
The aim of this study is to understand the experiences of elite rugby league players regarding collisions in both training and match play. Eighteen European Super League players participated in this study, and data were collected through online focus groups. The interviews followed a semi structured format and covered various topics, including 1) offensive and defensive collisions, 2) collision monitoring, 3) defensive strategies and 4) the psychology behind collisions. After the interviews, a thematic analysis was used to identify, analysis and report the emerging themes. The focus groups revealed five themes: 1) The three-man tackle – the perceived optimal defensive strategy, 2) Not all collisions are the same; match play events change the collision intensity, 3) Bracing and blindsiding – two factors that influence experiences of collision and concussion, 4) Coaching philosophies and orientations, and 5) Psychological readiness for collisions. Furthermore, the authors recommend that future studies adopt a mixed methods approach to bridge the gap between theory and practice.
This study is published in Journal of Sport Science.
Match injuries in English schoolboy rugby union
The purpose of this study is to describe and compare the incidence, severity, and burden of match injuries among U13, U15, and U18 schoolboy rugby union players in England. The study spanned three rugby seasons (2017/18 to 2019/20) and involved data collection from 35 schools. Injury incidence, injury severity and injury burden were calculated and reported. The U18 age group had a significantly higher injury incidence (34.6 per1000 hours, 95% CI 31.5 to 38.1) compared to both the U13 (20.7 per 1000 hours, 95% CI 14.1 to 30.3, p=0.03) and U15 (24.6 per 1000 hours, 95% CI 20.6 to 29.5, p<0.01) age groups. While there was no significant difference between age groups for injury severity, the U18 age group had a higher injury burden (941 days/1000 hours, 95% CI 856 to 1035) than the U13 (477 days per 1000 hours, 95% CI 325 to 701, p<0.01) and U15 (602 days per 1000 hours, 95% CI 503 to 721, p<0.01) age groups. Across all age groups, the head was the most common injury site, and tackling accounted for 52% of all injuries for U13 boys, 48% for U15 boys and 62% U18 boys. Notably, the concussion was the most common injury type across all age groups. Interestingly, injury incidence, increased with age, possibly attributed to the greater forces generated in contact events due to increased mass, strength, and speed as players age. The authors emphasize the importance of teaching proper technique across all ages.
This study is published in BMJ Open Sport & Exercise Medicine.
This study aimed to achieve three primary objectives: 1) determine the prevalence of Stress Urinary Incontinence (SUI) and rugby-related urine leakage in female rugby players, 2) identify risk factors for SUI in female rugby players and 3) understand the impact of SUI on rugby participation. The survey, containing questioning on urinary continence and rugby related SUI, was distributed on social media October 2022 to February 2023, with a total of 396 female participants. Results showed that 43% of players reported rugby related SUI. General risk factors for rugby related SUI included a higher BMI, constipation, and childbirth. Rugby-specific risk factors involved playing a forward position and participating at amateur level. Tackling, running, and jumping/landing were identified as the events most likely to cause rugby related SUIs. Interestingly, 68% of players who experienced rugby related SUI continued to play with no modifications. The study concludes by emphasizing the need to prioritize the prevention and management of SUI within female rugby, with a specific focus on prevention strategies for forwards and amateur-level rugby players, such as sport-specific conditioning.
This study is published in the BMJ Open Sport & Exercise Medicine.
Rugby Science Update 14
A Coaching Session Framework to Facilitate Long-Term Athletic Development
The purpose of this article is to describe an evidence-based coaching session framework that can be applied in various coaching sessions. This framework is aimed to guide and optimise long-term athlete development across different youth ages, multiple sports, various development stages and considers the integration of both physical development and technical, tactical, and psychosocial development. Finally, it addresses how coaches can apply the framework. The coaching framework is based on RAMPAGE – Raise, Activate, Mobilize, Prepare, Activity, Games, Evaluate. Raise involves increasing the body temperature to prevent injuries and improve the athlete’s motor performance. This phase aims to enhance the locomotor skills and should include movement in all directions. Activate and Mobilize refers to the framework’s section involving dynamic movement. Dynamic movements facilitate physical preparation, reduce injury risks, and incorporate stability and mobility skills. The Prepare stage involves high-intensity movements (such as sprinting, jumping, or throwing) with maximal effort. This phase prepares athletes for high intensity movements in the session or, from a developmental perspective, harnesses specific physical capabilities. The Activity stage focuses on the coaching session’s main content. Games facilitate the development of technical, tactical, physical, and psychosocial aspects through activities such as small-sided games, adding in an element of fun to the coaching session. The Evaluate stage involves the cool-down process, providing an opportunity for ‘add-ons’ and flexibility. This phase encourages reflection on the coaching session, with the use of the rating of perceived challenge scale to monitor the technical and tactical aspects of their training. Additionally, the authors recommend focusing on communication, control, confidence, concentration, resilience, presence, self-awareness, and commitment for personal and psychosocial development.
This study is published in Strength and Conditioning Journal.
The aim of this study is to describe and analyse the locomotor movements of the players in the National Rugby League Women’s (NRLW) competition in Australia and New Zealand. A total of 117 players participated this study. All match (n = 12) and demographic data were collected from the NRLW website. The locomotor data were collected from the NRLW using Catapult OptimEyes S5 receivers. The data were collected from the 2018 and 2019 NRLW Holden Premiership seasons. Mean speed (m min−1), mean high-speed (>12 km h−1; m min−1), mean acceleration (m s−2) and points scored were the match variables used for analysis. The results showed that greater high speed running and lower mean acceleration was associated with more points scored, indicating that less accelerating and decelerating or faster speed of play was associated with more points being scored. Furthermore, other findings indicated that the difference in mean high-speed running between teams was associated with a higher points differential. For example, if a team completed 10% more high-speed running than their opposition, they were likely to score an average of 3.2 points more during a given match-half. In summary, this study suggests that high speed running should be considered a crucial characteristic in elite female rugby league conditioning programmes. Moreover, enhancing players’ high-speed running capacity may contribute to improved performance.
This study is published in Journal of Sports Sciences.
The purpose of this study is to describe the clinical presentation of players with a concussion during the Head Injury Assessment (HIA) 1, 2 and 3 process and to identify whether any sub-tests are associated with longer RTP time after a concussion. A total of 380 cases of match concussion from 3 seasons (2018–2021) of English club rugby were analysed. Players were identified with a possible concussion using either Criteria 1 signs during a match or during the 3-stage HIA process. Following the identification of a concussion, SCAT5 was used to diagnose the concussion and players then entered the 6-stage Gradual Return to Play protocol. Players were classified based on their time loss, with shorter RTP cased defined as RTP within 7 days of diagnosis and longer RTP cases as RTP in 8 or more days after diagnosis. Th study revealed that players who had been diagnosed with a concussion 12 months prior to their current concussion were 2.6 times more likely to be in the longer RTP cases. The severity of acute and sub-acute symptoms was identified as a predictor of slower RTP cases. Moreover, the study found that 31% of players with abnormal results in HIA3 (48 hours post diagnosis) were in the shorter RTP category, whereas the majority of players with symptom worsening during HIA3 were in the longer RTP cases. Interestingly, no cognitive or balance sub-test abnormalities or impairments are associated with longer return to play time. As a recommendation, authors suggest implementing a more conservative concussion management approach in sports.
This study is published in the Journal Sport and Health Sciences.
Rugby Science 