Category: Player and Coach Development
Rugby Science Update 17
By Lara Paul
The aim of this study is to examine differences in injury and concussion incidence rates between male and female youth rugby players, as well as event-specific injury and concussion incidence rates. Additionally, the study aims to investigate the association between previous rugby playing experience and tackle-related injury and concussion incidence rates. Injury surveillance was conducted for male and female players over two high school rugby seasons in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, during 2018 and 2019. The study found that females had a 62% higher overall match injury incidence rate and a twofold higher overall training injury incidence rate than the males. Concussions were the most common match injury for both females (40%) and males (38%). Furthermore, females had a 70% higher match concussion injury incidence than males. The tackle event was associated with the highest number of match and training injuries for both males and females. Female players had a higher rate of tackle-related injury than males. Interesting, injuries to the tackler were higher in matches, while injuries to the ball carrier were higher in training. Moreover, this study found that player experience has no protective effect in reducing injury or concussion incidence rate in the tackle. The authors suggested establishing a timeline for introduction of the tackle in match play for youth rugby, especially for females.
This study is published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.
The aim of this study is to explore how Premiership Regional Academy rugby union coaches support the development of their players’ decision making during training sessions. Five coaches from English Premiership’s Regional Academies participated in semi-structured interviews to explore coaches’ espoused theories on decision making. Video footage and audio were recorded for three training sessions using categorized systematic observations of their coaching practice. Self-confrontation interviews were used to investigate coaches’ espoused theories and theories in use as a means of reflection and justification for their practice within 48 hours of the coaching session. Key coaching events during training were reshown to the coach, and justification of their practice was encouraged via prompts. Coaches used both incidental coaching methods and intentional coaching methods. Coaches referred to the importance of designing learning activities that represent the random nature of the competitive environment. The observational data revealed misalignments between coaches espoused theories and theories in use. For example, player huddles (46.88% of all activities) were the most frequent learning activity for all the coaches. However, this also resulted in inactivity and time off the task for players. When the researchers confronted the coaches about these findings, coaches explained that huddles created opportunities for players to consider what decisions they are making, how they made them, and why they may or may not be appropriate. The authors encourage coaches to further their knowledge and understanding of coaching methods but also be skeptical of coaching methods and reflect on what is it that they do, what they are trying to achieve and why are they doing it.
This study is published in Physical Education and Sport Pedagogy.
The purpose of this study is to determine the differences in individual player match action characteristics between scholarship, academy, and senior levels of the ESL rugby league player pathway, as well as to determine differences in individual match action characteristics between players who progressed to the professional ESL level and those who did not. All data was collected from an ESL professional club across three competitive seasons (2017–2019), totaling 95 senior, 69 academy, and 23 scholarship matches. Players were categorized into two groups (ESL or Non-ESL) based on the highest level they have attained. Forty-eight match actions showed significant differences when accounting for playing position between the different playing levels. Interestingly, over seventy percent of the match characteristic differences were defensive match actions. Furthermore, the results suggest that as the playing pathway progresses from scholarship to senior level, players are expected to perform more defensive actions. A higher rate of attacking match actions were observed in academy and scholarship players who progressed to ESL level. These results may assist stakeholders in identifying and developing rugby league players. Factors such as attacking qualities should be an important component of the evaluation process for talent identification.
This study is published in International Journal of Performance Analysis in Sport.
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.
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