Category: Player and Coach Development
Rugby Science Update 18
By Lara Paul
The aim of this study is to describe the knowledge, attitudes, and perceived tackle training practices of women’s rugby coaches in relation to tackle safety and performance using the Health Action Process Approach model. The study employed a pragmatic approach, integrating both quantitative and qualitative data. 357 coaches currently coaching senior women’s rugby filled out a survey consisting of 34 questions about tackle safety and performance. Coaches agreed that the risk and burden of tackle injuries are high. Unfortunately, some coaches acknowledged the lack of access to strength and conditioning and/or medical provisions. Coaches acquired their knowledge from informal and unstructured learning resources. 76% of coaches had never completed a tackle specific training course, and only 39% were aware of these courses. 76% of coaches felt confident about coaching tackler technique. Coaches expressed openness to implementing evidence-based and female-specific tackle training programmes. Some coaches mentioned the use of female specific technical, physical, psychological, and tactical adaptations during training. Barriers to effective tackle training included player training considerations, sociocultural factors, the training environment, and coach knowledge gaps. Coaches reported the time spent on controlled-contact and full-contact activities varied from 0 to 40+ min per week, averaging 10–20 min for both types of training. The authors suggested that these findings could inform female rugby coach education and implementation strategies to enhance the real-world effectiveness of tackle safety programmes in the context of women’s rugby.
This study is published in the International Journal of Sport Science and Coaching.
The aim of this review is to discusses female‐specific health considerations in injury and illness surveillance and to provide rugby specific recommendations for future surveillance. There were few studies reporting injury rates in women’s rugby. Prevention initiatives have focused on addressing injury risks identified from studies in the men’s game, rather than women’s games. Very few studies have focused and included illness reporting in their studies. The review highlights that even when a female athlete is considered ‘healthy’, there are female athlete health domains that may influence sports participation and or health outcomes. These health domains include pelvic floor health and stress urinary incontinence, breast health and breast injuries, female health domains and concussion and postpartum domain and associated health problems. A range of female specific considerations such as years of exposure, bra size, pelvic health, the menstrual cycle and pregnancy and postpartum conditions will ensure that injury and illness surveillance systems within women’s rugby fit for purpose and not simply a duplicate of systems used in men’s rugby. This approach may improve risk identification and better inform injury and illness prevention strategies.
This study is published in European Journal of Sport Science – Open Access.
Effects of tackle height and shoulder preference on head and trunk acceleration in rugby
The aim of this study was twofold; 1) to investigate the effects of tackle height and shoulder preference on head and trunk acceleration, and 2) to investigate the relationship between head and trunk acceleration during tackles. Thirty-nine senior and college rugby players participated in the study. Participants tackled an 80 kg tackle bag wearing nine-axial wireless accelerometers to measure head and trunk acceleration. They tackled on both their left and right sides at three different heights: high, middle, and low. Peak head acceleration was higher than peak trunk accelerations during the tackle. Additionally, peak trunk accelerations were delayed compared to peak head accelerations. High tackles exhibited higher peak head and trunk accelerations compared to the low tackles. Peak head acceleration was significantly lower during dominant shoulder tackles, while it was significantly higher during dominant shoulder tackles. The authors suggest that coaching strategies and policies should aim to reduce tackle height and improve tackle technique, specifically on the non-dominant shoulder, to help reduce head acceleration forces.
This study is published in International Journal of Sport Science and Coaching.
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.
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