Category: Technical and Tactical Skill
Rugby Science Update 20
By Lara Paul
The state of play for contact training and coaching in women’s rugby
The purpose of this study was to review the current literature on tackle training in contact rugby codes and highlight key messages for coaches and stakeholders as part of a transdisciplinary approach to improve science, safety and gender equity in women’s rugby. The review looked at female specific injury surveillance, prevention, coaches in women’s rugby and match demands. The current literature is sparse but acknowledges the gendered sociocultural and environmental conditions that have influenced women’s experiences of rugby contact and coaching. One cannot copy and paste what has been done from male literature and expect it to work for women’s rugby. Women’s rugby should be understood and coached in a context‐specific manner, considering the needs of the players, coaches and the training environment. Developing and encouraging coaches to execute safe and effective tackle technical actions has been highlighted a priority in women’s rugby. Researchers in all disciplines have been encouraged to work across all levels of women’s rugby, with coaches and athletes, to understand the whole system of women’s rugby. This allows for a holistic approach to developing women’s rugby further. This review also suggests that adapting and adopting progressive tackle skill training frameworks and gender‐responsive coaching practices can aid tackle skill learning.
This study is published in the European Journal of Sport Science – Open Access.
The aims of this study were two-fold: 1) to describe the Head Acceleration Events (HAEs) experienced by professional men’s rugby union players during contact events using statistical modelling techniques appropriate for instrumental mouthguard (iMG) data, and 2) to explore the differences between contact-event types and positional groups. This observational study was conducted during the 2023 Currie Cup and Super Rugby season. Custom Prevent Biometrics iMGs were provided to all players. Post-match data was downloaded from the iMGs to provide linear and angular kinematics. Video analysis data, provided by Opta, included ruck, ball carrier and tackle data. Accelerometer, gyroscope, and proximity sensor data were synchronized to video timestamps of contact events using Matlab. Each HAE was linked to a contact event if their timestamps occurred within 10 seconds of one another. The results from this study show that as the HAEmax magnitude increased, the probability of occurrence decreased. This results in a relatively small probability of higher HAEmax magnitudes in professional male rugby union players. Tackles and ball carries had a greater probability of HAEmax in higher magnitude ranges than rucks. However, the defensive ruck probability profile was closer to tackle and carry events than attacking rucks. The authors suggest that defensive rucks may warrant greater consideration within the injury prevention interventions. No clear differences were found between positions for any of the contact events. The occurrence of HAEmax was associated with roles players performed within contact events, not their actual playing position. These results of HAEmax occurrence can be used to guide and evaluate future HAE reduction strategies in professional rugby union players. Additionally, these results can guide practitioners in planning and player monitoring.
This study is published in Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports.
The purpose of this study to quantify changes in body composition, blood markers, energy requirements, strength, and aerobic capacity of women’s international rugby league players during the lead up to the 2022 Rugby League World Cup (RLWC). Twenty-four international women’s rugby league players participated in this study. Players were tested at three testing points: 1) December 2021, at the beginning of the 2022 Women’s Super League pre-season; 2) March 2022, at the end of the 2022 Women’s Super League pre-season; and 3) October 2022, following the completion of the 2022 Women’s Super League season and prior to the RLWC. Data collection included anthropometric measurements (height and body mass), body composition, resting metabolic rate (RMR), blood profiling, assessments of endurance capacity (VO2max) and isometric strength. This study observed increases in lean mass during the pre-season which aligned with the team’s training goals. Backs demonstrated improvements in VO2max across the three testing points. Interestingly, no significant changes were observed in fat mass, RMR, blood markers, or strength over time. Forwards has a greater body mass and body fat percentages compared to backs. The authors recommend the inclusion of iron profile monitoring in practical settings, especially during intensified training phases, as it can contribute to players’ overall health and performance. Although the iron profiles remained at similar levels across all testing points, it was below the recommended threshold.
This study is published in PLoS ONE.
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 16
By Lara Paul
The purpose of this study is to investigate stakeholders’ perceptions and beliefs regarding a lowered maximum legal tackle height law trial aimed at reducing concussion incidence in community rugby union. Six coaches, six players, and six referees participated in individual semi-structured interviews. The interviews focused on the effectiveness and value of a lowered maximum legal tackle height in improving player welfare and investigating the factors influencing the successful implementation of the law variation. After completing the interviews, a thematic analysis was conducted, and themes were derived from the data. Contextual themes identified included poor concussion knowledge, lack of education, poor tackle technique, and a culture that undermines player welfare. There were mixed views from the stakeholders on the effectiveness of the law trial; however, they did believe it could have a positive impact on player welfare. Buy-in from the coaches was a challenge, and there were difficulties surrounding the adherence to the law variation. Attitudes towards injuries, the difficulty refereeing the tackle height and resource constraints were some of the negative influences on the tackle height law variation. Spending time on coaching safe tackle techniques positively influenced players’ beliefs and attitudes towards of injury prevention. Some participants felt the law variation was still more effective than the existing law. Additionally, participants felt that that it raised awareness around concussion. Overall, the authors noted the complexity of implementing an injury prevention strategy for concussions.
This study is published in the International Journal of Sports Science and Coaching.
This aim of this study is to compare the speed and acceleration of the ball-carrier and tackler during the pre-contact phase (contact − 0.5s) of front-on tackles using video analysis and microtechnology data. Additionally, the study seeks to investigate the effect of the interaction of ball-carrier and tackler positions during Super League match play. The analysis involved examining video footage and microtechnology data from 214 front-on tackles in Super League matches. The findings indicate that the ball carrier’s speed was faster than the tackler’s speed going into contact (4.73 ± 1.12 m∙s−1 vs 2.82 ± 1.07 m∙s−1), occurring in 88% of the tackles. Moreover, it was observed that the tackler tended to decelerate going into contact while the ball carrier accelerated into contact. Furthermore, when assessing positional interactions, it was found that the ball carrier speed into the tackle was higher when the ball was carried by a back compared to a forward. The study provides valuable insights for sport practitioners and stakeholders in rugby league, offering a detail understanding of the tackle event in rugby league. Such information can aid in adequately preparing players for the demands of match-play and can be instrumental in decision-making regarding laws related to tackling.
This study is published in Journal of Sports Science.
The aim of this study is to conduct a Social Network Analysis of stakeholders involved in rugby union research. A systematic literature search was conducted on three online databases. Organisations were identified using author affiliations listed on scientific publications. All papers were included if they contributed to rugby union research. Collaboration was detected if there was a co-author on the publication. Country and sector were determined from the organisations of the authors. From there, a collaboration network was generated from co-authorship matrices and computed network metrics. This identified influential organisations and measured the extent of the collaboration between sectors. Six sectors were identified based on the author affiliations: universities, healthcare, industry, science and support, sport’s governing bodies and professional sports teams. The study found that scientific output and collaboration have increased over time from 1977 to 2022 in rugby union. This increase is likely due to the sport’s high injury risk, with stakeholders having an interest in preventing injuries and improving performance. Understandably, the greatest number of publications are produced by tier 1 rugby-playing nation, including England, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, and South Africa. Influential universities between 2016 and 2022 include the Australian Catholic University, Leeds Beckett University, Stellenbosch University, Swansea University, University College London, and the University of Cape Town. Governing bodies within rugby union are highly collaborative, and universities are key players contributing to knowledge development. The results from this study emphasize the opportunity for collaboration, as the organisations creating knowledge in rugby union have been identified.
This study is published in the BMJ Open Sport & Exercise Medicine.
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