Rugby Science Update 18

By Lara Paul

A global survey exploring tackle training knowledge, attitudes and practices of women’s rugby union coaches

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.

Dane, K., West, S. W., Hendricks, S., Stodter, A., Yeomans, C., van Dyk, N., Griffin, S., & Wilson, F. (2024). A global survey exploring tackle training knowledge, attitudes and practices of women’s rugby union coaches. International Journal of Sports Science & Coaching, 0(0). https://doi.org/10.1177/17479541241243180

Is your system fit for purpose? Female athlete health considerations for rugby injury and illness surveillance systems

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.

Isabel S. Moore, Molly McCarthy‐Ryan, Debbie Palmer, Joanna Perkins & Evert Verhagen (2024). Is your system fit for purpose? Female athlete health considerations for rugby injury and illness surveillance systems, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/ejsc.12089

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.

Ogata, Y., Soejima, T., Hara, K., Takahata, H., Ando, Y., Yamashita, A., Yamada, M., Murakami, H., & Maeda, A. (2024). Effects of tackle height and shoulder preference on head and trunk acceleration in rugby. International Journal of Sports Science & Coaching, 0(0). https://doi.org/10.1177/17479541241252967

Rugby Science Update 17

By Lara Paul

Differences in injury and concussion rates in a cohort of Canadian female and male youth Rugby Union: a step towards targeted prevention strategies

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.

Shill IJ, West SW, Sick S, et al. Differences in injury and concussion rates in a cohort of Canadian female and male youth Rugby Union: a step towards targeted prevention strategies. British Journal of Sports Medicine 2024;58:34-41.

Coaching player decision making in rugby union: exploring coaches espoused theories and theories in use as an indicator of effective coaching practice

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.

Michael Ashford, Ed Cope, Andrew Abraham & Jamie Poolton (07 Dec 2022): Coaching player decision making in rugby union: exploring coaches espoused theories and theories in use as an indicator of effective coaching practice, Physical Education and Sport Pedagogy, DOI: 10.1080/17408989.2022.2153822

A comparison of the match action characteristics of scholarship, academy, and senior rugby league: influence on career progression

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.

James Bletsoe, Sarah Whitehead, Jamie Poolton, Thomas Sawzcuk & Kevin Till (2024) A comparison of the match action characteristics of scholarship, academy, and senior rugby league: influence on career progression, International Journal of Performance Analysis in Sport, 24:1, 31-43, DOI: 10.1080/24748668.2023.2262837

Rugby Science Update 16

By Lara Paul

Stakeholder perceptions of a tackle law variation to reduce concussion incidence in community rugby union: A qualitative study

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.

van Tonder, R., Brown, J. C., Surmon, S., Viviers, P., Kraak, W., Stokes, K. A., Hendricks, S., Derman, W., & Badenhorst, M. (2024). Stakeholder perceptions of a tackle law variation to reduce concussion incidence in community rugby union:  A qualitative study. International Journal of Sports Science & Coaching, 0(0). https://doi.org/10.1177/17479541241227329

The speed and acceleration of the ball carrier and tackler into contact during front-on tackles in rugby league

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.

James Parmley, Ben Jones, Sarah Whitehead, Gordon Rennie, Sharief Hendricks, Rich Johnston, Neil Collins, Thomas Bennett & Dan Weaving (2023) The speed and acceleration of the ball carrier and tackler into contact during front-on tackles in rugby league, Journal of Sports Sciences, 41:15, 1450-1458, DOI: 10.1080/02640414.2023.2273657

Innovation in sport medicine and science: a global social network analysis of stakeholder collaboration in rugby union

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.

Erskine NR, Hendricks S, Jones B, et al. Innovation in sport medicine and science: a global social network analysis of stakeholder collaboration in rugby union. BMJ Open Sport & Exercise Medicine 2024;10:e001559. doi:10.1136/bmjsem-2023-001559