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To characterise physiological responses to competing in an international rugby sevens tournament played in hot/humid conditions, core temperature (T c ) and T c predictors were collected from 11 elite men's rugby sevens athletes competing in the Oceania sevens tournament in Suva, Fiji. T c , body mass change, sweat electrolytes, playing minutes, total running distance, high speed running distance (HSD), psychrometric wet bulb temperature and exertional heat illness symptoms were collected pre, during and post games. Linear mixed-models were used to assess the effect of T c predictors on post-game T c , along with differences in T c across measurement periods. Compared to baseline on both tournament days, mean T c was higher during all between game (recovery) measures (all d >1.30, p <0.01). On both tournament days, eight athletes reached a post-game T c >39.0°C, with several athletes reaching >39.0°C during warm-ups. Mean post-game T c was related to playing minutes, total running distance, HSD, and post warm-up T c (all p < 0.01). The T c during warm-ups and games regularly exceeded those demonstrated to be detrimental to repeated sprint performance (> 39°C). Warm-up T c represents the easiest predictor of post-game T c to control via time/intensity modulation and the use of appropriate pre-and per-cooling strategies. Practitioners should be prepared to modulate warm-ups and other heat preparation strategies based on likely environmental conditions during hot/humid tournaments.

Regular activity breaks increase energy expenditure; however, this may promote compensatory eating behaviour. The present study compared the effects of regular activity breaks and prolonged sitting on appetite. In a randomised, cross-over trial, 36 healthy adults (BMI (Body Mass Index) 23.9 kg/m2 (S.D. = 3.9)) completed four, two-day interventions: two with prolonged sitting (SIT), and two with sitting and 2 min of walking every 30 min (RAB). Standardized meals were provided throughout the intervention, with an ad libitum meal at the end of Day 2. Appetite and satiety were assessed throughout both days of each intervention using five visual analogue scales. The five responses were combined into a single appetite response at each time point. The area under the appetite response curve (AUC) was calculated for each day. Intervention effects for appetite response AUC and ad libitum meal intake were tested using linear mixed models. Appetite AUC did not differ between interventions (standardised effect of RAB compared to SIT: Day 1: 0.11; 95% CI: −0.28, 0.06; p = 0.212; Day 2: 0.04; 95% CI: −0.15, 0.24; p = 0.648). There was no significant difference in energy consumed at the ad libitum lunch meal on Day 2 between RAB and SIT. Interrupting prolonged sitting with regular activity breaks does not acutely influence appetite or volume of food consumed, despite inferred increases in energy expenditure. Longer-term investigation into the effects of regular activity breaks on energy balance is warranted.

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