Relationship Between Preseason Training Load, Match Performance, and Match Activities in Professional Rugby League

Abstract

This study aimed to establish the relationship between preseason training loads, technical match performance, and physical match activities in rugby league. Twenty-two professional rugby league players (age: 24.7 6 4.0 years; height: 184.3 6 4.7 cm; and body mass: 101.1 6 9.9 kg) participated in the study. Training loads and physical match activities were monitored using global positioning systems. Total distance (m), high-speed running distance (VT 1IFT ; distance covered above estimated first ventilatory threshold [$68% of 30-15 intermittent fitness test]) and total session rating of perceived exertion from all field-based (32.5 6 8.5) and gym-based sessions (39.1 6 12.5) were used to quantify preseason loads. Physical match activities were measured as total and high-speed running distance relative to individual playing time, whereas technical match activities and performance scores were used to evaluate individual match performance. To examine the relationship between physical match activities, technical performance, and preseason load, Pearson's correlation coefficients were quantified for each in-season game before performing a Fisher Z Transformation. Preseason high-speed running distance was positively associated with high-speed match activities (r 5 0.34-0.51), whereas negatively associated with technical performance scores (r 5 20.51 to 20.35) and hit up m•min 21 of match-play (r 5 20.30 to 20.17). It seems high speed running performed in the preseason period positively influences in-season physical match activity profiles, however, are unlikely to positively impact technical match performance.

The Relationship among Acceleration, Deceleration and Changes of Direction in Repeated Small Sided Games

“…Using the software, data on the players' physical activity from successive small sided games were obtained, and then exported to a secure database for further analysis. Passive recovery periods between repeated SSGs were excluded from the analysis ( Crang et al, 2022 ).…”

Brief Review of Methods to Quantify High-Speed Running in Rugby League: Are Current Methods Appropriate?

“…The 30:15 IFT has also been prescribed to determine the speed achieved at the 1st ventilatory threshold (VT 1 ) within rugby league, with this speed calculated as 68% of the final velocity (8,57) and applied as the HSR threshold (11) (see Appendix 1, Supplemental Digital Content 1, http://links.lww.com/SCJ/A328). The findings suggest exposing players to greater HSR loads during the preseason period may contribute to maximizing high-speed activities within competitive matches (11). Furthermore, this field-based test includes a change of direction (subsequent metabolic cost) and is intermittent which better represents the demands of team sport and enhances the ecological validity.…”

“…The 30:15 IFT has also been prescribed to determine the speed achieved at the 1st ventilatory threshold (VT 1 ) within rugby league, with this speed calculated as 68% of the final velocity (8,57) and applied as the HSR threshold (11) 2).…”

The content and load of preseason field-based training in a championship-winning professional rugby league team: A case study

“…10,12 Alternatively, game-based training drills can exceed running, collision, and repeated high-intensity effort profiles performed by players in matches. 10,13 While the demands of a rugby league preseason have been reported, 1,2,5,[13][14][15] these have focused on how different measures of load best represent the different training modes, 1 or have been limited to only external 7,13 and subjective measures. 4,5,14 While differences in external and internal load associated with training have also been quantified during a rugby league preseason, 1 these studies only compared the types of training globally throughout this period.…”