Time – motion analysis of professional rugby union players during match-play

Abstract

The aim of this study was to quantify the movement patterns of various playing positions during professional rugby union match-play, such that the relative importance of aerobic and anaerobic energy pathways to performance could be estimated. Video analysis was conducted of individual players (n=29) from the Otago Highlanders during six "Super 12" representative fixtures. Each movement was coded as one of six speeds of locomotion (standing still, walking, jogging, cruising, sprinting, and utility), three states of non-running intensive exertion (rucking/mauling, tackling, and scrummaging), and three discrete activities (kicking, jumping, passing). The results indicated significant demands on all energy systems in all playing positions, yet implied a greater reliance on anaerobic glycolytic metabolism in forwards, due primarily to their regular involvement in non-running intense activities such as rucking, mauling, scrummaging, and tackling. Positional group comparisons indicated that while the greatest differences existed between forwards and backs, each positional group had its own unique demands. Front row forwards were mostly involved in activities involving gaining/retaining possession, back row forwards tended to play more of a pseudo back-line role, performing less rucking/mauling than front row forwards, yet being more involved in aspects of broken play such as sprinting and tackling. While outside backs tended to specialize in the running aspects of play, inside backs tended to show greater involvement in confrontational aspects of play such as rucking/mauling and tackling. These results suggest that rugby training and fitness testing should be tailored specifically to positional groups rather than simply differentiating between forwards and backs.

Physical Demands of Representative Match-Play in Adolescent Rugby Union

“…Rugby union is an intermittent contact sport including high-intensity movements (e.g., sprinting, jumping and tackling), combined with low-intensity actions (e.g., walking and jogging) (10,38). The locomotive demands of senior professional players have recently been quantified using global positioning systems (GPS) technology (4,5,30).…”

Movement and impact characteristics of South African professional rugby union players

“…[1] Forwards are generally involved in actions to contest for and retain possession of the ball and are exposed to high volumes of physical contact as a result. [1,2] Backline players are regularly involved in the execution of tactical movements to gain field position or score and are able to run more freely with less contact involvements. [1,2] To ensure the conditioning and recovery programmes of the players are appropriate, it is essential to have a good understanding of the physical demands placed on players in these different positions.…”

“…[1,2] Backline players are regularly involved in the execution of tactical movements to gain field position or score and are able to run more freely with less contact involvements. [1,2] To ensure the conditioning and recovery programmes of the players are appropriate, it is essential to have a good understanding of the physical demands placed on players in these different positions. [3] A number of researchers have endeavoured to quantify the physical demands of rugby union through video-based time-motion analysis (TMA).…”

“…[1] Playing positions are individually named and reflect distinct roles within the game, but are commonly grouped with other positions with similar attributes to create designations such as 'forwards ' and 'backs' , and 'tight-five' , 'loose forwards' , 'inside backs' and 'outside backs' . [1,2] All players are required to perform core skills such as tackling and rucking during a match, but the physical and skill demands of the playing positions are different. [1] Forwards are generally involved in actions to contest for and retain possession of the ball and are exposed to high volumes of physical contact as a result.…”

Within - and between - Session Reliability of the Spider Drill Test to Assess Change of Direction Speed in Youth Tennis Athletes

“…Agility has been identified as key to athletic success within numerous intermittent sports [1][2][3][4][5], with tennis being a prime example [6][7][8]. Within typical tennis match play, literature reports the average point length to last less than 10 seconds, with an average of 4 changes of direction per point [9,10].…”