Original research
The physical demands of Super 14 rugby union

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Abstract

Objectives The purpose of the present study was to describe the match-play demands of professional rugby union players competing in Super 14 matches during the 2008 and 2009 seasons. Design The movements of 20 players from Super 14 rugby union team during the 2008 and 2009 seasons were video recorded. Methods Using time-motion analysis (TMA), five players from four positional groups (front-row forwards, back-row forwards, inside backs and outside backs) were assessed. Results Players covered between 4218 m and 6389 m during the games. The maximum distances covered in a game by the four groups were: front row forwards (5139 m), back row forwards, (5422 m), inside backs (6389 m) and outside backs (5489 m). The back row forwards spent the greatest amount of time in high-intensity exercise (1190 s), followed by the front row forwards (1015 s), the inside backs (876 s) and the outside backs (570 s). Average distances covered in individual sprint efforts were: front row forwards (16 m), back row forwards (14 m), inside backs (17 m) and outside backs (18 m). Work to rest ratios of 1:4, 1:4, 1:5, and 1:6 were found for the front row and back row forwards, and inside and outside backs respectively. Conclusion The Super 14 competition during 2008 and 2009, have resulted in an increase in total high-intensity activities, sprint frequency, and work to rest ratios across all playing positions. For players and teams to remain competitive in Super 14 rugby, training (including recovery practices) should reflect these current demands.

Introduction

Since turning professional in 1995, rugby union has experienced a number of law changes in order for the game to remain attractive to spectators and be competitive with other football codes.1 Indeed, evidence2, 3 suggests that the game has become faster and more physically demanding as a result.

While studying under-19 rugby union players (who played 70 min games), Deutsch et al.4 found that props and locks covered 4400 m during a match, while the average distances for the back row forwards, inside backs and outside backs were 4080 m, 5530 m, and 5750 m respectively. The authors found that players spent 85% of their time in low-intensity activities and 15% in high-intensity activities. In a subsequent investigation of the match demands on 16 forwards and 12 backs in ten Super 12 rugby games during the 2001 season, Duthie et al.5 found forwards to have higher work to rest ratios than backs (1:6 vs. 1:20) and while both front-row and back-row forwards had the same work to rest ratio, the inside backs averaged 1:15 while the outside backs averaged 1:24. Duthie et al.6 also found that Super 12 rugby players performed most of their sprints over distances between 10 m and 20 m; forwards sprinted on average 15 m on 13 occasions, and backs 20 m on 24 occasions.

In a more recent study with players in the English Premiership competition, Roberts and colleagues6 found average distances covered by the tight forwards to be 5408 m, the loose forwards 5812 m, the inside backs 6055 m and the outside backs 6190 m. These distances are markedly higher than those reported by Deutsch et al.4 in the under-19 competition, and this is likely to be due, at least in part, to differences in the duration of the games (i.e., 70 vs. 80 min). Eaton and George8 also studied the demands of players in the English Premiership competition and found work to rest ratios of 1:8 for the forwards and 1:13 for backs. They also found the average sprinting distances for forwards ranged from 6 m to 9 m, while for backs the range was between 13 m and 15 m. Roberts et al.7 found that backs sprinted an average of 23 times during a match, while the forwards sprinted on 16 occasions.

Differences in the findings reported by Duthie et al.,5 Eaton and George8 and Roberts et al.7 may be due to differences in the styles of play between the competitions studied and also differences in the interpretation of the laws by the Northern and Southern Hemisphere referees. There were also differences in methodology with regard to analysing player movements; Eaton and George8 and Roberts et al.7 used computer analysis to match locomotor activities with speed settings based on m s−1, while Duthie et al.5 used video analysis and measures of locomotion based on assessor interpretation. Nonetheless an increase in the demands on players would be consistent with how, at least anecdotally, observers believe the game has evolved over the past decade.8

While research has established that rugby union is a game characterized by periods of high and low-intensity intermittent activities, research is yet to examine the physiological demands on players in the Super 14 competition. The purpose of the present study was therefore to examine the match-play demands (e.g. the frequency, duration, and distance of locomotor and discrete activities) in Super 14 rugby union.

Section snippets

Methods

The movements of 20 players from Queensland's rugby union team during the 2008 and 2009 seasons were video recorded; seven Super 14 games played at Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane, Australia were assessed. Players were clustered into each of the four positional groups used by Duthie et al.5; these were front row forwards (age 23 ± 2 years, height 183 ± 2 cm and weight 114 ± 4 kg), back row forwards (age 26 ± 3 years, height 183 ± 4 cm and weight 103 ± 9 kg), inside backs (age 22 ± 1 years, height 179 ± 6 cm and weight 87 ±

Results

The mean (±SD) total distances covered each game by the front row forwards, the back row forwards, the inside backs and the outside backs were 4662 ± 659 m, 5262 ± 131 m, 6095 ± 213 m, and 4774 ± 1017 m respectively (Table 2). The front row forwards and outside backs covered significantly less distance than the inside backs (P < 0.05 and P < 0.05 respectively). The maximum distances covered in a game by the four groups were: front row forwards (5139 m), back row forwards, (5422 m), inside backs (6389 m) and

Discussion

The aim of the present study was to examine the match-play demands of Super 14 rugby union players competing in matches played in 2008 and 2009. The present data suggest that the current match-play demands have resulted in players spending more time in high-intensity running activities; sprint frequency, and work to rest ratios increasing across all playing positions to previous studies.6, 7, 8

The maximum distances covered in the present study ranged from 5139 m to 6389 m. These are less than the

Practical implications

  • The training regimes of strength and conditioning coaches need to meet the adjusted work to rest ratios of specific positional play.

  • Need to reflect the increased speed at which the game is now played.

  • The increased demands on players at the elite level mean greater physiological fatigue; recovery practices are therefore particularly important.

Acknowledgements

There has been no financial assistance with the project.

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