The relationship between physical characteristics and match performance in rugby sevens
Document Type
Journal Article
Publisher
Routledge
Place of Publication
Oxfordshire, UK
School
School of Medical and Health Sciences
RAS ID
20270
Abstract
Rugby sevens is a sport that requires a multitude of well-developed physical fitness qualities. Understanding the degree to which different physical characteristics relate to match performance provides practitioners with useful information for training programme design. Therefore, the aim of this study was to assess the relationship between physical characteristics and activities related to success in rugby sevens matches. Fitness test and match activity data were collected from 40 international and provincial rugby sevens players. Sprint speed over 10 m and 40 m had moderate to large (0.32 – 0.51) negative correlations (r) with line breaks, defenders beaten and tackle effectiveness. Repeated sprint ability and maximal aerobic capacity were moderately related to a measure of work rate (~0.38). Mixed-model analysis revealed a decrease of two between-player standard deviations in 10 m sprint time to be associated with an increase of 74% more line breaks per match. The results of this study suggest multiple physical characteristics are related to match performance in rugby sevens
DOI
10.1080/17461391.2015.1029983
Access Rights
subscription content
Comments
Ross, A., Gill, J., Cronin, J., & Malcata, R. (2015). The relationship between physical characteristics and match performance in rugby sevens. European Journal of Sport Science, 15(6), 565-571. Available here