Movement Demands of Rugby Sevens in Men and Women: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Ball, S, Halaki, M, and Orr, R. Movement demands of rugby sevens in men and women: A systematic review and meta-analysis. J Strength Cond Res 33(12): 3475-3490, 2019-Global positioning systems (GPS) provide comprehensive information of player movement demands in rugby 7's. Although studies have investigated the use of GPS within many field-based team sports, the application of GPS within rugby 7's remains unclear. The aim of this review was to evaluate the movement demands and conduct a meta-analysis on comparable GPS measures to assess player movement in rugby 7's. A systematic search of electronic databases Medline, SPORTDiscus, Cinahl, Web of Science, Scopus, and Embase was performed. The search strategy combined terms covering: global positioning systems AND rugby union. Studies were included if they contained rugby sevens' players monitored by GPS. Meta-analyses were conducted to provide a pooled mean and confidence intervals (CIs) on outcomes for data extracted from at least 3 studies. A total of 24 publications were eligible for review and included 661 (447 male and 214 female) rugby 7's players. Meta-analysis indicated that male players cover greater relative distance (male: 108.5 m·min, 95% CI [104.9-112.1] m·min, female: 100.3 m·min, 95% CI [96.0-104.7] m·min), distance at >12.6 km·h (male: 449.3 m, 95% CI [427.0-471.5] m, female: 339.5 m, 95% CI [291.1-387.9] m) and >18.0 km·h (male: 190.3 m, 95% CI [180.7-199.9] m, female: 129.9 m, 95% CI [99.9-159.8] m), and have a greater maximum velocity compared with female players (male: 29.8 km·h, 95% CI [29.2-30.4] km·h, female: 24.6 km·h, 95% CI [23.3-25.9] km·h), whereas relative distance is higher for the first half (109.5 m·min, 95% CI [99.1-120.0] m·min) compared with the second half (93.8 m·min, 95% CI [87.4-100.1] m·min) of match play across sexes and playing levels. Independent velocity zone classifications should apply for male and female players, whereas velocity thresholds should remain consistent across studies. Rugby 7's training intensity should vary between male and female players.

Training volume and soft tissue injury in professional and non-professional rugby union players: a systematic review.

AIM: To investigate the relationship between training volume and soft tissue injury incidence, and characterise soft tissue injury in rugby union players. DESIGN: A systematic search of electronic databases was performed. The search strategy combined terms covering: training volume and injury, and rugby union, and players of all levels. DATA SOURCES: Medline, SPORTDiscus, Web of Science, Embase, PubMed. ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA FOR SELECTING STUDIES: Studies were included if they reported: male rugby union players, a clear definition of a rugby union injury, the amount of training volume undertaken by participants, and epidemiological data for soft-tissue injuries including the number or incidence. RESULTS: 15 studies were eligible for inclusion. Overall match and training injury incidence ranged from 3.3 to 218.0 injuries/1000 player match hours and 0.1-6.1 injuries/1000 player training hours, respectively. Muscle and tendon as well as joint (non-bone) and ligament injuries were the most frequently occurring injuries. The lower limb was the most prevalent injury location. Injury incidence was higher in professional rugby union players than non-professional players. Contact events were responsible for the greatest injury incidence. For non-contact mechanisms, running was responsible for the highest injury incidence. Inconsistent injury definitions hindered reliable comparison of injury data. The lack of reporting training volumes in hours per player per week limited the ability to investigate associations between training volume and injury incidence. CONCLUSIONS: A higher level of play may result in higher match injury incidence. Muscle and tendon injuries were the most common type of soft tissue injury, while the lower limb was the most common location of injury in rugby union players, and running was responsible for the highest injury incidence during non-contact events.

Movement Demands and Injury Characteristics in Under-20-Years University Rugby Union Players.

CONTEXT: Rugby union is a field-based collision sport with high injury rates. Associations between injury characteristics and global positioning system-derived movement demands in rugby union athletes are yet to be investigated. OBJECTIVE: To investigate associations between match injuries and movement demands, anthropometrics, and physical performance in under-20-years university-level rugby union players. DESIGN: Descriptive epidemiology study. SETTING: Competition season. PATIENTS OR OTHER PARTICIPANTS: Rugby union players (n = 34, age = 19.3 ± 0.6 years) from a university club were recruited. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): Acute medical attention non-time-loss (NTL), medical-attention time-loss (TL), and total medical-attention (MA) injuries sustained were recorded. Principal component (PC) analysis was performed on player-movement demand variables to identify independent-movement demand components. Pearson correlation and bivariate linear regression were used to test associations between match injuries and PCs. Anthropometric and physical performance measures were tested as predictors of match injuries using a forward stepwise multiple regression analysis. RESULTS: Backs had lower anthropometric and performance measures than forwards (P < .05), whereas forwards performed fewer weekly movement demands than backs (P < .05). Increases in body mass and skinfold thickness were associated with more injuries (P < .05). Principal component analysis revealed 3 PCs representing overall performance, high-intensity running (HIR) performance, and impacts. Increases in HIR were associated with decreases in NTL upper limb and trunk (r = -0.32, P = .03), NTL musculoskeletal (r = -0.36, P = .05), NTL total (r = -0.46, P < .01), TL musculoskeletal (r = -0.30, P = .05), MA musculoskeletal (r = -0.41, P < .01), and MA total (r = -0.48, P < .01) injuries. Increases in impacts were associated with increased TL (r = 0.32, P = .03) and MA (r = 0.33, P = .03) head or neck injuries. CONCLUSIONS: Backs experienced greater weekly movement demands than forwards. Increases in HIR demands were associated with decreased acute injuries in university rugby players. Increases in impacts were associated with more acute head or neck injuries. Positional differences in movement demands, anthropometrics, and physical performance highlight the need for position-specific training.

Injury Patterns, Physiological Profile, and Performance in University Rugby Union.

CONTEXT: Rugby union is a physically demanding collision sport with high injury rates. There is a common perception that higher training loads result in greater injury risk in field-based sports. OBJECTIVES: To determine injury, anthropometric, and physical-performance characteristics in junior rugby union players and investigate the interaction between training load and injury across a competitive season. DESIGN: Prospective cohort study. METHODS: Fifty-one players (age 19.2 ± 0.7 y) from an under-20 university rugby union team (forwards, n = 27; backs, n = 24) participated in a study conducted over a competition season. Training load, injury characteristics, anthropometry, physiological performance, and match time-loss injury incidence were observed. RESULTS: Backs had significantly lower body mass (ES [95% CI] = 1.6 [0.9, 2.2]), skinfold thickness (ES = 1.1 [0.5, 1.7]), strength (squat ES = 0.6 [0.0, 1.2], deadlift ES = 0.6 [0.0, 1.1], bench press ES = 0.9 [0.4, 1.5]), lower-body power (ES = 0.4 [-0.2, 1.0]), and higher maximal aerobic capacity (ES = -0.3 [-0.8, 0.3]) than forwards. Match injury incidence was 107.3 injuries/1000 player hours (forwards 91.4/1000, backs 125.5/1000) during preseason and 110.7 injuries/1000 player hours (forwards 124.1/1000, backs 95.2/1000) during in-season. Forwards showed higher incidence of joint and ligament (P = .049) and upper-limb (P = .011) injuries than backs. No significant relationship between overall training load and match injury incidence was found. However, lower match injury incidence was associated with higher weekly training volume in backs (P = .007). CONCLUSIONS: Positional differences in body composition, performance, injury characteristics, and match injury patterns were identified in junior university rugby union players, indicating the need for position-specific training programs to reduce risk of injury.