The speed and acceleration of the ball carrier and tackler into contact during front-on tackles in rugby league.

The aim was to use a combination of video analysis and microtechnology (10 Hz global positioning system [GPS]) to quantify and compare the speed and acceleration of ball-carriers and tacklers during the pre-contact phase (contact - 0.5s) of the tackle event during rugby league match-play. Data were collected from 44 professional male rugby league players from two Super League clubs across two competitive matches. Tackle events were coded and subject to three stages of inclusion criteria to identify front-on tackles. 10 Hz GPS data was synchronised with video to extract the speed and acceleration of the ball-carrier and tackler into each front-on tackle (n = 214). Linear mixed effects models (effect size [ES], confidence intervals, p-values) compared differences. Overall, ball-carriers (4.73 ± 1.12 m∙s-1) had greater speed into front-on tackles than tacklers (2.82 ± 1.07 m∙s-1; ES = 1.69). Ball-carriers accelerated (0.67 ± 1.01 m∙s-2) into contact whilst tacklers decelerated (-1.26 ± 1.36 m∙s-2; ES = 1.74). Positional comparisons showed speed was greater during back vs. back (ES = 0.66) and back vs. forward (ES = 0.40) than forward vs. forward tackle events. Findings can be used to inform strategies to improve performance and player welfare.

Sleep patterns before and after competition: A real-world examination of elite athletes.

Good sleep before and after competitions is crucial to cognitive, physiological performance and recovery. Yet, elite athletes face a unique set of challenges when acquiring good sleep before and after competitions, and indeed commonly report sleep problems when it matters most. This study examined the sleep of elite athletes before and after competition compared to before and after free days. A total of 1808 unique nights of actigraphy (n = 1495) and sleep diary (n = 1335) data from elite Australian Football League and National Rugby League male athletes (N = 85, M-age = 24.4 ± 3.6) were collected and analysed using multi-level mixed models. On nights before competitions, athletes advanced sleep timings (p < .001, d = 0.63) and increased total sleep time (p < .001, d = 0.65) compared to nights before free days. On nights after competitions, athletes delayed sleep timings (p < .001, d = 1.64), reduced total sleep time (p < .001, d = 1.28), and had significantly worse quality sleep (p < .001, d = 0.71) compared to nights after free days. Sleep was especially worse following night competitions. While elite athletes and organisations may be implementing effective sleep strategies to optimise sleep the night before competitions, strategies to improve sleep after competitions may be lacking. We discuss potential factors contributing to this asymmetry and propose areas for research moving forward.

Understanding elite rugby league players' experience of collision, effective contact coaching techniques, and player contact psychology: A focus group study.

The current study performed a series of online focus groups to understand elite rugby league players' experiences of collision. Eighteen rugby league players comprising different playing positions from four teams were recruited to participate in a series of online focus groups, via the Microsoft Team's platform, facilitated by a moderator. Players were competing in Europe's elite rugby league competition, the European Super League (ESL), during the 2021 season. All focus group data were transcribed, coded and analysed using reflexive thematic analysis guide to ensure robust exploring, interpreting and reporting through pattern-based analysis. The findings are split into five key themes: 1) the three-man tackle - the perceived optimal defensive strategy with simultaneous contact, 2) not all collisions are the same; matchplay events change the collision intensity, 3) bracing and blindsiding - two factors that influence experiences of collision and concussion, 4) coaching philosophies and orientations, 5) psychological readiness for collision. Collision sports have an inherent risk of injury; however, in some players' subjective experiences, there are collision types that have a greater association with risk or intensity (blind-sided collisions or long closing distances). It is essential that future research comprehends the effects of these collision types and the further themes.

The association between multiple prior concussions, cognitive test scores, and symptom reporting in youth rugby league players.

Objective: To examine the effect of prior concussion history on cognitive test performance and concussion symptom reporting among adolescent youth rugby league athletes.Participants: Participants were male elite level youth rugby league players (N = 73; Mean Age = 15.8; SD = 0.9; range = 14-18 years).Main Outcome Measure: CogSport performance based on participants group; those who reported no previous concussions (n = 30),1-2 previous concussions (n = 19), and ≥3 previous concussions (n = 29).Results: 73 participants with valid CogSport scores were included in the cognitive analyses. All participants were included in the symptom analyses. There were no differences between the groups with 0,1-2, or ≥3 previous concussions for processing speed, attention, learning, or working memory. There was atrend for those with multiple prior concussions to report more baseline preseason symptoms.Conclusions: There were no differences in scores on the CogSport test among those with ahistory of 0,1-2, or ≥3 prior concussions. Consistent with prior studies, youth with ahistory of multiple past concussions are more likely to endorse baseline preseason symptoms.

Locomotor characteristics of the women's inaugural super league competition and the rugby league world cup.

Understanding the locomotor characteristics of competition can help rugby league (RL) coaches optimise training prescription. To date, no research exists on the locomotor characteristics of women's RL. The aim was to compare whole match and peak locomotor characteristics of women's RL competition at international (RL World Cup [WRLWC]) and domestic level (Super League [WSL]). Microtechnology data were collected from 58 players from 3-WSL clubs and 1-WRLWC team. Participants were classified into forwards (n = 30) and backs (n = 28). Partial least squares correlation analysis established which variables were important to discriminate between the level of competition (international vs. domestic) and positional group (forwards vs. backs). Linear mixed-effects models estimated the differences between standards of competition and positional group for those variables. International forwards were most likely exposed to greater peak 1-min average acceleration (standardised mean difference = 1.23 [0.42 to 2.04]) and peak 3-min average acceleration (1.13 [0.41 to 1.85]) than domestic forwards. International backs likely completed greater peak 1-min average acceleration (0.83 [0.08 to 1.58]) than domestic backs and possibly greater high-speed-distances (0.45 [-0.17 to 1.07]). Findings highlight the need for positional specific training across levels to prepare representative players for the increased match characteristics of international competition.

The peak duration-specific locomotor demands and concurrent collision frequencies of European Super League rugby.

Understanding the most demanding passages of European Super League competition can optimise training prescription. We established positional and match half differences in peak relative distances (m·min-1) across durations, and the number of collisions, high-speed- and very-high-speed-distance completed in the peak 10 min period. Moving-averages (10 s, 30 s, 1 min, 5 min, 10 min) of instantaneous speed (m·s-1) were calculated from 25 professional rugby league players during 25 matches via microtechnology. Maximal m·min-1 was taken for each duration for each half. Concurrently, collisions (n), high-speed- (5 to 7 m·s-1; m) and very-high-speed-distance (> 7 m·s-1; m) were coded during each peak 10 min. Mixed-effects models determined differences between positions and halves. Aside from peak 10 s, trivial differences were observed in peak m·min-1 between positions or halves across durations. During peak 10 min periods, adjustables, full- and outside-backs ran more at high-speed and very-high-speed whilst middle- and edge-forwards completed more collisions. Peak m·min-1 is similar between positional groups across a range of durations and are maintained between halves of the match. Practitioners should consider that whilst the overall peak locomotor "intensity" is similar, how they achieve this differs between positions with forwards also exposed to additional collision bouts.

Neurophysiological and cognitive impairment following repeated sports concussion injuries in retired professional rugby league players.

BACKGROUND: Concussion is regarded as a common injury in rugby league, however no studies have explored the long-term neurophysiological and cognitive effects of repeated concussion injuries in this sport. METHODS: Former professional rugby athletes (n = 25) were compared to 25 age-matched participants with no history of a concussion. All participants completed standardised motor dexterity, reaction time, and cognitive tasks for working memory, associative learning and rule acquisition and reversal. Single-pulse transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) acquired motor evoked potentials and cortical silent period (cSP), as well as paired-pulse TMS for short latency intracortical inhibition and long intracortical inhibition (LICI). RESULTS: Compared to controls, dexterity and visuomotor reaction time was slower in the rugby group compared to controls (p = 0.02, p < 0.01, respectively). The rugby group also demonstrated poorer cognitive performance than controls (p range 0.02 to < 0.01). TMS revealed significantly reduced cSP at suprathreshold stimulation intensities (p range 0.02 to <0.01), and increased LICI (p = 0.03) in the rugby group. DISCUSSION: These findings of motor and cognitive changes, along with neurophysiological alterations, particularly with intracortical inhibition, nearly two decades post-concussion provides evidence for long-term sequelae for athletes with a history of repeated head trauma in contact sports.

Distinct trajectories of athlete development: A retrospective analysis of professional rugby league players.

Contemporary models of athlete development (e.g., Development Model of Sport Participation) suggest attainment benefits from early age multi-sport "sampling" behaviour before progressive transition into "invested" single-sport involvement in teenage years compared to intensive early-age specialisation. However, specific examinations of these development patterns across a number of team sports and cultural contexts remains limited. This study involved a large sample of professional Australian Rugby League (RL) players (N = 224) who progressed along the RL system pathways. It defined two contrasting athlete development trajectories based upon initial entry into formal age group representative teams ("Early": U16, U18; "Later": U20+) to compare their developmental participation patterns using the National Rugby League Athlete Development Questionnaire (NRLADQ). Between-Within Analyses of Variance (BW-ANOVA)'s identified interaction effects as the 'Later' group reported lower volumes of deliberate practice from 10-20 years, RL-game involvement from 10-20 years, deliberate play from 5-12 years, and a later reduction in other sporting involvement. Group differences in RL-related deliberate practice and play were supported by qualitative descriptions of training at age-categories. CONCLUSION: RL professional senior elite success level can be attained via early intensified specialised investment and accelerated youth success as well as by a rather decelerated, much less cost-intensive participation pattern.

COL5A1 gene variants previously associated with reduced soft tissue injury risk are associated with elite athlete status in rugby.

BACKGROUND: Two common single nucleotide polymorphisms within the COL5A1 gene (SNPs; rs12722 C/T and rs3196378 C/A) have previously been associated with tendon and ligament pathologies. Given the high incidence of tendon and ligament injuries in elite rugby athletes, we hypothesised that both SNPs would be associated with career success. RESULTS: In 1105 participants (RugbyGene project), comprising 460 elite rugby union (RU), 88 elite rugby league athletes and 565 non-athlete controls, DNA was collected and genotyped for the COL5A1 rs12722 and rs3196378 variants using real-time PCR. For rs12722, the injury-protective CC genotype and C allele were more common in all athletes (21% and 47%, respectively) and RU athletes (22% and 48%) than in controls (16% and 41%, P ≤ 0.01). For rs3196378, the CC genotype and C allele were overrepresented in all athletes (23% and 48%) and RU athletes (24% and 49%) compared with controls (16% and 41%, P ≤ 0.02). The CC genotype in particular was overrepresented in the back and centres (24%) compared with controls, with more than twice the odds (OR = 2.25, P = 0.006) of possessing the injury-protective CC genotype. Furthermore, when considering both SNPs simultaneously, the CC-CC SNP-SNP combination and C-C inferred allele combination were higher in all the athlete groups (≥18% and ≥43%) compared with controls (13% and 40%; P = 0.01). However, no genotype differences were identified for either SNP when RU playing positions were compared directly with each other. CONCLUSION: It appears that the C alleles, CC genotypes and resulting combinations of both rs12722 and rs3196378 are beneficial for rugby athletes to achieve elite status and carriage of these variants may impart an inherited resistance against soft tissue injury, despite exposure to the high-risk environment of elite rugby. These data have implications for the management of inter-individual differences in injury risk amongst elite athletes.

Key attributes of expert NRL referees.

Experiential knowledge of elite National Rugby League (NRL) referees was investigated to determine the key attributes contributing to expert officiating performance. Fourteen current first-grade NRL referees were asked to identify the key attributes they believed contributed to their expert refereeing performance. The modified Delphi method involved a 3-round process of an initial semi-structured interview followed by 2 questionnaires to reach consensus of opinion. The data revealed 25 attributes that were rated as most important that underpin expert NRL refereeing performance. Results illustrate the significance of the cognitive category, with the top 6 ranked attributes all cognitive skills. Of these, the referees ranked decision-making accuracy as the most important attribute, followed by reading the game, communication, game understanding, game management and knowledge of the rules. Player rapport, positioning and teamwork were the top ranked game skill attributes underpinning performance excellence. Expert referees also highlighted a number of psychological attributes (e.g., concentration, composure and mental toughness) that were significant to performance. There were only 2 physiological attributes (fitness, aerobic endurance) that were identified as significant to elite officiating performance. In summary, expert consensus was attained which successfully provided a hierarchy of the most significant attributes of expert NRL refereeing performance.

Movement Demands and Running Intensities of Semi-Professional Rugby League Players during A 9's Tournament: A Case Study.

The objective of the study was to describe the movement demands and running intensities of semi-professional rugby league players during a rugby league 9's (RL9's) tournament. Six semi-professional rugby league players competed in a RL9's tournament over a two-day period comprising of six games. Movement demands and running intensities were recorded using Global Positioning System (GPS) devices providing data on distance and speeds. Data is presented as mean (95% Confidence Intervals) with changes (≥ 75%) likely to exceed the smallest worthwhile change (0.2) considered practically important. Outside backs performed significantly (p < 0.05) more relative VHSR (3.9 m [3.5-4.3] vs 2.4 m [2.1-2.8]) absolute (97.7 m [81.3-114.1] vs 22.6m [15.8-29.3]) and relative (5.0 m·min-1 [4.2-5.9] vs 1.2 m·min-1 [0.8-1.6]) sprint distance than the forwards. Outside backs also performed significantly (p < 0.05) more absolute (97.7 m [81.3-114.1] vs 43.9 m [27.2-60.7]) and relative (5.0 m·min-1 [4.2-5.9] vs 2.3 m·min-1 [1.4-3.2]) sprint distance than the adjustables. Moderate (0.6 - 1.2) to very large (> 2.0) decreases in performance variables were observed over the two days. The biggest magnitude of change over the two days was seen with very large decreases in relative HSR (- 2.10) and sprint (- 2.14) distance. Between playing groups, the outside backs had the biggest decrease in running intensity with a very large (- 2.32) significant (p < 0.05) decrease in VHSR on day 2 (3.3 m·min-1 [2.5 - 4.1]) compared to day 1 (4.9 m·min-1 [4.4 - 5.4]). Running intensities are decreased during an intensified RL9's tournament in semi-professional rugby league players. The observed decreases in running performances between playing groups are in agreement with previous research and may support the use of individualized player monitoring and recovery management during a RL9's tournament-style competition.

Temporal associations between individual changes in hormones, training motivation and physical performance in elite and non-elite trained men.

To advance our understanding of the hormonal contribution to athletic performance, we examined the temporal associations between individual changes in testosterone (T) and/or cortisol (C) concentrations, training motivation and physical performance in elite and non-elite trained men. Two male cohorts classified as elites (n = 12) and non-elites (n = 12) completed five testing sessions over a six-week period. The athletes were tested for salivary T, C, T/C ratio, self-perceived training motivation, countermovement jump (CMJ) height and isometric mid-thigh pull peak force (IMTP PF), after which an actual training workout was performed. The elite men reported higher motivation to train and they produced greater CMJ height overall, whereas the non-elites had higher pooled T levels (p < 0.05). No significant group differences in C concentrations, T/C ratio or IMTP PF were found. The individual changes in T levels were positively associated with training motivation in the elite men only (p = 0.033), but the hormonal and motivation measures did not predict CMJ height or IMTP PF in either group. The monitoring of elite and non-elite men across a short training block revealed differences in T levels, motivation and lower-body power, which may reflect training and competitive factors in each group. Despite having lower T levels, the elite athletes showed better linkage between pre-training T fluctuations and subsequent motivation to train. The nature of the performance tests (i.e. single repetition trials) could partly explain the lack of an association with the hormonal and motivational measures.

Contact load practices and perceptions in elite English rugby league: an evaluation to inform contact load guidelines.

Background: Athlete exposure to contact could be a risk factor for injury. Governing bodies should provide guidelines preventing overexposure to contact. Objectives: Describe the current contact load practices and perceptions of contact load requirements within men's and women's rugby league to allow the Rugby Football League (RFL) to develop contact load guidelines. Methods: Participants (n=450 players, n=46 coaching staff, n=32 performance staff, n=23 medical staff) completed an online survey of 27 items, assessing the current contact load practices and perceptions within four categories: "current contact load practices" (n=12 items), "perceptions of required contact load" (n = 6 items), "monitoring of contact load" (n=3 items), and "the relationship between contact load and recovery" (n=6 items). Results: During men's Super League pre-season, full contact and controlled contact training was typically undertaken for 15-30 minutes per week, and wrestling training for 15-45 minutes per week. During the in-season, these three training types were all typically undertaken for 15-30 mins per week. In women's Super League, all training modalities were undertaken for up to 30 minutes per week in the pre- and in-season periods. Both men's and women's Super League players and staff perceived 15-30 minutes of full contact training per week was enough to prepare players for the physical demands of rugby league, but a higher duration may be required to prepare for the technical contact demands. Conclusion: Men's and women's Super League clubs currently undertake more contact training during pre-season than in-season, which was planned by coaches and is deemed adequate to prepare players for the demands of rugby league. This study provides data to develop contact load guidelines to improve player welfare whilst not impacting performance.

Training injuries in elite men's senior and academy (Super League) rugby league; an analysis of 224,000 exposure-hours.

OBJECTIVES: Report two-years of training injury data in senior and academy professional rugby league. DESIGN: Prospective cohort study. METHODS: Match and training time-loss injuries and exposure data were recorded from two-seasons of the European Super League competition. Eleven/12 (2021) and 12/12 (2022) senior and 8/12 (2021) and 12/12 (2022) academy teams participated. Training injuries are described in detail and overall match injuries referred to for comparison only. RESULTS: 224,000 training exposure hours were recorded with 293 injuries at the senior (mean [95 % confidence interval]; 3 [2-3] per 1000 h) and 268 academy level (2 [2-3] per 1000 h), accounting for 31 % and 40 % of all injuries (i.e., matches and training). The severity of training injuries (senior: 35 [30-39], academy: 36 [30-42] days-lost) was similar to match injuries. Lower-limb injuries had the greatest injury incidence at both levels (senior: 1.85 [1.61-2.12], academy: 1.28 [1.08-1.51] per 1000 h). Head injuries at the academy level had greater severity (35 [25-45] vs. 18 [12-14] days-lost; p < 0.01) and burden (17 [16-18] vs. 4 [4-5] days-lost per 1000 h; p = 0.02) than senior level. At the senior level, the incidence of contact injuries was lower than non-contact injuries (risk ratio: 0.29 [0.09-0.88], p = 0.02). CONCLUSIONS: Training injuries accounted for about a third of injuries, with similar injury severity to match-play. Within training there is a higher rate of non-contact vs. contact injuries. Whilst current injury prevention interventions target matches, these data highlight the importance of collecting high quality training injury data to develop and evaluate injury prevention strategies in training.

Emerging athletes' career transitions in professional sport: an existential multi-case perspective.

Introduction: This article examines athletes preparing for, transitioning into, or going through the developmental stages of a professional sports career, referred to as the emerging athlete career transition. This transition includes events such as selections, Junior-to-Senior promotions, contracting, migration, and early exits. The article presents the collective findings of a multi-case study in three professional sports: rugby league, basketball, and boxing. Method: Consistent with pragmatic qualitative research methodology, a stratified data set was collected and analysed, incorporating researcher-practitioner fieldwork, interviews, documents and artefacts for these cases. This article explores unique events and the demographic and cultural implications of navigating emergent transitions along professional sporting pathways in New Zealand. Findings: These findings highlight the importance of building self-efficacy as a pre-condition for coping through preparation and experience. Recommendations: Recommendations include fostering collaborative cultures and authentic support relationships to facilitate better coping alongside athletic and personal development in these high-pressured environments. Furthermore, understanding existential perspectives of meaning, choice, and responsibility provides insights for developing the resources that allow emerging athletes to thrive in life beyond sport.

Player Activity and Load Profiling with Hidden Markov Models: A Novel Application in Rugby League.

Player movement in rugby league is complex, being spatiotemporal and multifaceted. Modeling this complexity to provide robust measures of player activity and load has proved difficult, with important aspects of player movement yet to be considered. These include the influence of time-varying covariates on player activity and the combination of different dimensions of player movement. Few studies have simultaneously categorized player activity into different activity states and investigated factors influencing the transition between states, or compared player activity and load profiles between matches and training. This study applied hidden Markov models (HMMs)-a data-driven, multivariate approach-to rugby league training and match GPS data to i) demonstrate how HMMs can combine multiple variables in a data-driven way to effectively categorize player movement states, ii) investigate the influence of two time-varying covariates, score difference and elapsed match time on player activity states, and iii) compare player activity and load profiles within and between training and match modalities. HMMs were fitted to player GPS, accelerometer and heart rate data of one English Super League team across 60 training sessions and 35 matches. Distinct activity states were detected for both matches and training, with transitions between states in matches influenced by score difference and elapsed time and clear differences in activity and load profiles between training and matches. HMMs can model the complexity of player movement to effectively profile player activity and load in rugby league and have the potential to facilitate new research across several sports.

We successfully derived player activity and load profiles in both training and match contexts in a data-driven and multivariate way using hidden Markov models.HMMs can be used to investigate the probability of changing between activity states as a function of time-varying covariates, augmenting current activity profiling practice.We discovered key differences between the activity and load profiles between training and matches in rugby league. In particular, a very directed high-speed running state in training that is seldom accessed by players in matches.We demonstrated how visualizing the output of HMMs can provide decision support by facilitating comparisons of activity and load profiles within and between players in matches and training.We posit that the methodology detailed in this paper can become a standardized approach to player activity and load profiling based on player movement data across multiple sports because it is flexible, data-driven, multivariate and statistically robust.

Monitoring the physical demands of training in Rugby League: the practices and perceptions of practitioners.

The physical demands of elite sport are often monitored with the aim of making evidence-based decisions to enhance performance and reduce injury risk. However, there is limited evidence in rugby league of the monitoring practices and perspectives of practitioners. This study provides a cross-sectional view of practices and perspectives of rugby league practitioners engaged in monitoring the physical demands of training. Practitioners from the Super League, Championship and National Rugby League competitions completed an online survey. Questions related to the tools and measures used to monitor training, along with perceptions of monitoring effectiveness. 'Enhancing performance' was considered the most important factor for monitoring training demands with most practitioners using some form of time motion analysis (e.g., GPS) or accelerometers. Nearly all practitioners combined objective external measures of exercise intensity with subjective measures, of which RPE was most common. The monitoring parameters considered most useful were running metrics (high-speed running, total distance covered, and the number of accelerations). Findings suggest that current practices are mostly supported by evidence from research. There was a preference for internal load monitoring tools that are quick and simple, such as RPE. The extent to which training load was monitored was lesser in some Championship teams compared to those in the other competitions, which might be explained by discrepancies in funding and access to players.

I won't let you down; why 20% of Men's and Women's Super League players underreported suspected concussions.

OBJECTIVES: Quantify and identify factors associated with concussion underreporting in Super League rugby league players. DESIGN: Cross sectional survey. METHODS: During the 2022 season preseason, 422 Men's and Women's Super League players completed an online survey quantifying player demographics, rugby playing history, concussion history, prevalence of, and reasons for underreporting concussion, concussion knowledge and long-term implications and perceptions of concussion. RESULTS: Overall, 20% of respondents stated they did not report concussion-related symptoms to medical staff during the 2020 and 2021 seasons. The two most common reasons for underreporting concussion were 'didn't want to be ruled out of a match' (35%) and 'didn't want to let down team' (24%). 65% of players reported an appropriate level of knowledge about concussion and potential long-term implications at the start of their senior rugby career, versus 89% now. In relation to concussion knowledge, symptoms were correctly identified on 74% of occasions. 57% of players surveyed were concerned about the potential long-term implications from concussion, and 11% of players would encourage their/family members' children to not play rugby league. CONCLUSIONS: The proportion of Super League players who did not report concussion symptoms was similar to rugby league players in Australia. The main reasons for not reporting concussion appeared to be due to perceptions of what is beneficial for the team, suggesting both performance and medical staff should collectively encourage players to report concussion. A player's attitude towards concussion is potentially an individual modifiable risk factor and should be considered within the concussion management of players.

Gene variants previously associated with reduced soft tissue injury risk: Part 1 - independent associations with elite status in rugby.

There is growing evidence of genetic contributions to tendon and ligament pathologies. Given the high incidence and severity of tendon and ligament injuries in elite rugby, we studied whether 13 gene polymorphisms previously associated with tendon/ligament injury were associated with elite athlete status. Participants from the RugbyGene project were 663 elite Caucasian male rugby athletes (RA) (mean (standard deviation) height 1.85 (0.07) m, mass 101 (12) kg, age 29 (7) yr), including 558 rugby union athletes (RU) and 105 rugby league athletes. Non-athletes (NA) were 909 Caucasian men and women (56% female; height 1.70 (0.10) m, mass 72 (13) kg, age 41 (23) yr). Genotypes were determined using TaqMan probes and groups compared using Χ2 and odds ratio (OR). COLGALT1 rs8090 AA genotype was more frequent in RA (27%) than NA (23%; P = 0.006). COL3A1 rs1800255 A allele was more frequent in RA (26%) than NA (23%) due to a greater frequency of GA genotype (39% vs 33%). For MIR608 rs4919510, RA had 1.7 times the odds of carrying the CC genotype compared to NA. MMP3 rs591058 TT genotype was less common in RA (25.1%) than NA (31.2%; P < 0.04). For NID1 rs4660148, RA had 1.6 times the odds of carrying the TT genotype compared to NA. It appears that elite rugby athletes have an inherited advantage that contributes to their elite status, possibly via resistance to soft tissue injury. These data may, in future, assist personalised management of injury risk amongst athletes.Highlights The elite rugby athletes we studied had differing genetic characteristics to non-athletes regarding genetic variants previously associated with soft-tissue injury risk.COLGALT1 rs8090, COL3A1 rs1800255, MIR608 rs4919510, MMP3 rs591058 and NID1 rs4660148 were all associated with elite status in rugby.We propose that elite rugby athletes might possess an inherited resistance to soft tissue injury, which has enabled them to achieve elite status despite exposure to the high-risk environment of elite rugby.

Effects of treatment dosage of whole-body cryotherapy upon post-match recovery of endocrine and biochemical markers in elite rugby league players: An experimental study.

Background and Aims: The use of whole-body cryotherapy (WBC) for athletic recovery is becoming increasingly popular despite the lack of evidence supporting the dosage parameters in its implementation. The aim of the current study was to investigate the dose-response effects of WBC following match-play in elite rugby league players. Methods: We observed endocrine (salivary cortisol and testosterone) and biochemical (creatine kinase) responses following three separate post-match recovery periods in elite rugby league players. Comparisons were made between a single exposure (3 min at -120°C to --135°C) of WBC to two consecutive exposures (2 × 3 min), to a control (no exposure) during the recovery trials. Recovery characteristics were measured 36 h prematch, immediately postmatch, and 60 h postmatch. Results: Cortisol concentrations remained unchanged in its pattern of response during the postmatch recovery periods across all WBC doses. Testosterone concentrations increased significantly (p < 0.0005) at 60 h, in the WBC2 trial. The Testosterone:Cortisol ratio increased significantly (p < 0.0005) at 60 h in the WBC2 trial, while during the WBC0 trial it did not recover to baseline levels. No significant effect on creatine kinase concentration was observed, although a statistical trend was shown in WBC2 for improved reduction of this marker at 60 h. Conclusions: These findings suggest that two, consecutive exposures to WBC immediately following fatiguing rugby league competition appear to stimulate an increase to the anabolic endocrine profile of participants by 60 h post-match, and may reduce the CK concentration. Coaches and athletes should consider the treatment dosage of WBC when used to optimize the desired response following a high-stress environment.