Movement and Physiological Demands of International and Regional Men’S Touch Rugby Matches
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MOVEMENT AND PHYSIOLOGICAL DEMANDS OF INTERNATIONAL AND REGIONAL MEN’S TOUCH RUGBY MATCHES 1 1 2,3 3,4 ROBERT P. BEAVEN, JAMIE M. HIGHTON, MARY-CATHERINE THORPE, EMMA V. KNOTT, AND 1 CRAIG TWIST 1Department of Sport and Exercise Sciences, University of Chester, England, United Kingdom; 2Department of Health Professions, Manchester Metropolitan University, Manchester, United Kingdom; 3England Touch Association, England; and 4Department of Health Sciences, Huddersfield University, Huddersfield, United Kingdom ABSTRACT players. These data indicate that performance in men’s touch Beaven, RP, Highton, JM, Thorpe, M-C, Knott, EV, and Twist, rugby is characterized by more relative high-speed running and C. Movement and physiological demands of international and better repeated sprint capacities in higher standard players. regional men’s touch rugby matches. J Strength Cond Res KEY WORDS GPS, team sport, sprinting, elite, sub-elite 28(11): 3274–3279, 2014—This study compared the internal and external match demands imposed on international and INTRODUCTION regional standard male touch rugby players. The study adopted ouch rugby (touch) is an intermittent high- a cohort design with independent groups. Twelve international intensity team sport played globally. Like many 6 6 players (mean age, 27.8 6.2 years; body mass, 72.8 3.7 teams sports, touch players perform frequent peri- kg; stature, 174.5 6 5.4 cm) and 9 regional players (mean age, T ods of high-intensity running (such as sprinting) 25.5 6 5.5 years; body mass 74.2 6 7 kg; stature 174.1 6 separated by periods of low-intensity activity (such as stand- 7 cm) were analyzed during 9 competitive matches from the ing, walking, and jogging) (26). Touch is played over 2 3 2013 season. Movement demands were measured using 20 minute halves with a 3-minute half-time period and is a 5-Hz global positioning system, alongside heart rate (HR) played on a smaller area than other rugby codes (70 3 and session rating of perceived exertion (s-RPE) to quantify 50 m cf. 100 3 70 m). Teams comprise 6 active players and internal load. Total distance covered by international players 8 interchange players, adopting an unlimited substitution was lower than regional players (2265.8 6 562.3 cf. rule that allows players multiple off-pitch recovery periods 2970 6 558.9 m; p # 0.05). However, international players during matches (36). This is in contrast to other codes where had greater relative distance (137.1 6 13.6 cf. 126.2 6 17.2 rules permit a limited number of interchanges (rugby league: 2 10 changes from 4) or a fixed number of substitutions where m$min 1) due to shorter playing times per match (p # 0.05). the changed player cannot return (rugby union: 7 changes Absolute high-speed running (.14 km$h21) was not different from 7; rugby sevens: 5 changes from 5). As with these other between groups (p . 0.05), but relative high-speed running rugby codes, the ball must only be passed backwards with 6 6 $ 21 (39.3 12.0 cf. 26.0 13.6 m min ) was higher for inter- the aim to score as many tries as possible. In contrast, touch national players. Regional players performed more absolute players do not perform high-impact collisions, and instead # $ 21 low-speed activity ( 14 km h ) than international players (p tackling is limited to placing a single hand on the ball car- # 0.05), whereas relative low-speed activity was not different rying player (1). On completing the touch, the defending between groups (p . 0.05). Very high-speed running (.20 team retreats 5 m and the attacking team restart play by km$h21) distance, bout number and frequency, peak, and aver- passing the ball between the legs of a player. age speed were all greater in international players (p # 0.05). Few studies have investigated the internal and external loads Higher average HR, summated HR, and s-RPE (p # 0.05) imposed on players during touch matches. O’Conner (25) re- indicated higher internal loads during matches for regional ported average match heart rates (HRs) of Australian national players to be greater than 90% of their maximum HRs, and that 11% of match time was spent performing high-intensity Address correspondence to Craig Twist, [email protected]. activity. However, since the study by O’Conner (25), touch 28(11)/3274–3279 rugby match duration has increased from 30 to 40 minutes, Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research meaning the demands placed currently on players are likely Ó 2014 National Strength and Conditioning Association to have changed. Ogden (26) reported that elite 3274 Journalthe of Strength and Conditioning ResearchTM Copyright © National Strength and Conditioning Association Unauthorized reproduction of this article is prohibited. the TM Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research | www.nsca.com New Zealand touch rugby players covered up to 3.1 km per Subjects match, with 0.9 km of this at high intensity (.12 km$h21). Twenty-one adult male players (mean age, 26.2 6 6 years; However, Ogden (26) failed to report distances relative to the body mass, 73.5 6 6.3 kg; stature, 175.3 6 6.2 cm) pro- time spent on the pitch, meaning these data misrepresent the vided written informed consent to participate. Regional actual work intensity performed by players during matches players (n = 9; mean age, 25.5 6 5.5 years; body mass, (2). Indeed, this is particularly important in touch rugby as the 74.2 6 7 kg; and stature, 174.1 6 7 cm) were players unlimited substitution rule allows players to have multiple and representing the north west of England, whereas interna- differing lengths of time on the pitch. Ogden (26) also used tional players (n = 12; mean age, 27.8 6 6.2 years; body a 1-Hz global positioning system (GPS) device to measure mass, 72.8 6 3.7 kg; and stature, 174.5 6 5.4 cm) were player movements, which are known to be less accurate than from the same Men’s Open representative squad (world GPS devices with higher sampling frequencies (2,9,20). ranking = fourth, Federation of International Touch). Given that limited research exists on the match demands of Where players competed at both regional and interna- touch rugby, strength and conditioning coaches have little tional standard, only performance at the highest standard information on how to optimally prepare players for compe- were used for analysis. This comprised 55 national match tition. Knowledge of the internal (HR and rating of perceived performance (5 games, 11 6 1 players per match) and 33 exertion) and external (speed and distance covered) match regional match performance (4 matches, 8 6 1playersper demands enable strength and conditioning coaches to tailor match) for analysis. All matches were played outdoors on dry training sessions to the sport’s demands (27,13). Such sport- grass between 09.50 and 18.00 hours, at an average tempera- specific conditioning is an effective way to prepare players for ture of 16.5 6 1.28 C. All international matches were won competition, promoting relevant and specific physical devel- (mean score difference of 8 6 4 points), whereas regional opment while aiding the transfer of improvements to a com- matches resulted in 1 draw, the rest were won (mean score petitive environment (22,23). Knowing these demands can also difference of 2 6 2 points). All players were injury free, and identify optimal player recovery times. The greater the phys- any match files where a player sustained injury were discarded iological load, the more recovery time is required to avoid from the analysis. Players undertook their normal prematch injury or a reduced ability to train (29). Furthermore, it can preparation and postmatch recovery strategies. All players provide quantitative information over reductions in players’ signed informed consent documents. The procedures for this work-rate that might be helpful in determining optimal timings study were approved by the Faculty of Applied Sciences for substitutions (32,33). Knowledge of how match demands Research Ethics Committee. differ between playing standards will also enable better prepa- ration for the transition from sub-elite to elite status (27). Pre- Procedures vious research from team sports, including football (4), hockey Thirty minutes before each match, players were issued with (19), rugby league (30), and rugby sevens (16) all indicate a GPS unit (SPI-Pro, 5 Hz; GPSports, Canberra, Australia) differences between players of differing standard. Elite players that was housed in a custom-made vest under the playing tend to perform more higher intensity exercise (especially dur- shirt, with the unit located between the scapulae. The GPS ing the latter stage of matches), cover greater distances relative model used possesses good test-retest reliability with a coef- to playing time, achieve greater average sprint distances, and ficient of variation of 1.6 and 2.3% for speed and distance, compete at higher percentages of their maximum HR (4,16). respectively (35). The number of satellites for GPS signal However, such data do not exist for touch players and there- transmission averaged 9 6 1 (range, 5–11), which is consid- fore limits the strength and conditioning coach working with ered optimal for assessing human movement using GPS such groups in devising appropriate training practices. Accord- technology (20). Players also wore a HR monitor (Polar ingly, the purpose of this study was to quantify and compare Electro Oy, Kempele, Finland), with data transferred tele- the internal and external match demands on international and metrically and stored on the GPS device. A digital watch regional standard male touch players.