Abstract
Objectives
To profile the distances covered during international women’s rugby union match-play
and assess the duration-specific worst-case scenario locomotor demands over 60-s to
600-s epochs, whilst comparing the values determined by fixed epoch (FIXED) versus
rolling average (ROLL) methods of worst-case scenario estimation and assessing positional
influences.
Design
Descriptive, observational.
Methods
Twenty-nine international women’s rugby union players wore 10 Hz microelectromechanical systems during eight international matches (110 observations).
Total, and per-half, distances were recorded, whilst relative total and high-speed
(>4.4 m s−1) distances were averaged using FIXED and ROLL methods over 60–600-s. Linear mixed
models compared distances covered between match halves, assessed FIXED versus ROLL,
and examined the influence of playing position.
Results
Players covered ∼5.8 km match−1, with reduced distances in the second- versus first-half (p < 0.001). For worst-case scenario total (∼8–25%) and high-speed (∼10–26%) distance,
FIXED underestimated ROLL. In ROLL, worst-case scenario relative total and high-speed
distances reduced from ∼144−161 m min−1 and ∼30−69 m min−1 over 60-s, to ∼80 89 m min−1 and ∼5 16 m min−1 in the 600-s epoch, respectively. Forwards performed less high-speed running over
all epochs and covered less total distance during epochs of 60-s, 180-s, 420-s and
480-s, compared with backs. Front row players typically returned the lowest locomotor
demands.
Conclusions
This is the first study reporting the positional and worst-case scenario demands of
international women’s rugby union, and indicates an underestimation in FIXED versus
ROLL over 60-s to 600-s epochs. Knowledge of the most demanding periods of women’s
rugby union match-play facilitates training specificity by enabling sessions to be
tailored to such demands.
Keywords
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: December 19, 2019
Accepted:
December 15,
2019
Received in revised form:
November 7,
2019
Received:
September 9,
2019
Identification
Copyright
© 2019 Sports Medicine Australia. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
