Comparison of Running Characteristics and Heart Rate Response of International and National Female Rugby Sevens Players During Competitive Matches

Abstract

This study compared the activity profile of national and international female rugby sevens players during competitive matches. Twenty rugby sevens female players were recruited, 10 were members of the Spanish National Team (26.27 ± 4.05 years, 65.39 ± 5.01 kg, 166.72 ± 6.70 cm) and 10 were amateur athletes from a Spanish rugby championship (32.12 ± 6.40 years, 66.48 ± 5.38 kg of body mass, 167.37 ± 3.02 cm). Data collection was conducted over 4 matches in each of the 2 tournaments, national and international. Distance, velocity, and heart rate (HR) were recorded using global positioning system devices for all participants throughout each match. There were significant differences (p < 0.01) in total distance (1642 ± 171 vs. 1363 ± 222 m), average speed (6.0 ± 0.3 vs. 5.2 ± 0.6 km·h-1), number of sprints (6.1 ± 3.1 vs. 1.9 ± 1.4 sprints), and distance covered in sprinting (118.8 ± 61.4 vs. 47.0 ± 38.8 m). Significant differences were found at >95% maximum HR (HRmax), both for the first (p < 0.01) and second half (p ≤ 0.05). The work-rest ratio was significantly different (p < 0.01) between international (1:0.3) and national players (1:0.4). Significant differences were found in accelerations above 2 m·s-2 in the first and second half between the 2 groups. These findings suggest that distance covered in a match and speed are considerably different between international and national rugby sevens players, and this is reflected as higher intensity of play with consequently higher HR. Coaches may use this information to design specific running drills for this athlete population to match the requirements of national or international game play.

Global Positioning System Analysis of Running Performance in Female Field Sports

“…Reduction in work rate in the second half of competition was reported in rugby sevens for both internationaland national-level teams: nationallevel team average work rate decreased from 103 m/min in the first half to 88 m/min in the second half; international-level team average work rate decreased from 126 to 104 m/min (16) The one published study on women's rugby union demonstrated no reduction in second-half distance, similar to results in men's rugby union (20). Although the data do not demonstrate consistent percentage decrements, current published studies show that decreases in work rate occur regardless of competition level or sport, with the exception of rugby union.…”

“…Several studies of elite female rugby sevens describe similar work rates (91-117 m/min) (5,16,19,24) to elite field hockey and soccer, highlighting potential common fitness attributes among these field sports at similar participant age and competition level. Similar fitness standards in elite female field sports suggest that aerobic running programming may be generalized for intermittent field sports, with sportspecific focus centering on skill sets and positional differences.…”

“…However, anaerobic capacity varies greatly based on age and competition level. When studying the use of different sprint thresholds in professional women's soccer, Vescovi (22) found that 11% of sprints were in excess of 25.0 km/h, although previous research in soccer and rugby shows that lower-standard players perform significantly less high-intensity work than international or top-class professional players (15,16). If this threshold were to be used for female players at subprofessional levels, the amount of sprinting during matches could be underestimated.…”

“…Sprinting is also a key component of performance in field sports. The ability to sprint faster and for longer distances is a characteristic that distinguishes top-class from lower-level players (15,16) and, as a component of HIR, is similarly critical to match results (1). Maximal speeds during match play are reported in Table 2.…”

Game movement demands and physical profiles of junior, senior and elite male and female rugby sevens players

“…Research in men's rugby sevens has characterised players and the game at elite and provincial levels of competition (Higham et al, 2012;2013a;Ross, Gill, & Cronin, 2015a;2015c;Suarez-Arrones et al, 2012b) but there is no data available on junior (under 18) male players. In female rugby sevens, the analysis of on-and off-field performance of players is predominantly in elite-level players (Clarke, Anson, & Pyne, 2015a;Clarke, Presland, Rattray, & Pyne, 2014; SuarezArrones, Nunez, Portillo, & Mendez-Villanueva, 2012a) with some research also comparing elite and provincial players (Clarke, Anson, & Pyne, 2015b;Portillo et al, 2014;Vescovi & Goodale, 2015).…”