Effective strategies at the ruck in men’s and women’s World Rugby Sevens Series

Abstract

Despite the growth of research on rugby sevens since its inclusion into the 2016 Olympic Games, some performance aspects of the game remain in their infancy. The ruck is one such area that has had little examination. The aim of this research was to examine the relationships between ruck actions and ruck success. A series of men's (N ¼ 2521) and women's (N ¼ 1474) rucks were coded from a sample of men's (N ¼ 117) and women's games (N ¼ 65) played within the World Rugby Sevens Series in 2014. Both attacking and defensive ruck actions were analysed. Variables included player numbers in the ruck, the actions of the first players to the ruck, ball placement from the tackled player, the body height, weight distribution and position of the attacking player in the ruck. Chi squared analysis identified that one versus one rucks were most commonly formed. If an attacking player arrived first, then there was a greater chance of maintaining possession compared with the first arrival being from the defensive side (p < 0.001). Findings suggest that the squeeze ball placement technique is risky due to its association with turnovers and penalties against the attacking team in men's rugby sevens (p < 0.001). The body position of the first arriving attacking player requires the attacking player to lower their shoulders below the opposition shoulders (p < 0.001), use the tackled player to support their weight (p < 0.001) and aim to ruck to a position past the ball rather than stopping with their bodies over the ball (p < 0.001). Analysis of opposition actions identified that an early jackal was most successful at producing turnovers (p < 0.001). Results illustrate successful ruck strategies in rugby sevens from both an attacking and a defensive viewpoint. Successful ruck actions are similar in both men's and women's rugby sevens.

Applied sports science and sports medicine in women’s rugby: systematic scoping review and Delphi study to establish future research priorities

“…In international women’s rugby union, winning teams achieved a greater amount of line breaks, higher tackle completion, fewer pick and go’s and fewer rucks in the opposition 22–50 m126 when compared with unsuccessful teams. In rugby sevens ruck situations, when attacking players arrived first, there was a greater chance of maintaining possession 123. Additionally, one study investigated the effects of caffeine on technical performance in international rugby sevens and found no effects on any rugby-specific actions 125…”

“…Of the 26 studies investigating match characteristics in women's rugby, 5 (22%) had a technical-tactical focused theme (online supplemental table 5). These studies included participants from rugby sevens (n=4, 80% of 5 studies) [122][123][124][125] and rugby union (20%). 126 All these studies were performed in an international cohort.…”

“…In rugby sevens ruck situations, when attacking players arrived first, there was a greater chance of maintaining possession. 123 Additionally, one study investigated the effects of caffeine on technical performance in international rugby sevens and found no effects on any rugby-specific actions. 125 Nutrition Six studies investigated nutrition in women's rugby (online supplemental table 7).…”

Physical and Technical Demands and Preparatory Strategies in Female Field Collision Sports: A Scoping Review

“…In Rugby Sevens, the first arriving player to the ruck has a significant role in ruck outcome and an early jackal is the most successful opposition action at producing turnovers [49]. Successful ruck actions for the team in possession include: 1) Low body position of the first arriving support player 2) Rucking beyond the ball 3) Close support lines to the tackled player 4) Using the tackled player to assist balancing body weight in a low body height.…”

“…No relevant studies were found for technical skill in women's Rugby League. Nine studies reported on male and female cohorts [42][43][44][45][46][47][48][49][50] and 9 reported on female only cohorts [23,31,[51][52][53][54][55][56][57].…”