Physical Demands of Refereeing Rugby Sevens Matches at Different Competitive Levels

Abstract

The aim of this study was to compare the physical demands of officiating across different competitive levels in rugby sevens. An observational design was used involving twenty-seven referees (26 males, 1 female, age: 27 ± 6 years, body mass (mean ± SD): 78.5 ± 9.3 kg, height: 179 ± 5 cm). GPS data was collected across a total of 114 matches during five separate rugby sevens tournaments played in England -between May and July 2018 -categorized into four competitive levels: (1) international, (2) professional, (3) semi-professional, and (4) amateur. Compared with referees officiating at the international, professional, and semi-professional levels, referees officiating at the amateur level covered less total (p < 0.001) and relative distance (p < 0.001). Additionally, these referees covered more distance walking and jogging (p < 0.001). Amateur referees also completed fewer sprints (p = 0.006), and repeated high-intensity efforts per game (p < 0.001), and spent longer between repeated high-intensity efforts (p = 0.015). Finally, for the amateur referees, the duration of the longest repeated high-intensity bout (i.e., worst case scenario) was lower (p < 0.001), with less distance covered (p < 0.001), and fewer high-intensity accelerations (p < 0.001). Refereeing rugby sevens is therefore more physically demanding at higher competitive levels, particularly in terms of high-intensity efforts. The results provide vital information for practitioners involved in the physical preparation of rugby sevens referees.

Comparing the Yo-Yo intermittent and Bronco tests and their associations with match demands among amateur rugby union referees

“…sprints or high-intensity accelerations) with less than 21 s of recovery between efforts. 6,26,27 The single longest period of a RHIE bout from each match was identified and analysed as the "Worst Case Scenario" (WCS). 6,26,28,29 A bout duration was defined as the time the referee first performed a high-intensity activity (i.e.…”

“…6,26,27 The single longest period of a RHIE bout from each match was identified and analysed as the "Worst Case Scenario" (WCS). 6,26,28,29 A bout duration was defined as the time the referee first performed a high-intensity activity (i.e. sprint or acceleration) and repeated a minimum of two other efforts with less than 21 s between those efforts.…”

“…sprint or acceleration) and repeated a minimum of two other efforts with less than 21 s between those efforts. 6,26 For each WCS, the total duration (s), total distance (m), and total distance relative to the bout duration (m.min −1 ) was analysed. Additionally, high metabolic load (HML) distance (m) (i.e.…”

Relación entre la fuerza explosiva, composición corporal, somatotipo y algunos parámetros de desempeño físico en jugadores de rugby sevens (Relationship between explosive strength, body composition, somatotype and some physical performance parameters in rugby sevens players)

“…Esto no es ajeno a los jugadores de Rugby Sevens, por tanto, en los estudios más actualizados (Baez-San Martin et al, 2019;Ball et al, 2019;Burger et al, 2020;Freitas et al, 2021;Frias & Ramos, 2021;Martins et al, 2018;Sant'anna et al, 2021), se ha encontrado que los grupos tienden a tener mayor homogeneidad sin importar la posición de juego, caso contrario que ocurre en el Rugby Union, donde los delanteros tienen a tener mayor estatura y peso corporal que los backs (T. W. Jones et al, 2019).…”

Rugby seven femenino en el centro-sur de Chile: asociación entre fuerza explosiva, velocidad, agilidad y estado nutricional (Women's rugby seven in south-central Chile: association between explosive strength, speed, agility and nutritional status)

“…El rugby seven es un deporte de tipo intermitente y de contacto, se desarrolla en dos tiempos de siete minutos cada uno y lo pueden practicar jugadores de diversas edades y nivel competitivo (Sant'Anna, et al 2019). En el año 2016 este deporte fue incluido en los Juegos Olímpicos de Río de Janeiro (Fuller, Taylor, & Raftery, 2017;Misseldine, Blagrove, & Goodwin, 2021).…”