Rugby union referees' physical and physiological demands across different competitive levels

Abstract

BACKGROUNDː The purpose of this study was to compare the match demands of officiating 15-a-side rugby union at different competitive levels.METHODSː Data was collected using Global Navigation Satellite Systems from 21 referees during 82 competitive rugby union matches across three different competitive levels: (1) professional, (2) semi-professional, and (3) amateur.RESULTSː Compared with referees at the professional and semi-professional levels, referees at the amateur level covered less total distance (p = 0.005). Additionally, these referees covered less distance jogging, and at low and medium intensity (all p < 0.05), and had less time between repeated high-intensity efforts (p < 0.001). Furthermore, compared with referees at the semi-professional and amateur levels, referees at the professional level had a higher sprint duration and covered more distance sprinting (all p < 0.05), and achieved a higher maximal speed during the longest repeated high-intensity effort or "worst-case scenario" (p = 0.026). The professional level referees also displayed a lower average heart rate (p < 0.001), spent a higher percentage of time at <60% HRmax (p < 0.001), and a lower percentage of time between 71 and 80% HRmax (p = 0.004). Finally, external and internal load were strongly correlated for referees at the semi-professional level only (r = 0.75, p < 0.001).CONCLUSIONSː Overall, the findings demonstrate that refereeing 15-a-side rugby union is more physically demanding at higher competitive levels, particularly in terms of highintensity efforts. The results provide important information for practitioners involved in the physical preparation and training of rugby union 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.…”

“…1,2 During match play, rugby referees combine high-intensity running actions, with low-intensity activity, covering six to eight kilometres per match, with a corresponding mean heart rate of 80% of their maximum. [2][3][4][5][6] On average, during semi-professional and professional matches, a referee covers 11% of the total match distance in high intensity (> 18. 4 km.h −1 ) running, 4,6 and it has been reported that there is a small to moderate decrease in high-intensity running during the middle period of a match (i.e.…”

“…[2][3][4][5][6] On average, during semi-professional and professional matches, a referee covers 11% of the total match distance in high intensity (> 18. 4 km.h −1 ) running, 4,6 and it has been reported that there is a small to moderate decrease in high-intensity running during the middle period of a match (i.e. 30-70 min), with no differences reported between 0-10 and 70-80 min.…”

Physical demands of lacrosse: gaps in knowledge

“…The physical (movement) demands of athletes [1][2][3][4][5] and referees 6,7 for several field sports (e.g., football, rugby, field hockey, etc.) has been well documented in the literature.…”