The Velocity of Ball-Carriers and Tacklers during Shoulder Tackles

Abstract

A major characteristic of rugby union is that of the tackle, with the shoulder tackle occurred most frequently. The tackle is the facet of rugby most associated with injury incidence. Owing to this, and the lack of research, the velocities involved with the shoulder tackle were investigated. Twelve shoulder tackles were selected and the velocity of the ball-carrier and tackler were determined using a 2D analysis tool applied to commercial video footage. The tackles were coded according to pass number, match period, quality of defence and attack, match status, defensive shape and movement, position of tackler and ball-carrier. Using ANOVA, the association between the variables and the velocity were determined. The ball-carrier's velocity (4.10±1.85m.s ). The ballcarrier's velocity was significantly higher when entering contact further from the set piece (p<0.001), when playing away from home (p<0.001) and when ranked in the top three teams in the competition (p<0.001). The ball-carrier's velocity significantly decreased when facing a tight forward in contact (p<0.05). The tackler's velocity was significantly slower in the 3 rd match period (40-60min) (p<0.05) compared to the other match periods.