Comparisons of running and accelerometry based measures between playing positions in touch rugby. A case study of an amateur male team

Background: The main objective of the present study was to quantify the external load of the games that belong to a national tournament by comparing playing positions. A secondary objective consisted in comparing the match-to-match variations. Methods: Fourteen players (four links, four middles and six wings) were included (age: 39.36± 5.83 years; body mass index: 26.65 ± 4.13). Participants were monitored during a tournament. Through Gpexe pro2, the following measures were collected and relativized per minute: total distance, forward distance, backward distance, zone 1 (0–1.50 m/s), zone 2 (1.50–3.00 m/s), zone 3 (3.00–4.00 m/s), zone 4 (4.00–5.50 m/s), zone 5 (5.50–7.00 m/s) and zone 6 (>7.00 m/s), the number of accelerations and decelerations, impacts and jumps. The absolute values of maximal speed, maximal acceleration speed and maximal deceleration speed were also used for analysis. Results: The main findings showed meaningful higher values of zone 4 (16.18 ± 1.89 vs. 5.56 ± 3.53), zone 5 (2.91± 0.81 vs. 0.38 ± 0.38), zone 6 (0.35 ± 0.24 vs. 0.00 ± 0.00), deceleration (0.56 ± 0.21 vs. 0.19 ± 0.12), maximal speed (23.56 ± 1.90 vs. 18.84 ± 1.24) and forward distance (102.20 ± 13.45 vs. 67.42 ± 17.40) for middles than wings (p < 0.05), with large to very large effect sizes. In addition, no differences were found when comparing external load data from all matches. Conclusions: The findings of this study showed a clear tendency of higher values for middles than links and wings which provides a deeper understanding of the positional activity profile of an Amateur Portuguese team allowing practitioners to adjust training with the common external load experienced in a tournament. Moreover, the analysis of match-to-match comparison revealed no differences through the competition day, which means a proper fatigue management.

Deceleration; External load; Fatigue; High-speed running; Link; Load quantification; Match load; Middle; Sprint; Wing

[1] Federation of International Touch. Annual report 2019. 2020. Available at: https://fit-prod-media-syd1.syd1.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/public/files/2019_Annual_Report.pdf (Accessed: 05 December 2024).

[2] Edelman. Try Rugby Programme HSBC 2024. 2024. Available at: https://www.edelman.hk/work/hsbc-try-rugby-programme (Accessed: 14 October 2024).

[3] Beato M, Coratella G, Stiff A, Iacono AD. The validity and between-unit variability of GNSS Units (STATSports Apex 10 and 18 Hz) for measuring distance and peak speed in team sports. Frontiers in Physiology. 2018; 9: 1288.

[4] Higham DG, Pyne DB, Anson JM, Eddy A. Movement patterns in rugby sevens: effects of tournament level, fatigue and substitute players. Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport. 2012; 15: 277–282.

[5] Higham DG, Pyne DB, Anson JM, Hopkins WG, Eddy A. Comparison of activity profiles and physiological demands between international rugby sevens matches and training. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research. 2016; 30: 1287–1294.

[6] Gabbett TJ. Influence of ball-in-play time on the activity profiles of rugby league match-play. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research. 2015; 29: 716–721.

[7] Pollard BT, Turner AN, Eager R, Cunningham DJ, Cook CJ, Hogben P, et al. The ball in play demands of international rugby union. Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport. 2018; 21: 1090–1094.

[8] Chow CG. Global positioning system activity profile in touch rugby: does training meet the match-play intensity in a two-day international test match series? Journal of Sports Science & Medicine. 2020; 19: 613–619.

[9] Dobbin N, Thorpe C, Highton J, Twist C. Sex-related changes in physical performance, well-being, and neuromuscular function of elite touch players during a 4-day international tournament. International Journal of Sports Physiology and Performance. 2020; 15: 1138–1146.

[10] Beaven RP, Highton JM, Thorpe M, Knott EV, Twist C. Movement and physiological demands of international and regional men’s touch rugby matches. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research. 2014; 28: 3274–3279.

[11] Dobbin N, Thorpe C, Highton J, Twist C. Individual and situational factors affecting the movement characteristics and internal responses to touch match-play during an international tournament. Science and Medicine in Football. 2023; 7: 347–357.

[12] Impellizzeri FM, Rampinini E, Marcora SM. Physiological assessment of aerobic training in soccer. Journal of Sports Sciences. 2005; 23: 583–592.

[13] Gabbett TJ, Nassis GP, Oetter E, Pretorius J, Johnston N, Medina D, et al. The athlete monitoring cycle: a practical guide to interpreting and applying training monitoring data. British Journal of Sports Medicine. 2017; 51: 1451–1452.

[14] Federação Portuguesa de Rugby. Rugby in the Community 2024. 2024. Available at: https://fpr.pt/rugby-na-comunidade (Accessed: 14 October 2024).

[15] Loturco I, Pereira LA, Fílter A, Olivares-Jabalera J, Reis VP, Fernandes V, et al. Curve sprinting in soccer: relationship with linear sprints and vertical jump performance. Biology of Sport. 2020; 37: 277–283.

[16] Nobari H, Oliveira R, Clemente FM, Adsuar JC, Pérez-Gómez J, Carlos-Vivas J, et al. Comparisons of accelerometer variables training monotony and strain of starters and non-starters: a full-season study in professional soccer players. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2020; 17: 6547.

[17] Nobari H, Praça GM, Clemente FM, Pérez-Gómez J, Carlos Vivas J, Ahmadi M. Comparisons of new body load and metabolic power average workload indices between starters and non-starters: a full-season study in professional soccer players. Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Part P: Journal of Sports Engineering and Technology. 2021; 235: 105–113.

[18] Fernandes R, Brito JP, Vieira LHP, Martins AD, Clemente FM, Nobari H, et al. In-season internal load and wellness variations in professional women soccer players: comparisons between playing positions and status. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2021; 18: 12817.

[19] Oliveira R, Ceylan Hİ, Brito JP, Martins A, Nalha M, Mendes B, et al. Within- and between-mesocycle variations of well-being measures in top elite male soccer players: a longitudinal study. Journal of Men’s Health. 2022; 18: 1–14.

[20] Federation of International Touch Inc. Playing rules (4th ed.) 2013. Available at: https://fit-prod-media-syd1.syd1.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/public/FIT Playing Rules 4th Edition.pdf (Accessed: 05 December 2024).

[21] Tan JHY, Polglaze T, Peeling P. Validity and reliability of a player-tracking device to identify movement orientation in team sports. International Journal of Performance Analysis in Sport. 2021; 21: 790–803.

[22] Sašek M, Miras-Moreno S, García-Ramos A, Cvjetičanin O, Šarabon N, Kavčič I, et al. The concurrent validity and reliability of a global positioning system for measuring maximum sprinting speed and split times of linear and curvilinear sprint tests. Applied Sciences. 2024; 14: 6116.

[23] Hopkins WG, Marshall SW, Batterham AM, Hanin J. Progressive statistics for studies in sports medicine and exercise science. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise. 2009; 41: 3–13.

[24] Dwyer DB, Gabbett TJ. Global positioning system data analysis: velocity ranges and a new definition of sprinting for field sport athletes. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research. 2012; 26: 818–824.

[25] Chow GCC, Chung JWY, Ma AWW, Macfarlane DJ, Fong SSM. Sensory organisation and reactive balance control of amateur rugby players: a cross‐sectional study. European Journal of Sport Science. 2017; 17: 400–406.

[26] Hewit J, Cronin J, Button C, Hume P. Understanding deceleration in sport. Strength and Conditioning Journal. 2011; 33: 47–52.

[27] Michael I, Serpell BG, Colomer CM, Mara JK. Analysing the short-term impact of substitutes vs. starters in international rugby. International Journal of Sports Science & Coaching. 2019; 14: 667–674.

[28] Tee JC, Lambert MI, Coopoo Y. Impact of fatigue on positional movements during professional rugby union match play. International Journal of Sports Physiology and Performance. 2017; 12: 554–561.

[29] Fuller CW, Taylor AE, Raftery M. Should player fatigue be the focus of injury prevention strategies for international rugby sevens tournaments? British Journal of Sports Medicine. 2016; 50: 682–687.

[30] Ogden T. Time-motion analysis and physiological profile of Elite New Zealand touch players during competition [master’s thesis]. Auckland, New Zealand: Auckland University of Technology. 2010.