TIME MOTION ANALYSIS OF AMATEUR RUGBY UNION, COMPARING THE RESULTS OF BACKS AND FORWARDS

Abstract

The aim of the study was to get a deeper understanding into the physical demands and the work-rest periods that are placed upon amateur rugby union players. There has been limited research in the past looking at the demands placed upon amateur players. Ten games (n=10) very verbally observed, five players being forwards (n=5) and five players being backs (n=5). The movements of each player were coded into a computerised analysis system (SportsCode) using six different movement variables. One game was video recorded to allow for reliability of the analyser to be assessed. An inter-operator (k=0.72) and intraoperator (k=0.78) kappa value showed that the reliability of the analyser was good. The results of the study showed that there are some clear differences with the work rates of the forwards compared to the backs. The biggest difference found from the study between forwards and backs was duration of time spent walking and completing static activity. Forward on average were walking for 1472 ± 119.7s and involved in static activity for 650 ± 71.5s compared to the backs that were walking for 1768 ± 490.8s and involved in static activity for 407 ± 298.2s. A Mann Whitney U test showed that these results were significantly different (p<0.01). The work to rest ratios produced from the study were also different with forwards (1:2.3) and backs (1:3.8). Furthermore, there were some clear difference with the sprint activity of forwards and backs. The results displayed that backs completed an increased number of sprints (9.4 ± 6.3) compared to the forwards (2.6 ± 2.5). This increased number of sprints meant that the rest periods between sprints for backs were considerably lower than the forwards. However, the average duration of each sprint was very similar for forwards (4 ± 2.6s) and backs (4 ± 1.1s). These results suggest that training programmes should be tailored for individuals depending on their playing positions due to these differences in physical demands.