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Cummins C, Charlton G, Buxton S, Shorter K, Paul D, Murphy A. Need a break? The locomotor and tackle pacing profile and loads of women's rugby league match-play following various between-match turnaround durations. SCI MED FOOTBALL 2024:1-14. [PMID: 38738594 DOI: 10.1080/24733938.2024.2351224] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/22/2023] [Accepted: 04/15/2024] [Indexed: 05/14/2024]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES The study investigated the locomotor and tackle pacing profile and loads of female rugby league players following various between-match turnaround durations. Specifically, the study examined the (1) pacing of locomotor and tackle loads across the time-course of a match and; (2) whole-match and peak locomotor and tackle loads of match-play. METHODS Microtechnology data were collected from elite female rugby league players (n = 172) representing all National Rugby League Women's teams (n = 6 teams) across two seasons. Players were categorised into backs, adjustables, forwards or interchange players. Data was calculated for the whole-match (m), per minute (m.min-1) and peak (running: m.min-1; acceleration: m.s-2) locomotor and tackle loads (number and efficiency (%)) of match-play. The pacing as well as the locomotor and tackle loads of match-play were examined following short (≤6 days), normal (7 days) or long (≥8 days) turnarounds. RESULTS The pacing profile of playing positions varied across short, normal and long match turnarounds. Trivial to moderate differences existed in the whole-match, per minute and peak locomotor loads across match turnaround durations (effect size ≤ 1.2). CONCLUSIONS Following various between-match turnaround durations (i.e., short, normal and long match turnarounds), there were variations in the locomotor and tackle pacing profile and loads whereby, the pacing profile of positional groups was more affected than the load profile. The findings can be used in applied settings to guide the recovery strategies and training plans of female rugby league players to optimise performance and wellbeing across various match turnaround durations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cloe Cummins
- National Rugby League, Australia
- Carnegie Applied Rugby Research (CARR) Centre, Carnegie School of Sport, Institute for Sport, Leeds Beckett University, Leeds, UK
| | - Glen Charlton
- School of Science and Technology, University of New England, Armidale, New South Wales, Australia
| | | | - Kath Shorter
- School of Science and Technology, University of New England, Armidale, New South Wales, Australia
- Allied Health and Human Performance, University of South Australia, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
| | - David Paul
- School of Science and Technology, University of New England, Armidale, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Aron Murphy
- School of Science and Technology, University of New England, Armidale, New South Wales, Australia
- Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Midwifery and Health Sciences, University of Notre Dame, Fremantle, Western Australia, Australia
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Grainger A, Comfort P, Twist C, Heffernan SM, Tarantino G. Real-World Fatigue Testing in Professional Rugby Union: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. Sports Med 2024; 54:855-874. [PMID: 38114782 DOI: 10.1007/s40279-023-01973-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 11/12/2023] [Indexed: 12/21/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Professional rugby union is a high-intensity contact sport with position-specific high training and match volumes across a season that may lead to periods of fatigue if above a typically experienced threshold. This study assesses the influence of match play and/or training on fatigue levels in rugby union players. OBJECTIVE We aimed to perform a systematic review and meta-analysis of measures used to assess fatigue status in male professional rugby union players. METHODS Using electronic databases (PubMed, SPORTDiscus, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, EMBASE, and MEDLINE), a systematic review of fatigue testing in rugby union was conducted on (1) neuromuscular, (2) subjective self-report, (3) biochemical, and (4) heart rate-derived measures. RESULTS Thirty-seven articles were included in this systematic review, of which 14 were further included in a meta-analysis. The results of the meta-analysis revealed small, yet not significant, decreases in countermovement jump height immediately after (effect size [ES] = - 0.29; 95% confidence interval [CI] - 0.64 to 0.06), 24 h (ES = - 0.43; 95% CI - 3.99 to 3.21), and 48 h (ES = - 0.22; 95% CI - 0.47 to 0.02) after exposure to rugby union match play or training. Reported wellness (ES = - 0.33; 95% CI - 1.70 to 1.04) and tiredness (ES = - 0.14; 95% CI - 1.30 to 1.03) declined over a period of a few weeks (however, the results were not-statistically significant), meanwhile muscle soreness increased (ES = 0.91; 95% CI 0.06 to 1.75) within the 96 h after the exposure to rugby union match play or training. Finally, while cortisol levels (ES = 1.87; 95% CI - 1.54 to 5.29) increased, testosterone declined (ES = - 1.54; 95% CI - 7.16 to 4.08) within the 24 h after the exposure. However, these results were not statistically significant. CONCLUSIONS Subjective measures of muscle soreness can be used to assess fatigue after match play and training in rugby union players. Within-study and between-study variability for countermovement jump height, biochemical markers, and heart rate-derived measures means the utility (practical application) of these measures to assess fatigue in professional rugby union players after matches and training is unclear. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION PROSPERO ID: CRD42020216706.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adam Grainger
- Kitman Labs, Dublin, Ireland.
- Institute of Sport and Health, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland.
| | - Paul Comfort
- University of Salford, Salford, Greater Manchester, UK
- Edith Cowan University, Joondalup, WA, Australia
| | - Craig Twist
- Research Institute of Sport and Exercise Sciences, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool, UK
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Guthrie B, Jagim AR, Jones MT. Ready or Not, Here I Come: A Scoping Review of Methods Used to Assess Player Readiness Via Indicators of Neuromuscular Function in Football Code Athletes. Strength Cond J 2022. [DOI: 10.1519/ssc.0000000000000735] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
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Naughton M, McLean S, Scott TJ, Weaving D, Solomon C. Quantifying Fatigue in the Rugby Codes: The Interplay Between Collision Characteristics and Neuromuscular Performance, Biochemical Measures, and Self-Reported Assessments of Fatigue. Front Physiol 2021; 12:711634. [PMID: 34776996 PMCID: PMC8586499 DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2021.711634] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2021] [Accepted: 09/30/2021] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Locomotor and collision actions that rugby players complete during match-play often lead to substantial fatigue, and in turn, delays in recovery. The methods used to quantify post-match fatigue and recovery can be categorised as subjective and objective, with match-related collision characteristics thought to have a primary role in modulating these recovery measures. The aim of this review was to (1) evaluate how post-match recovery has been quantified in the rugby football codes (i.e., rugby league, rugby union, and rugby sevens), (2) to explore the time-course of commonly used measures of fatigue post-match, and (3) to investigate the relationships between game-related collisions and fatigue metrics. The available evidence suggests that upper-, and lower-body neuromuscular performance are negatively affected, and biomarkers of muscular damage and inflammation increase in the hours and days following match-play, with the largest differences being at 12–36 h post-match. The magnitude of such responses varies within and between neuromuscular performance (Δ ≤ 36%, n = 13 studies) and tissue biomarker (Δ ≤ 585%, n = 18 studies) measures, but nevertheless appears strongly related to collision frequency and intensity. Likewise, the increase in perceived soreness in the hours and days post-match strongly correlate to collision characteristics across the rugby football codes. Within these findings, there are specific differences in positional groups and recovery trajectories between the codes which relate to athlete characteristics, and/or locomotor and collision characteristics. Finally, based on these findings, we offer a conceptual model of fatigue which details the multidimensional latent structure of the load to fatigue relationship contextualised to rugby. Research to date has been limited to univariate associations to explore relationships between collision characteristics and recovery, and multivariate methods are necessary and recommended to account for the latent structures of match-play external load and post-match fatigue constructs. Practitioners should be aware of the typical time windows of fatigue recovery and utilise both subjective and objective metrics to holistically quantify post-match recovery in rugby.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mitchell Naughton
- School of Health and Behavioural Sciences, University of the Sunshine Coast, Sippy Downs, QLD, Australia.,Centre for Human Factors and Sociotechnical Systems, University of the Sunshine Coast, Sippy Downs, QLD, Australia
| | - Scott McLean
- Centre for Human Factors and Sociotechnical Systems, University of the Sunshine Coast, Sippy Downs, QLD, Australia
| | - Tannath J Scott
- New South Wales Rugby League, Sydney Olympic Park, NSW, Australia.,Carnegie Applied Rugby Research Centre, Leeds Beckett University, Leeds, United Kingdom
| | - Dan Weaving
- Carnegie Applied Rugby Research Centre, Leeds Beckett University, Leeds, United Kingdom.,Leeds Rhinos Rugby League Club, Leeds, United Kingdom
| | - Colin Solomon
- School of Health and Behavioural Sciences, University of the Sunshine Coast, Sippy Downs, QLD, Australia.,Centre for Human Factors and Sociotechnical Systems, University of the Sunshine Coast, Sippy Downs, QLD, Australia
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Heyward O, Emmonds S, Roe G, Scantlebury S, Stokes K, Jones B. Applied sport science and medicine of women's rugby codes: a systematic-scoping review and consensus on future research priorities protocol. BMJ Open Sport Exerc Med 2021; 7:e001108. [PMID: 34394953 PMCID: PMC8317073 DOI: 10.1136/bmjsem-2021-001108] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 07/16/2021] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Women's rugby (rugby league, rugby union and rugby sevens) has recently grown in participation and professionalisation. There is under-representation of women-only cohorts within applied sport science and medicine research and within the women's rugby evidence base. The aims of this article are: Part 1: to undertake a systematic-scoping review of the applied sport science and medicine of women's rugby, and Part 2: to develop a consensus statement on future research priorities. This article will be designed in two parts: Part 1: a systematic-scoping review, and Part 2: a three-round Delphi consensus method. For Part 1, systematic searches of three electronic databases (PubMed (MEDLINE), Scopus, SPORTDiscus (EBSCOhost)) will be performed from the earliest record. These databases will be searched to identify any sport science and medicine themed studies within women's rugby. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses extension for Scoping Reviews will be adhered to. Part 2 involves a three-round Delphi consensus method to identify future research priorities. Identified experts in women's rugby will be provided with overall findings from Part 1 to inform decision-making. Participants will then be asked to provide a list of research priority areas. Over the three rounds, priority areas achieving consensus (≥70% agreement) will be identified. This study has received institutional ethical approval. When complete, the manuscript will be submitted for publication in a peer-reviewed journal. The findings of this article will have relevance for a wide range of stakeholders in women's rugby, including policymakers and governing bodies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Omar Heyward
- Carnegie Applied Rugby Research (CARR) centre, Carnegie School of Sport, Leeds Beckett University, Leeds, UK
- Rugby Football Union, Twickenham, UK
- Leeds Rhinos Rugby League club, Leeds, UK
| | - Stacey Emmonds
- Carnegie Applied Rugby Research (CARR) centre, Carnegie School of Sport, Leeds Beckett University, Leeds, UK
- England Performance Unit, Rugby Football League, Leeds, UK
| | - Gregory Roe
- Carnegie Applied Rugby Research (CARR) centre, Carnegie School of Sport, Leeds Beckett University, Leeds, UK
- Bath Rugby, Bath, UK
| | - Sean Scantlebury
- Carnegie Applied Rugby Research (CARR) centre, Carnegie School of Sport, Leeds Beckett University, Leeds, UK
- England Performance Unit, Rugby Football League, Leeds, UK
| | - Keith Stokes
- Rugby Football Union, Twickenham, UK
- Department for Health, University of Bath, Bath, UK
| | - Ben Jones
- Carnegie Applied Rugby Research (CARR) centre, Carnegie School of Sport, Leeds Beckett University, Leeds, UK
- Leeds Rhinos Rugby League club, Leeds, UK
- England Performance Unit, Rugby Football League, Leeds, UK
- School of Science and Technology, University of New England, Armidale, New South Wales, Australia
- Division of Exercise Science and Sports Medicine, Department of Human Biology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town and the Sports Science Institute of South Africa, Cape Town, South Africa
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Aben HGJ, Hills SP, Higgins D, Cooke CB, Davis D, Jones B, Russell M. The Reliability of Neuromuscular and Perceptual Measures Used to Profile Recovery, and the Time-Course of such Responses following Academy Rugby League Match-Play. Sports (Basel) 2020; 8:E73. [PMID: 32456075 PMCID: PMC7281125 DOI: 10.3390/sports8050073] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/07/2020] [Revised: 05/19/2020] [Accepted: 05/20/2020] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
In professional academy rugby league (RL) players, this two-part study examined; A) the within- and between-day reliability of isometric mid-thigh pulls (IMTP), countermovement jumps (CMJ), and a wellness questionnaire (n = 11), and B) profiled the responses with acceptable reliability (no between-trial differences and between-day coefficient of variation (CV) ≤10% and intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) ≥0.8) for 120 h (baseline: -3, +24, +48, +72, +96, +120 h) following RL match-play (n = 10). In part A, force at 200, and 250 ms, and peak force (PF) demonstrated acceptable within- (CV%: 3.67-8.41%, ICC: 0.89-0.93) and between-day (CV%: 4.34-8.62%, ICC: 0.87-0.92) reliability for IMTP. Most CMJ variables demonstrated acceptable within-day reliability (CV%: 3.03-7.34%, ICC: 0.82-0.98), but only six (i.e., flight-time, PF, peak power (PP), relative PP, velocity at take-off (VTO), jump-height (JH)) showed acceptable between-day reliability (CV%: 2.56-6.79%, ICC: 0.83-0.91). Only total wellness demonstrated acceptable between-day reliability (CV%: 7.05%, ICC: 0.90) from the questionnaire. In part B, reductions of 4.75% and 9.23% (vs. baseline; 2.54 m∙s-1; 0.33 m) occurred at +24 h for CMJ VTO, and JH, respectively. Acceptable reliability was observed in some, but not all, variables and the magnitude and time-course of post-match responses were test and variable specific. Practitioners should therefore be mindful of the influence that the choice of recovery monitoring tool may have upon the practical interpretation of the data.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hendrickus G. J. Aben
- School of Social and Health Sciences, Leeds Trinity University, Leeds LS18 5HD, UK; (H.G.J.A.); (S.P.H.); (C.B.C.); (D.D.)
- Castleford Tigers RLFC, The Mend-A-Hose Jungle, Castleford WF10 2SD, UK;
| | - Samuel P. Hills
- School of Social and Health Sciences, Leeds Trinity University, Leeds LS18 5HD, UK; (H.G.J.A.); (S.P.H.); (C.B.C.); (D.D.)
| | - Darren Higgins
- Castleford Tigers RLFC, The Mend-A-Hose Jungle, Castleford WF10 2SD, UK;
| | - Carlton B. Cooke
- School of Social and Health Sciences, Leeds Trinity University, Leeds LS18 5HD, UK; (H.G.J.A.); (S.P.H.); (C.B.C.); (D.D.)
| | - Danielle Davis
- School of Social and Health Sciences, Leeds Trinity University, Leeds LS18 5HD, UK; (H.G.J.A.); (S.P.H.); (C.B.C.); (D.D.)
| | - Ben Jones
- Carnegie Applied Rugby Research (CARR) Centre, Leeds Beckett University, Leeds LS6 3QT, UK;
- England Performance Unit, The Rugby Football League, Leeds LS17 8NB, UK
- Leeds Rhinos Rugby Club, Leeds LS6 3BR, UK
- School of Science and Technology, University of New England; Armidale, NSW 2351, Australia
- Division of Exercise Science and Sports Medicine, Department of Human Biology, Faculty of Health Sciences, the University of Cape Town and the Sports Science Institute of South Africa, Cape Town 7725, South Africa
| | - Mark Russell
- School of Social and Health Sciences, Leeds Trinity University, Leeds LS18 5HD, UK; (H.G.J.A.); (S.P.H.); (C.B.C.); (D.D.)
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