Differences in Adiposity Profile and Body Fat Distribution between Forwards and Backs in Sub-Elite Spanish Female Rugby Union Players

Prioritise safety, optimise success! Return to rugby postpartum

Pregnancy and childbirth involve substantial physical, physiological and psychological changes. As such, postpartum rugby players should be supported and appropriately prepared to return to the demands of rugby alongside the additional demands of motherhood. This review aims to discuss specific perinatal considerations that inform a rugby player's readiness to return-to-sport postpartum and present an approach to rehabilitation. Before engaging in full rugby training and matchplay, postpartum players should have progressed through the initial phases of rehabilitation and graded sports-specific training to prepare them for the loads they will be exposed to. Additional rehabilitation considerations include minimising deconditioning during pregnancy; medical concerns; the abdominal wall; the pelvic floor; perinatal breast changes, breastfeeding and risk of contact breast injury; body mass; nutritional requirements; hormonal considerations; athlete identity and psychological considerations; joining team training; return to contact and tackle training; evaluating player load tolerance and future research, policy and surveillance needs. A whole-systems, biopsychosocial approach following an evidence informed return-to-sport framework is recommended when rehabilitating postpartum rugby players. Health and exercise professionals are encouraged to use the perinatal-specific recommendations in this review to guide the development of postpartum rehabilitation protocols and resources.

Seasonal Variation and Positional Differences in Anthropometry, Strength, and Power Characteristics in English Premiership Women's Rugby Union Players

ABSTRACT

Yao, X, Austerberry, A, Bishop, C, Wilson, L, Chiang, C-Y, and Turner, A. Seasonal variation and positional differences in anthropometry, strength, and power characteristics in English premiership women's rugby union players. J Strength Cond Res 38(5): 924-931, 2024-Women's rugby is a collision sport that relies heavily on body composition and physical characteristics of strength and power to achieve competitive success. Furthermore, the seasonal nature presents a variety of physical challenges that can cause fluctuations in a player's physical development. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to determine the differences in anthropometry, strength, and power characteristics between forwards and backs in women's rugby union athletes in England and to identify changes throughout a season. Forty-seven players were recruited from the English premiership women's rugby during the 2020-2021 season. Players were split into forwards and backs and underwent body composition testing by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry and strength and power tests (countermovement jump, drop jump [DJ], and isometric midthigh pull) on 3 separate occasions (preseason, midseason, postseason). Overall, forwards had significantly ( p < 0.01) higher body mass, fat mass, lean mass [LM], bone mineral content, and take off momentum, and backs had significantly higher ( p < 0.01, d > 0.5) jump height, reactive strength, and shorter DJ contact time. When observing seasonal changes, there were statistically significant differences ( p < 0.01) or moderate-to-large practical differences ( d > 0.5) in LM, reactive strength index modified, time to take-off, and DJ flight time [FT] among forwards when comparing 3 testing time frames. For backs, statistically significant differences ( p < 0.01) or moderate-to-large practical differences ( d > 0.5) were reported in LM and DJ FT throughout the season. In conclusion, the strength and power testing and characteristics shown in this study could support coaches and junior women's rugby athletes to have a basic understanding of English premiership physical standards.

Match-Play Demands and Anthropometric Characteristics of National and International Women's Fifteen-a-side Rugby Union: A Systematic Scoping Review

ABSTRACT

Curtis, C, Mitchell, S, and Russell, M. Match-play demands and anthropometric characteristics of national and international women's, fifteen-a-side rugby union: a systematic scoping review. J Strength Cond Res 37(10): e569-e580, 2023-An increased professionalization within women's 15-a-side rugby union (R15s) has prompted greater sports science support and a need to better understand demands of the sport. Online database (PubMed, MEDLINE, and SPORTDiscus) searches were performed according to the PRISMA Scoping Review protocol. Studies were eligible if match-play demands or anthropometric characteristics of women's R15s players were investigated. After calibration exercises, the lead and senior authors independently quality assessed each study. A total of 1,068 studies were identified; 15 of which met the study criteria. The mean total match-play distance covered was 5,378 ± 626 m (forwards: 5,188 ± 667 m and backs: 5,604 ± 609 m), with first half values exceeding second half (2,922 ± 87 m vs. 2,876 ± 115 m). The mean relative distance (RD) (72.0 m·min -1 ) was greater than their male counterparts (64.2 m·min -1 -68.2 m·min -1 ). Backs were exposed to more severe collisions compared with forwards (6 ± 1 vs. 5 ± 4). Work:rest ratios ranged between 1.0:0.7-1.0:0.9. Regarding anthropometric characteristics, the mean lean and fat mass was reported as 51.9 ± 5.2 kg and 18.6 ± 4.6 kg, respectively. The mean body fat percentage was 24.7 ± 5.4%. The mean bone mineral density and bone mineral content was 1.27 ± 0.04 g·cm -2 and 3.07 ± 0.2 kg, respectively. This scoping review summarizes the current evidence base and key findings relating to the match-play demands and anthropometric characteristics that can be used in practice to inform player welfare and sport science support to women's R15s players at a national and international standard. Numerous gaps in our understanding of how best to develop and optimize performance, physical demands, and anthropometric characteristics of women's R15s players remain.

Training and Competition Loads in Women's Rugby Sevens Athletes: Are There Implications for Cardiovascular Health?

National- and international-level rugby sevens athletes are exposed to high training and competition loads over the course of a competitive season. Research on load monitoring and body-system responses is widespread; however, the primary focus has been on optimizing performance rather than investigating or improving cardiovascular health. There is a degree of cardiovascular remodeling, as well as local and systemic inflammation, in response to excessive exercise. These responses are moderated by many factors including previous exercise exposure, current exercise intensity and duration, age, race, and gender, as well as sport-specific physiology. For these reasons, high-performing female rugby sevens athletes may have a unique cardiovascular risk profile different from males and other rugby codes. This review aimed to characterize the training and competition loads, as well as the anthropometric and physiological profiles, of female rugby sevens athletes; discuss the potential impacts these may have on the cardiovascular system; and provide recommendations on future research regarding the relationship between rugby sevens training and competition loads and cardiovascular health. Movement demands, competition formatting, and training routines could all contribute to adverse cardiovascular adaptations. Anthropometric data and physiological characteristics may also increase the risk of cardiovascular disease. Future research needs to adopt measures of cardiovascular health to obtain a greater understanding of cardiovascular profiles and risk factors in female rugby sevens athletes.

Bone Turnover Alterations after Completing a Multistage Ultra-Trail: A Case Study

A series of case studies aimed to assess bone and stress fractures in a 768-km ultra-trail race for 11 days. Four nonprofessional male athletes completed the event without diagnosing any stress fracture. Bone turnover markers (osteocalcin (OC), serum C-terminal cross-linking telopeptide of type I collagen (CTX), bone-specific alkaline phosphatase (BALP), and serum turnover calcium (Ca²⁺)) were assessed before (pre) and after the race (post) and on days two and nine during the recovery period (rec2 and rec9), respectively. Results showed: post-pre-OC = −45.78%, BALP = −61.74%, CTX = +37.28% and Ca²⁺ = −3.60%. At rec2 and rec9, the four parameters did not return to their pre-run levels: OC, −48.31%; BALP, −61.66%; CTX, +11.93% and Ca²⁺, −3.38%; and OC = −25.12%, BALP = −54.65%, CTX = +93.41% and Ca²⁺ = +3.15%), respectively. Our results indicated that the ultra-trail race induced several changes in bone turnover markers, uncoupling of bone metabolism, increased bone resorption: OC and BALP and suppressed bone formation: CTX and Ca²⁺. Bone turnover markers can help determine the response of bone to extreme effort and might also help predict the risk of stress fractures.