Performance indicators in Rugby Union
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.4100/jhse.2012.72.05Keywords:
Performance indicators, Rugby UnionAbstract
Team performance in rugby has typically been assessed through the comparison of winning and losing teams, however, the distinction between winning and losing was used as the sole independent variable. Thus potential confounding variables that may affect performance such as match venue, weather conditions and the strength of the opposition were not considered in this profile of a rugby team. Insufficient data currently exist regarding the development and measurement of performance indicators in rugby union. In particular, there is little research concerning position-specific performance indicators and their subsequent performance profiles. Research has also yet to establish the confidence to which these performance profiles are representative of an individual’s performance. The aim of this study was to exploit the unique opportunity of a large dataset from the 2011 World Cup, from analysts working with national teams, and combine this with examples of data taken from previous studies, in an attempt to identify a more focused direction for the analysis of rugby union. The majority of data collected in the results section were during and after the 2011 Ruby Union World Cup in New Zealand by professional analysts working for a firm called PGIR, which has the analysis franchise for the England RFU. All data were checked for accuracy and reliability by cross-referencing actions to post event from video. It was concluded that in a complex dynamic interactive team sport, such as rugby, that simple analyses of frequency data, although informative, cannot possibly be expected to model this very difficult and multivariate problem.Downloads
References
Duch, J., Waitzman, J.S., Amaral, L.A.N. Quantifying the Performance of Individual Players in a Team Activity. PLoS ONE. 2010; 5(6):e10937. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0010937
Greenwood, J. Total Rugby. London: A&C Black; 1997.
Hughes, M., Bartlett, R. The use of performance indicators in performance analysis. Journal of Sports Science. 2002; 20:739-754. https://doi.org/10.1080/026404102320675602
Hughes, M., Probert, G.A. Technical analysis of elite male soccer players by position and success. In Dancs, H., Hughes, M., O'Donoghue, P. (Eds.). Notational Analysis of Sport - VII, Cardiff: UWIC; 2006, pp. 76-91.
Hughes, M.D., Bartlett, R.M. The use of performance indicators in performance analysis. Journal of Sports Sciences. 2002; 20:739-754. https://doi.org/10.1080/026404102320675602
Hughes, M.D., Cooper, S.M., Nevil, A. Analysis procedures for non-parametric data from performance analysis. International Journal of Performance Analysis in Sport. 2002; 2:6-20. https://doi.org/10.1080/24748668.2002.11868257
Hughes, M.D., Evans, S., Wells, J. Establishing normative profiles in performance analysis. International Journal of Performance Analysis in Sport. 2001; 1:1-26. https://doi.org/10.1080/24748668.2001.11868245
Hughes, M.D., White, P. An analysis of forward play in the men's Rugby Union World Cup, 1991. In M.D. Hughes (Ed.). Notational Analysis of Sport - I and II, Cardiff: UWIC; 1996, pp. 183-193.
Hughes, M.D., Williams, D. The development and application of a computerized rugby union notation system. Journal of Sports Sciences. 1988; 6:254-255.
Hunter, P., O'Donoghue, P. A match analysis of the 1999 rugby union world cup. In Pass.com: Fifth World Congress of Performance Analysis of Sport (edited by M.D. Hughes and I. Franks). Cardiff: UWIC; 2001, pp. 85-90.
James, N. The role of notational analysis in soccer coaching. International Journal of Sports Science and Coaching. 2006; 1(2):185-198. https://doi.org/10.1260/174795406777641294
James, N., Mellalieu, S.D., Hollely, C. Analysis of strategies in soccer as a function of European and domestic competition. International Journal of Performance Analysis in Sport. 2002; 2:85-103. https://doi.org/10.1080/24748668.2002.11868263
James, N., Mellalieu, S.D., Jones, N.M.P. The development of position-specific performance indicators in professional rugby union. Journal of Sports Sciences. 2005; 23:63-72. https://doi.org/10.1080/02640410410001730106
Jones, N.M.P., James, N., Mellalieu, S.D. The development of objective methodologies for scoring team performance in elite rugby union. Journal of Sports Sciences. 2005.
Jones, N.M.P., Mellalieu, S.D., James, N. Team performance indicators as a function of winning and losing in rugby union. International Journal of Performance Analysis in Sport. 2004; 4(1):61-71. https://doi.org/10.1080/24748668.2004.11868292
Lewis, M. Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game. USA: W. W. Norton & Co; 2003.
Luhtanen, P.H. Reliability of video observation of individual techniques used in soccer. In T. Reilly, A. Lees, K. Davids, W.J. Murphy (Eds.). Science and Football. London: E. & F.N. Spon; 1988, pp. 356-360.
McCorry, M., Saunders, E.D., O'Donoghue, P.G., Murphy, M.H. A match analysis of the knockout stages of the 1995 rugby union World Cup. In M.D. Hughes (Ed.). Notational Analysis of Sport III. Cardiff: UWIC; 2001, pp. 230-239.
More, K. Observation and analysis. Sports Coach UK: Faster, Higher, Stronger. 2002; 16:10-11.
Nevill, A., Atkinson, G., Hughes, M., Cooper, S.M. Statistical methods for analysing discrete, categorical data recorded in sport performance and notation analyses. Journal of Sports Science. 2002; 20:829-844. https://doi.org/10.1080/026404102320675666
O'Donoghue, P.G. Performance models of ladies' and men's singles tennis at the Australian Open. International Journal of Performance Analysis of Sport. 2002; 2(1):73-84. https://doi.org/10.1080/24748668.2002.11868262
Bartlett, R.M. Sports Biomechanics: Reducing Injury and Improving Performance. London: E&FN Spon; 1999. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203474563
Parsons, A., Mullen, R., Hughes, M. Performance profiles of male rugby union players. In M. Hughes and I.M. Franks (Eds.). Cardiff: CPA, UWIC; 2001, pp. 129-137
Potter, G. Modelling winning performance in invasive team games. Thesis (PhD). University of Wales Institute Cardiff; 1997.
Potter, G., Hughes, M.D. Modeling in competitive sports. In M.D. Hughes (Ed.). Notational Analysis of Sport III. Cardiff, UK: University of Wales Institute; 1999, pp. 67-83.
Reed, D., Hughes, M. An exploration of team sport as a dynamical system. In H. Dancs, M. Hughes, and P. O'donoghue, (Eds.). Notational Analysis of Sport - VII, Cardiff: UWIC; 2006, pp. 63-72. https://doi.org/10.1080/24748668.2006.11868377
Rue, H., Salvesen, Ø. Prediction and retrospective analysis of soccer matches in a league. The Statistician. 2000; 49:399-418. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-9884.00243
Stanhope, J., Hughes, M.D. An analysis of scoring in the 1991 Rugby Union World Cup for men. In M.D. Hughes (Ed.). Notational Analysis of Sport - I and II. Cardiff: UWIC; 1996, pp. 167-176.
Vaz, L., Van Rooyen, M., Sampaio, J. Rugby game-related statistics that discriminate between winning and losing teams in IRB and Super twelve close games. Journal of Sports Science and Medicine. 2010; 9:51-55.
Vivian, R., Mullen, R., Hughes, M.D. Performance profiles at league, European Cup and International levels of male rugby union players, with specific reference to flankers, number 8s and number 9s. In M.D. Hughes and I. Franks (Eds.). Fifth World Congress of Performance Analysis of Sport. Cardiff: UWIC; 2001, pp. 137-143.
Williams, J.J. An investigation into operational definitions used within performance analysis. Presentation at the International Workshop in Performance Analysis. Lincoln; 2009.
Williams, J.J. Operational definitions in performance Analysis and the need for consensus. International Journal of Performance Analysis in Sport. 2012; 12(1):52-63. https://doi.org/10.1080/24748668.2012.11868582
Zar, J.H. Biostatistical Analysis: Fourth Edition. New Jersey: Prentice-Hall, Inc; 1999.
Downloads
Statistics
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2012 Journal of Human Sport and Exercise
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
Each author warrants that his or her submission to the Work is original and that he or she has full power to enter into this agreement. Neither this Work nor a similar work has been published elsewhere in any language nor shall be submitted for publication elsewhere while under consideration by JHSE. Each author also accepts that the JHSE will not be held legally responsible for any claims of compensation.
Authors wishing to include figures or text passages that have already been published elsewhere are required to obtain permission from the copyright holder(s) and to include evidence that such permission has been granted when submitting their papers. Any material received without such evidence will be assumed to originate from the authors.
Please include at the end of the acknowledgements a declaration that the experiments comply with the current laws of the country in which they were performed. The editors reserve the right to reject manuscripts that do not comply with the abovementioned requirements. The author(s) will be held responsible for false statements or failure to fulfill the above-mentioned requirements.
This title is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International license (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0).
You are free to share, copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format. The licensor cannot revoke these freedoms as long as you follow the license terms under the following terms:
Attribution — You must give appropriate credit, provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made. You may do so in any reasonable manner, but not in any way that suggests the licensor endorses you or your use.
NonCommercial — You may not use the material for commercial purposes.
NoDerivatives — If you remix, transform, or build upon the material, you may not distribute the modified material.
No additional restrictions — You may not apply legal terms or technological measures that legally restrict others from doing anything the license permits.
Notices:
You do not have to comply with the license for elements of the material in the public domain or where your use is permitted by an applicable exception or limitation.
No warranties are given. The license may not give you all of the permissions necessary for your intended use. For example, other rights such as publicity, privacy, or moral rights may limit how you use the material.
Transfer of Copyright
In consideration of JHSE’s publication of the Work, the authors hereby transfer, assign, and otherwise convey all copyright ownership worldwide, in all languages, and in all forms of media now or hereafter known, including electronic media such as CD-ROM, Internet, and Intranet, to JHSE. If JHSE should decide for any reason not to publish an author’s submission to the Work, JHSE shall give prompt notice of its decision to the corresponding author, this agreement shall terminate, and neither the author nor JHSE shall be under any further liability or obligation.
Each author certifies that he or she has no commercial associations (e.g., consultancies, stock ownership, equity interest, patent/licensing arrangements, etc.) that might pose a conflict of interest in connection with the submitted article, except as disclosed on a separate attachment. All funding sources supporting the Work and all institutional or corporate affiliations of the authors are acknowledged in a footnote in the Work.
Each author certifies that his or her institution has approved the protocol for any investigation involving humans or animals and that all experimentation was conducted in conformity with ethical and humane principles of research.
Competing Interests
Biomedical journals typically require authors and reviewers to declare if they have any competing interests with regard to their research.
JHSE require authors to agree to Copyright Notice as part of the submission process.
