The perceived demands of Rugby Sevens held by professional players and coaching staff

[摘要] ENGLISH ABSTRACT : There appears to be a lack of psychological support in rugby sevens, including theabsence of psychological skills development programmes and research on this topic.This study aimed to address the glaring gap in this field by laying a foundation forthe development of an effective programme to equip players with psychological skillsto enhance their performance and psychological well-being. The potential outcomewill be advantageous both for individual players and the sport as a whole.The thesis set out to explore the subjective views of professional players andcoaching staff regarding the demands of rugby sevens. A thorough analysis of thephysical, technical and tactical, logistical and psychological demands, as well as thespecific needs of the players was deemed necessary. According to Taylor (1995) itis essential to establish these demands in order to develop a psychological skillsdevelopment programme for a specific sport or athlete. The primary aim of this studywas, therefore, to analyse the perceived demands of rugby sevens held byprofessional players and coaching staff.Twenty-five participants (20 rugby sevens players and five coaching staff members)took part in the study. The 20 players consisted of three sub-groups: SA academyplayers (n=3), Blitzboks (n=8) and Olympians (n=9). Information was mainly elicitedthrough semi-structured interviews. The coaching staff members were asked 21open-ended questions while the players were asked 25 open-ended questions. Thedata was analysed through a thematic content analysis.This analysis revealed numerous challenges with regards to the physical, technicaland tactical and logistical demands of rugby sevens. Due to the setup of thetournaments and matches, the demands of rugby sevens are different to that of otherrugby formats. Therefore, a different approach needs to be taken when preparingplayers for tournaments. Being exposed to such a demanding sport also places considerable psychologicaldemands on the players. A strong team culture was reported as one of the SouthAfrican sevens team's strengths and seemingly played a fundamental part in theteam's success. However, there seems to be an insufficient focus on thepsychological side of the sport. The need to start with psychological skillsdevelopment at a younger age was voiced, but this would require a framework toguide the process. Throughout a professional career, player well-being should alsobe prioritised. This includes assistance both on and off the field, and should continuebeyond the player's transition into retirement.Rugby sevens was included in the 2016 Rio Olympic Games, and interest in thesport has subsequently grown globally. Although the South African sevens teamexpressed that it was a special experience to win Olympic bronze, the perceptionwas that South Africa does not have an Olympic culture yet and, therefore, there isplenty to learn from other countries in that regard.Using the newly acquired knowledge regarding the demands of rugby sevens, apsychological skills development and well-being programme could be developedand implemented. This should positively contribute to the performance of a rugbysevens team and give them the edge every team strives towards.

[发布机构] Stellenbosch University