The effect of the law changes on the physical profile of the South African Currie Cup rugby tournament during 2007 and 2013

[摘要] ENGLISH ABSTRACT: With the introduction of professionalism in 1995, rugby union has rapidly and continuously changed. One such change was the introduction of several law changes after the 2007 Rugby World Cup to increase the appeal, continuity and safety of the game. Research on the effects of these law changes has primarily focused on the technical and tactical aspects of the game and very little on the changes to the physical profile of match play, particularly in a South African context. The first objective of this study was to compare the 2007 and 2013 seasons of the South African Currie Cup tournament in order to determine whether there were any effects as a result of the law changes on the scoring, time interval, general skills and contact profiles. The second objective was to compare the 2007 and 2013 seasons of the South African Currie Cup tournament in order to determine the impact of the law changes on the time variables.This thesis will follow a research article format. Research article one will address the first objective of the study. The first major finding of the study was that the profile of the game has changed to a more physical and continuous game. There was an increase in the number of player actions (passing, tackling and rucks/mauls) (p < 0.01), as well as significantly more penalty goals (p < 0.01). The results further revealed that fewer tries were scored (p = 0.07), while the number of stoppages to the game, scrums and line-outs also showed a decrease (p < 0.01). These findings, mentioned above, were more prominent in the second half of the match. A trend revealed that teams were adopting a more defensive playing style, whereby they sacrificed committing numbers to the breakdowns and rather commit players on defence. This has created a more physically intense match with fewer tries being scored.The second research article will address the second objective of the study. Results of the study show that the profile of the game has changed to a more dynamic, continuous game with less time spent in rucks/mauls and fewer set pieces (scrums and line-outs). The duration of the match has increased owing to an increase in total stoppage time, mainly as a result of greater use being made of the TMO. This is evident in the significant increase in total match time (p < 0.01) and total stoppage time (p < 0.01), while the total ball-in-play time was significantly less (p < 0.01). The total tackle time has increased significantly (p < 0.01), while the total ruck/maul, scrum and line-out time decreased significantly (p < 0.01).By analysing the match profile, as with this thesis, coaches and trainers will be better informed to develop training programmes that are specific to the demands of modern match play. Based on the results, coaches and trainers should develop individual and team performance profiles to better understand the physical demands experienced by the players and teams, which will assist in implementing more specific recovery strategies and planning of training loads. The conditioning and skills development of players should focus primarily on contact situations (tackling and rucking) by adding contact elements to agility training and skill-based drills. With the various contact times measured, trainers can determine specific durations of muscle tension needed to overload and strengthen players by adjusting the movements of an exercise. These applications will allow coaches and trainers to prepare players for the specific demands of the modern game.

[发布机构] Stellenbosch University