Abstract

BackgroundRugby is increasingly gaining popularity among school-aged male junior players in countries hardly known for dominating international rugby, such as Zimbabwe. Given rugby combativeness, participating adolescents should possess qualities or skills commensurate with the physical demands of the sport for effective participation. This study investigated the independent and interactive effects of age category and playing standard on anthropometric, physiological characteristics and rugby-specific game skills among Zimbabwean athletes.MethodsTwo hundred and eight elite, sub-elite and non-rugby players competing at Under 16 and Under 19 age categories were assessed using the School Clinical Rugby Measure (SCRuM) test battery. Participants underwent height, sitting height, mass, skinfolds, speed, agility, upper-and-lower muscular strength and power, prolonged high-intensity intermittent running ability, tackling, passing and catching assessments in a cross-sectional experimental design.ResultsAge categories had significant main effect on all SCRuM test items except sum of seven skinfolds (p = 0.45, η2p = 0.003). Playing standard had significant main effects for all variables except height (p = 0.40, η2p = 0.01) and sum of seven skinfolds (p = 0.11, η2p = 0.02). Specifically, upper-and-lower muscular strength and power, prolonged high-intensity intermittent running ability, tackling, passing and catching improved with increasing playing standards. However, two-way analysis of variance only demonstrated significant interactions between the effects of age category and playing standards for vertical jump height (VJ) test, 2-kg medicine ball chest throw (2-kg MBCT) test, Yo-Yo intermittent recovery test level 1 (Yo-Yo IRT L1), and tackling and catching tests. Yo-Yo IRT L1, VJ, tackling and catching tests demonstrated greater discriminative ability among Under 16 s, whereas the 2-kg MBCT test showed better ability in Under 19 s.ConclusionAll SCRuM variables except skinfolds improved with age, highlighting relative sensitivity in differentiating older from younger athletes. However, the discriminative ability by playing standards for VJ, 2-kg MBCT, Yo-Yo IRT L1, tackling and catching ability tests was age-dependent. These findings informs on general attribute development in junior rugby players with age and on specific players attributes in need of monitoring for attainment of elite status at U16 or U19 level.

Highlights

  • Rugby is increasingly gaining popularity among school-aged male junior players in countries hardly known for dominating international rugby, such as Zimbabwe

  • Significant differences between Under 16 (U16) s and U19 s were identified for chronological age, years from peak height velocity (YPHV) and playing experience

  • Physiological characteristics and game skills progressively increased with age except for sum of seven skinfolds suggesting large influence of age and maturity-related factors on attribute development among schoolboy athletes

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Summary

Introduction

Rugby is increasingly gaining popularity among school-aged male junior players in countries hardly known for dominating international rugby, such as Zimbabwe. With junior athletes’ performances likely to be determined by the complex interaction of a number of factors such as age and training-related factors, there seems to be limited understanding of the interactive effect of age category and playing standard on development of junior rugby players’ attributes. This knowledge provides insight into the combined effect of age and training efforts on performance differences for rugby players of different playing standards, information which has specific implications on training and player development across various age categories and competitive levels

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