Abstract
Objective. To investigate changes in the physical fitness characteristics of elite women’s rugby union players over a competitive season.Methods. Thirty-two elite women’s rugby union players, all members of the South African Rugby Union High Performance Squad, were sub-divided into 2 positional categories of 17 forwards and 15 backs, respectively, and assessed pre-, mid- and post-competition season. Players underwent anthropometric (stature, body mass and sum of 7 skinfolds) and physical performance measurements (vertical jump, 10 m and 40 m sprint, 1 repetition maximum (1RM) bench press and multi-stage shuttle-run test).Analysis. A 2-factor analysis of variance was used to evaluate differences in physical fitness variables between and within playing positions over the competition season (p<0.01).Results. In both groups, no significant changes were detected in the sum of skinfolds, vertical jump height, 1RM bench press and multi-stage shuttle-run test scores throughout the season. However, sprint times (10 m and 40 m) significantly increased and then decreased for both groups between the early (pre- to mid-season) and later phases of the season (mid- to post-season), respectively.Conclusion. The results suggest that, for improvement in physical fitness, players need to train at higher loads, especially in the preparatory phase. Thereafter, they must take measures to actively maintain these gains throughout the competitive season. Direct supervision of their conditioning should be encouraged.
Highlights
Body mass, skinfold thickness, muscular strength and power There was a significant decrease (p=0.007) in body mass among the backs from pre- to mid-season; no changes were observed from midto post-season
Over the 3 testing sessions, there were no significant changes in skinfold thickness among the backs; the sum of skinfolds in the forwards decreased significantly from pre- to post-season (p=0.001)
Our study revealed no significant improvements in skinfold thickness, explosive leg power, upper-body muscular strength and aerobic fitness within forwards and backs between pre- and mid-season
Summary
Research design and sample Thirty-two women rugby players (mean age 27 years; standard deviation (SD) ±4; range 19 - 17), who were selected for the SARU High Performance Squad of the 2010 Women’s Rugby World Cup, were recruited for the study. Players were selected from the 2008 interprovincial competition by national selectors appointed by the SARU. The players were grouped according to forward (5 props, 2 hookers, 4 locks and 6 loose forwards) and back-line players (9 inside backs and 6 outside backs). All players provided informed consent to study participation. Ethical clearance to conduct the study was obtained from the University of the Western Cape. Pairwise comparisons were done using least-squares means. Due to the large number of tests conducted, a more stringent level of significance of p
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