Abstract
Objectives: The aim of this study was to quantify collective experience based on cumulative shared selections of players and to assess its impact on team performance in international rugby union. We assume that the greater the experience, the better the group will perform.Methods: Scoresheets of all games involving at least one of all 10 nations participating at the Rugby Championship and the Six Nations Championship were collected from the end of the 1999 Rugby World Cup (RWC) up to the 2015 RWC. A single indicator quantifying the cumulative shared selections (CSS, the number of selections that each player has shared with the other ones) was computed for each match as a key collective experience indicator. The World Rugby Ranking points of each nation and the percentage of victories were used to estimate team performance. The study period was divided into sequences of 4 years corresponding to the period between two consecutive RWCs. For each sequence and nation, slopes and intercept of CSS trends were computed along with victory percentage and mean ranking points. Multiple linear regression analysis was used to establish the associations between team performance and experience.Results: In regards to the CSS trends, both intra- and inter-nation variability appears to exist. Positive and negative slopes can be observed for the same team from one 4-year cycle to the next. Still, CSS slope is found to be significantly associated with both ranking points (p value = 0.042, R2 = 0.13) and victory percentage (p value = 0.001, R2 = 0.42).Conclusion: The evolution of the CSS that quantifies the collective experience of a team is linked to its performance. Such an indicator could be helpful in the decision-making process of national coaching staff.
Highlights
Many studies have shown the importance of investigating cohesion and collective efficacy factors as key performance indicators in team sports (Heuzé et al, 2006; Bourbousson et al, 2010; Marcos et al, 2010; Leo et al, 2013; Fransen et al, 2015; Sedeaud et al, 2017)
The 10 nations completed the sequences with mean ranking points of 82.21 ± 5.59 and a mean victory percentage of 55.27 ± 18.95
We have investigated the 4-year cumulative shared selections evolution of the national rugby teams involved in four and six nations between consecutive Rugby World Cup (RWC) from 2004 to 2015
Summary
Many studies have shown the importance of investigating cohesion and collective efficacy factors as key performance indicators in team sports (Heuzé et al, 2006; Bourbousson et al, 2010; Marcos et al, 2010; Leo et al, 2013; Fransen et al, 2015; Sedeaud et al, 2017). Heuzé et al (2006) established that teammate’s from more cohesive teams share stronger beliefs in their team This enhances individuals’ perception of collective efficacy thereby improving cohesion. Generating synergy through a coordinated effort which allows each member to maximize their strengths and minimize their weakness (Jain, 2009) is a long-term process (Sedeaud et al, 2017). It requires coordination based on shared knowledge and action (Eccles and Tenenbaum, 2004) that teammates can only achieve through time spent together and traditional methods of team-building (Shearer, 2015). Impact of cohesion and collective efficacy gathered through collective experience has been widely qualitatively correlated with improvement of team performance
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
