Analysis of Women's Rugby 7s Match Demands

Abstract

Rugby 7s has evolved into a dynamic sport now featured at major global events like the Olympic and Commonwealth Games. The women’s game, in particular, has grown rapidly, reflecting broader advancements in women’s sport. With this growth, the use of microtechnology devices has become widespread, offering objective insights into player demands and informing athlete preparation.

This thesis aimed to evaluate how match demands are assessed in women’s rugby 7s and examine novel contextual factors influencing running outputs. A scoping review revealed limited research on peak match demands—key for understanding intensity fluctuations often masked by whole-game averages. It also noted a lack of positional detail beyond forwards and backs, overlooking hybrid roles with distinct movement and tactical profiles.

Peak running demand analysis showed high variability depending on aggregation method (maximum, mean, percentile) and modelling approach (e.g., power-law), each capturing different match elements. A novel method was developed to assess international match demands, accounting for inter- and intra-athlete differences and position-specific outputs.

The analysis explored the influence of tournament and opposition ranking on match demands across four categories: absolute/relative time and distance. Utility/ball players consistently covered more ground than backs and forwards. Backs covered less distance at 4–6 m·s⁻¹ than other roles. Matches against invitational teams saw reduced output in the 40–60% speed range, while games against lower-ranked teams involved more low-speed running. These findings emphasise the role of positional classification—particularly the addition of a third ‘utility’ group—in understanding the distinct running demands in women’s rugby 7s. This thesis provides a framework for future research to examine match demands across competitive levels and advance female-specific classifications.