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Relationships between rugby sevens performance indicators and international tournament outcomes

Author

Listed:
  • Higham Dean G.

    (Australian Institute of Sport – Physiology, Canberra, ACT, Australia University of Canberra – National Institute of Sport Studies, Canberra, ACT, Australia Australian Rugby Union, Sydney, NSW, Australia)

  • Hopkins Will G.

    (Auckland University of Technology – Sport and Recreation, Auckland, New Zealand)

  • Pyne David B.

    (Australian Institute of Sport – Physiology, Canberra, ACT, Australia University of Canberra – National Institute of Sport Studies, Canberra, ACT, Australia)

  • Anson Judith M.

    (University of Canberra – National Institute of Sport Studies, Canberra, ACT, Australia)

Abstract

Objectives: Identifying performance indicators related to rugby sevens competition outcomes will inform development of team tactics that increase the likelihood of success. This study characterized 16 team performance indicators and quantified the effect of changes and differences in performance indicators within and between teams on team ranking in international tournaments.Design: Official tournament statistics and final ranking of each team in each of nine men’s tournaments of the 2011/2012 International Rugby Board Sevens World Series were analyzed in a retrospective longitudinal design.Methods: Novel analyses involving linear mixed modeling quantified the effects within and between teams of an increase in performance indicators from a typically low to typically high value on the logarithm of the tournament ranking. Magnitudes of effects were assessed using a smallest meaningful difference in ranking.Results: Three performance indicators had substantial within-team effects and 12 had substantial between-team effects on tournament ranking. More entries into the opposition’s 22-m zone per match, tries per entry into the opposition’s 22-m zone, tackles per match, passes per match, rucks per match and a higher percentage of tackle completion were associated with a better mean ranking. Conversely, more passes per try, rucks per try, kicks per try, errors per match, surrendered possessions per match, and missed tackles per match were related to a worse ranking.Conclusions: The most successful teams maintain ball possession by reducing errors and turnovers, are efficient in converting possession into tries, and have effective defensive structures resulting in a high rate of tackle completion.

Suggested Citation

  • Higham Dean G. & Hopkins Will G. & Pyne David B. & Anson Judith M., 2014. "Relationships between rugby sevens performance indicators and international tournament outcomes," Journal of Quantitative Analysis in Sports, De Gruyter, vol. 10(1), pages 81-87, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:bpj:jqsprt:v:10:y:2014:i:1:p:81-87:n:5
    DOI: 10.1515/jqas-2013-0095
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. K. Michele van Rooyen & Carl Lombard & D. Timothy Noakes, 2008. "Playing Demands of Sevens Rugby during the 2005 Rugby World Cup Sevens Tournament," International Journal of Performance Analysis in Sport, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 8(2), pages 114-123, July.
    2. Luke Bishop & Andrew Barnes, 2013. "Performance indicators that discriminate winning and losing in the knockout stages of the 2011 Rugby World Cup," International Journal of Performance Analysis in Sport, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 13(1), pages 149-159, April.
    3. K. Michele van Rooyen & Emile Diedrick & D. Timothy Noakes, 2010. "Ruck Frequency as a predictor of success in the 2007 Rugby World Cup Tournament," International Journal of Performance Analysis in Sport, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 10(1), pages 33-46, April.
    4. Luís Vaz & Alain Mouchet & David Carreras & Honorato Morente, 2011. "The importance of rugby game-related statistics to discriminate winners and losers at the elite level competitions in close and balanced games," International Journal of Performance Analysis in Sport, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 11(1), pages 130-141, April.
    5. B. Joseph Taylor & D. Stephen Mellalieu & Nic James, 2005. "A Comparison of Individual and Unit Tactical Behaviour and Team Strategy in Professional Soccer," International Journal of Performance Analysis in Sport, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 5(2), pages 87-101, November.
    6. K. Michele van Rooyen, 2012. "A Statistical Analysis of Tackling Performance during International Rugby Union Matches from 2011," International Journal of Performance Analysis in Sport, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 12(3), pages 517-530, December.
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