Rugby running demands
There is no continuum of increased running demands with increasing competition levels of rugby.
The demands of national and international professional rugby union matches are well established, however until recently there has not been a comparative study investigating running demands in New Zealand teams playing in club (amateur), Heartland Championship (semi-professional Div 2), the Mitre 10 Cup (semi-professional Div 1) or Super Rugby (professional) competitions. Peter Olsen, Matt Lilley and James Jowsey (Ara Institute of Canterbury) joined Richard Deuchrass and Mike Hamlin (Lincoln University) and Shaun Owen (Canterbury Rugby Union) to explore this issue.
Data were collected from an amateur club team in 17 games in 2017, then in 2019 from a semi-professional (Div 2) team for 9 games, a semi-professional (Div 1) team for 11 games, and a professional team for 16 games. Players wore GPS units during games for one rugby season to determine absolute (metres) and relative (metres per minute) measures for total distance, running volume (distance at ≥7 km per hour) and high intensity running (distance at ≥16 km per hour).
There were typically minimal differences in running distance measures between amateur level front row forwards and inside backs compared to players in these positions at higher levels of competition. Therefore, amateur players in these positions may find the transition to higher competitions less challenging with respect to running load.
In contrast, amateur outside backs and back row forwards may find the increased pace of higher levels of competition more challenging because they typically covered significantly lower running and high intensity running distances in amateur games. Differences for half backs were more variable between the levels of competition. Some playing positions in the semi-professional (Div 2) team recorded the largest values for total distance, running and high intensity running.
Players looking to transition to higher levels of competition may or may not experience increased running demands, depending on position and competition. The practice and perception of returning a professional player to amateur club rugby, based on a belief that running loads are lower there, may also be flawed, as there were considerable positional variation in running demands within and between the different levels of competition. This information could inform development of specific training and rehabilitation programmes to meet the needs of players in the different competitions.