Variables associated with the performance of a male European professional rugby team. Analysis of the regular season

Abstract

The main objective of this study was to identify the relationship between performance parameters and the probability that a team will win or lose during regular season games. A retrospective observational study of a professional rugby team with thirty players and sixteen regular season games was conducted. Analyzes included the following metrics: open play carries, winline success, gainline failure, good pass, average pass, bad pass, good kick, average kick, bad kick, effective ruck, ruck ineffective, dominant tackle, neutral tackle, passive tackle, assisted tackle, missed tackle, defender in position, good offload, kick fielded, kick fielded unsuccessful, loose ball, interception, turnover made, line break, yellow card , red card, penalty awarded, try scored, injury, player out, player on, successful kick at goal, missed kick at goal, lineout, lineout won, scrum, scrum won, return to play, ruck speed and tackle completion. No single parameter could be directly related to profit or loss. However, four parameters when pooled could be associated with winning during the analyzed season (r = 0.897, r2 = 0.805, adjusted r = 0.635, p < 0.05): win-line success (p < 0.002), effective ruck (p<0.009), dominant tackle (p<0.018) and assisted tackle (p<0.029). In this specific context, coaches and professionals should pay more attention to these specific actions to improve team performance. Keywords: performance, breakdown, gain, ruck, tackle