CHANGE-OF-DIRECTION DEFICIT IN COLLEGIATE WOMEN’S RUGBY UNION PLAYERS

Change-of-direction (COD) ability is an essential component of rugby union. As most COD tests use total time to measure COD performance, the COD deficit has been developed as a metric to isolate COD ability independent of linear sprint speed. This study investigated relationships between sprint time, 505 time, and COD deficit in collegiate women’s rugby union players. Seventeen players from the one team performed a 20-m sprint (0-5, 0-10, and 0-20 m intervals were measured), and the 505 from each leg. The COD deficit for both legs was calculated as the difference between average 505 and 10-m time. Correlations were calculated between the 505 and COD deficit with the sprint intervals (p ≤ 0.05). To compare 505 time and COD deficit, z-scores were derived; the difference in these scores were evaluated for each participant. The COD deficit did not correlate with the sprint interval times (r = -0.370 to -0.045). Right-leg 505 time did correlate with the 0-10 and 0-20 m intervals (r = 0.483-552). Six of 17 participants for the left leg, and five of 17 for the right leg, were classified differently for COD ability when comparing standardized scores for 505 time versus COD deficit. More than half the participants (53-59%) had meaningful differences between 505 time and COD deficit for each leg. These results suggested that the COD deficit may be a more isolated measure of COD ability and provided a different measure of this ability compared to 505 time in collegiate women’s rugby union players.