How they won Rugby World Cup through height, mass and collective experience
- 20 February 2012
- journal article
- Published by BMJ in British Journal of Sports Medicine
- Vol. 46 (8), 580-584
- https://doi.org/10.1136/bjsports-2011-090506
Abstract
Objectives To investigate the evolution of anthropometric characteristics in World Cup rugby players and identify elements associated with performance. Design Age, weight and height were collected for 2692 World Cup rugby players as well as rankings in each World Cup, and collective experience of winners, finalists, semifinalists and quarter finalists in comparison to the rest of the competitors. Anthropometric parameters were compared according to age and position (back and forwards). Results From 1987 to 2007, forwards and backs have become heavier by 6.63 and 6.68 kg and taller by 0.61 and 1.09 cm, respectively. The collective experience of the forwards' pack is a value increasing with the final ranking attained, as well as the weight of forwards and the height of backs. Conclusions For all Rugby World Cups, the highest performing teams have the tallest backs and heaviest forwards with the highest percentage of collective experience.Keywords
This publication has 22 references indexed in Scilit:
- The physical demands of Super 14 rugby unionJournal of Science and Medicine in Sport, 2011
- Can confidence come too soon? Collective efficacy, conflict and group performance over timeOrganizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 2010
- The physical demands of elite English rugby unionJournal of Sports Sciences, 2008
- Science and rugby unionJournal of Sports Sciences, 2008
- Recent Trends in Rugby Union InjuriesClinics in Sports Medicine, 2008
- Changes in player characteristics and match activities in Bledisloe Cup rugby union from 1972 to 2004Journal of Sports Sciences, 2007
- Position specific rehabilitation for rugby union players. Part I: Empirical movement analysis dataPhysical Therapy in Sport, 2006
- Exigences physiologiques nécessaires à la pratique de rugby de haut niveauScience & Sports, 2002
- The evolution of physique in male rugby union players in the twentieth centuryJournal of Sports Sciences, 2001
- The impact of collective efficacy beliefs on effort and persistence in a group taskJournal of Sports Sciences, 1999