Quantification of movement characteristics in women’s English Premier elite domestic rugby union

This study aims were to determine the positional physical requirements of English domestic women’s rugby union match-play. Global positioning system data (Catapult Minimax S4) were collected at 10 Hz of 129 competitive player games from the Tyrrells Premier15 league. Players were classified according to broad (Forwards, Backs) and specific positions (front-, second-, back-row, scrum-half, inside-, and outside-backs). Total distances, maximum speed, and player loads were calculated. Mean total distance was 4982 m and was similar between the Forwards and Backs, with second-row players covering the most (5297 m) and outside-backs the least (4701 m). Inside- and outside-backs covered a significantly greater distance at high speed running (134 m; 178 m) and sprinting (74 m; 92 m) speeds, respectively, whereas the second- and back-row covered greater distances jogging (1966 m; 1976 m) and the front-row spent the greatest overall distance walking (2613 m). Outside-backs reached greater maximum speed than all other positions (24.9 km.h-1). The mean player load was highest in the back-row (562 AU) and second-row (555 AU) and these were higher than the outside-backs (476 AU). These findings indicate that the demands placed on female rugby players are position specific and differ from male players. Additionally, the data are the first obtained from the 10 Hz GPS and from within English domestic women’s rugby, thus adding to the overall limited data available on women’s rugby union