1
Title: Match demands, anthropometric characteristics, and physical qualities of
female rugby sevens athletes: A systematic review
Running head: Female rugby sevens
Authors:
Francesco S. Sella
1
, Daniel T. McMaster
1,2
, Christopher M. Beaven
1
, Nicholas D. Gill
1,2
, Kim
Hébert-Losier
1
1
Faculty of Health, Sport and Human Performance, University of Waikato Adams Centre for
High Performance, Mount Maunganui, New Zealand
2
New Zealand Rugby, Wellington, New Zealand
Corresponding author:
Francesco S. Sella
University of Waikato Adams Centre for High Performance
52 Miro Street, Mount Maunganui, 3116
New Zealand
E-mail: fss4@students.waikato.ac.nz
2
Abstract
Since the inclusion of rugby sevens in the 2016 Olympic Games, the popularity of women’s
rugby sevens has grown rapidly worldwide. This systematic review aimed to summarize the
scientific literature addressing the match demands, anthropometric characteristics, and physical
qualities of female rugby sevens athletes, and to highlight differences between competition
levels and playing positions. Four electronic databases were searched, as were the reference
lists and key journals. Hedges’ g effect sizes with 95% Confidence Intervals were calculated to
evaluate differences between Elite and Non-Elite athletes, and backs and forwards. 27 studies
met inclusion criteria, and scored 68 ± 13% upon quality assessment. Comparisons between
groups were restricted to variables where data was available. Greater running demands and
intensities, number of sprints and accelerations, but lower physiological responses
characterized International matches compared to Nationals. At International level, backs
demonstrated greater running demands and intensities, number of sprints, and physiological
responses than forwards. Elite athletes were leaner, taller, and displayed superior physical
qualities (e.g., maximal speed, power, upper-body strength, and aerobic capacity) compared to
Non-Elite athletes. At Elite level, forwards were heavier and displayed greater upper-body
strength, whereas backs showed greater acceleration and maximal speed abilities. The specific
match demands and physical requirements of female rugby sevens athletes competing at
different playing levels and playing positions must be considered for developing effective
training programs.
Key Words: Rugby 7s, women, training
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INTRODUCTION
Rugby sevens is an intermittent field-based team sport characterized by high intensity activities
and collisions (49). Although played under similar rules and field dimensions as rugby union,
rugby sevens consists of two teams of 7 on-field players playing two 7-minute halves separated
by a 2-minute halftime, as opposed to 15 players playing two 40-minute halves separated by
10-15 minutes in rugby union. Rugby sevens matches are played in a tournament style, with 5
to 6 matches played over 2 or 3 days. The top teams in the world compete annually in the Men’s
and Women’s Sevens World Series, which are comprised of 10 and 6 International tournaments,
respectively (1). Of note, from the start of the 2016-2017 World Series, the duration of Cup
finals matches has changed from two 10-minute halves to two 7-minute halves for player
welfare (2).
Since the inclusion of rugby sevens in the 2016 Olympic Games, the popularity of the game
has grown rapidly worldwide (18, 22, 25, 26, 28, 47, 61), resulting in a number of countries
creating national rugby sevens programs (61). The growth of rugby sevens has also led to an
increase in scientific interest, as reflected by the emergence of rugby sevens research (7, 33).
However, a greater number of studies have addressed the men’s rugby sevens game compared
to the women’s game. Since differences between male and female rugby sevens athletes have
been observed in terms of anthropometric characteristics (15), physical qualities (15), match
demands (15), and technical and tactical skills associated with success (7), specific
considerations are needed for female rugby sevens athletes. Furthermore, it is well known that
the menstrual or contraceptive profiles of female athletes can impact sporting performance (54),
warranting specific research on the female athlete.
A number of recent investigations have described the match demands (12, 15, 26, 38, 41, 45,
47, 57, 61), anthropometric characteristics (3, 15, 25, 43), and physical qualities of female rugby
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sevens athletes (3, 15, 25, 36, 43, 61). Given the differences found between athletes competing
at an International and National level (15, 45, 61), understanding the match demands and the
physical requirements for each competition level is fundamental for developing effective
training programs (52, 57). This understanding is also useful for informing coaches and support
staff of the requirements needed to dominate at the highest level (55) and transition between
competition levels. Furthermore, as rugby sevens athletes can be categorized as backs and
forwards, knowledge of the position-specific demands may have important implications to
further enhance athletes’ preparation (11). The aim of this systematic review is therefore to
summarize the current body of female rugby sevens literature, addressing the match demands,
anthropometric characteristics, and physical qualities of athletes, and to highlight differences
between competition levels and playing positions.
METHODS
Procedures
Search Strategy
This systematic review adheres to the structure and reporting guidelines of PRISMA (Preferred
Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) (42). Four electronic databases
(PubMed, SciVerse Scopus
®
, SPORTDiscus
TM
, Web of Science
®
) were searched
systematically on 21 June 2018 using the following keywords and Boolean operators: ‘‘football
AND seven* AND female AND NOT/NOT soccer”. The reference lists of all articles meeting
inclusion were searched manually for additional articles of relevance. The electronic databases
and key journals in the field (e.g., The Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research,
International Journal of Sports Physiology and Performance) were monitored until 30
September 2018.
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Inclusion Criteria
Only original peer-reviewed research articles written in English reporting match demands,
anthropometric characteristics, or physical qualities of senior (> 18 years) female rugby sevens
athletes were included. Conference abstracts, letters to the Editor, book chapters, and thesis
publications were excluded.
Study Selection Process
One author (FSS) completed the study screening and selection process. Duplicate articles
identified through the electronic database search were removed first. Thereafter, all titles,
abstracts, and full texts were sequentially screened for inclusion criteria. The study selection
process was replicated for articles that were included through the manual search (Figure 1).
FIGURE 1
Study Quality Assessment
The methodological quality of the included articles was assessed using a modified version of
the Downs and Black Quality Assessment Checklist (21). Modified versions of the checklist
have been used to assess the quality of sport-related articles (29, 31, 32) based on reporting,
external validity, internal validity (bias and confounding), and power. The specific
modifications and scoring criteria implemented for our systematic review are outlined in the
Supplemental Digital Content 1 (Study Quality Assessment). A final Quality Index score for
each study was computed as follows, where a higher percentage reflects a superior
methodological quality:
𝑄𝑢𝑎𝑙𝑖𝑡𝑦 𝐼𝑛𝑑𝑒𝑥
(
%
)
=
𝑇𝑜𝑡𝑎𝑙 𝑛𝑢𝑚𝑏𝑒𝑟 𝑜𝑓 𝑝𝑜𝑖𝑛𝑡𝑠
𝑇𝑜𝑡𝑎𝑙 𝑛𝑢𝑚𝑏𝑒𝑟 𝑜𝑓 𝑎𝑝𝑝𝑙𝑖𝑐𝑎𝑏𝑙𝑒 𝑝𝑜𝑖𝑛𝑡𝑠
× 100
