Analysis of the Sprint demands during competition by playing positions in women’s rugby 7

Abstract

The aim of this study is to analyze sprint demands, the ability to repeat sprints and the possible differences between the playing periods of rugby-7 players, considering their playing position. A total of 21 players (age 21.2 ± 2.4) grouped by specific positions (forwards: n = 9; 166.3 ± 12.6 cm; 65.4 ± 7.2 kg; and backs:n = 12; 163.4 ± 9.8cm; 61.7 ± 4.1 kg) were monitored in official competition tournaments, using a global positioning system (GPS). To determine a sprint, an individual threshold of 61% of the maximum speed of each player was considered. The results show that, when analyzing the group of players (p