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Published on: April 18, 2019
The reliability of a rugby league movement-simulation protocol designed to replicate the performance of interchanged
Mark Waldron1, Jamie Highton, Craig Twist
1School of Science and Technology, University of New England, Armidale, Australia.
Purpose:
This study assessed the reliability of a rugby league movement-simulation protocol, relative to interchanged players (RLMSP-i).
Methods:
Fifteen male participants completed 2 trials of the RLMSP-i, separated by 1 wk. The RLMSP-i comprised low- to moderate-intensity running, interspersed by high-intensity sprinting and tackling activity, based on global positioning system (GPS) data recorded during Super League performances.
Results:
The lowest coefficient of variation (CV ± 95% CI) was observed for total m/min during both interchange bout 1 (1.1% ± 0.2%) and bout 2 (1.0% ± 0.2%). The percentage of heart rate peak and ratings of perceived exertion demonstrated CVs of 1.2-2.0% and 2.9-3.5%, respectively. The poorest agreement between trials was found for blood lactate concentration (16.2% ± 2.8%). In no case was the CV smaller than the smallest worthwhile change, yet in every case the moderate changes were larger than the CV.
Conclusions:
The RLMSP-i's reliability is sufficient to enable the detection of moderate changes in various performance and physiological measurements that accurately simulate some, but not all, aspects of rugby league matches.
