Introducing children to rugby: Shaping the game, retaining players and developing talent

Gethin Thomas

Introducing children to rugby: Shaping the game, retaining players and developing talent

Gethin Thomas

Research Partner

• Rugby Football Union (RFU)

• Gary Townsend, Player Development Manager

• AIM: To increase involvement of all players during games and the number of children playing rugby.

Aims of the presentation

• Research Overview

- Background & Aims

• U7 & U9 Match Analysis

- Methods

- Results

- Discussion

• Year 2 & Year 3

Research Overview• Focus– RFU Shaping the Game: 3-year pilot project focusing on

the mini rugby game from U7 through to U11 in England.– Its impact on the development and retention of players.

• Aims – Evaluate and compare on-pitch performance of the current

games played (continuum) with the games played under the proposed new rules (pilot).

– Examine the attitudes of key ‘users’. • Mixed Methods: Quantitative and qualitative methods.

• Learning environment to allow players of all abilities to develop at their own pace. (zone of proximal development (ZPD) Vygotsky, 1978.)

• ‘Scaffolding’: skills and tactical elements introduced at an appropriate stage (Wood et al., 1976).

U7 & U8• Tag• 7v7

U9• Tackle• Scrum• Lineo

ut• Ruck• Maul• 9v9 U7

• Tag• 4v4

U8• Tag• 6v6

U9• Tackle• 7v7

U10• Scrum• 1v1

contest for ball

• 8v8

U11• Kickin

g• 2v2

contest for ball

• 9v9(T.B.C)

Continuum (AGR) Pilot

Data Collection Year 1: U7 and U9

• Behavioural Analyses (6 Counties)3 Pilot: Durham, Hampshire, Warwickshire.3 Continuum: Cheshire, Devon, Gloucestershire.

• Observations: Match AnalysisU7 26 pilot matches and 15 continuum matches.

U9 33 pilot matches and 21 continuum matches.

U7 – Key Rule Changes

Continuum Pilot

Pitch Size 60m x 30m 20m x 12m

Number of players 7 v 7 4 v 4

“Knock-On” by a player Offence – opposition ball.

No offence – play on.

• INSERT U7 CLIP – 45S

U7 Results

Tries Runs Passes Tags0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

AGR Pilot

• Both games are characterised by lots of running, with little passing.

• Basic results show little difference between both games.- The pilot had 58% more tries (p < .001).- Continuum (AGR) had 24% more tags (p = .030).

• Following Individual players.- Preliminary analysis suggests that involvements are spread out more evenly in the Pilot, where there are fewer players on the pitch.

Numbers in a standardised 10 minutes

U9 – Key Rule ChangesContinuum Pilot

Number of players 9 v 9 7 v 7

Scrums and Lineouts Yes None

Rucks and Mauls Yes None

Tackling Yes Yes1 defender only. Grasp allowed.

• INSERT U9 CLIP – 1M 15S

Number of Passes every 10 minutes

• Many significant differences with the pilot game having: - 85% more tries- Twice as many passes. - Ball in play for 22% longer.

• Increased opportunities to develop fundamental movement skills.

• More touches of the ball leads to more individual decision making.

• Longer ball in play should lead to positive fitness benefits for players (Hill-Haas, 2008; Rampinini et al., 2007).

What’s next?• Year 2: U8 and U10– Match analysis.

Team and individual.– Player feedback.– Questionnaires– Interviews of elite coaches

• Year 3: U11– Should allow for a (brief) longitudinal

comparison

Thank you – any questions?• Research presented here was conducted during an ESRC

Studentship under its Capacity Building Clusters Award (RES-187-24-0002) in partnership with the Rugby Football Union.

• For more information about this project and the work of the Centre for Sport, Leisure and Tourism research, see

• http://www.exeter.ac.uk/slt/ourresearch/rugby/• Or• http://www.rfu.com/ManagingRugby/ShapingTheGame.aspx

• Gethin Thomas, glt201@exeter.ac.uk, 07866 140723.