Unit 19: Analysis of Sports Performance
Assignment 1- Task 1
I am writing this report based on the performance profiling of rugby and the intrinsic and
extrinsic factors that can affect performance. For this assignment I will be focusing on the
number 8 position in rugby.
Technical and Tactical Factors:
Technical factors in rugby are the way in which the skill is performed whereas tactical
factors in rugby is the way the team will set up so that they can win the game. There are a
number of technical and tactical factors in rugby such as tackling, passing, rucking,
scrummaging, kicking and mauling. Tackling is a key factor in rugby as it stops the opposition
from breaking through the defence and scoring and it is very important for the number 8
position as they are usually in the middle of all the contact. For example, in the 2019 season
Billy Vunipola (Saracens and England number 8) had an 81% tackle percentage with 118
successful tackles and only 28 missed tackles. This shows just how key tackling is especially
for the number 8 position as if he had missed more tackles then that could have been the
difference between winning and losing games. Tackling can also be used tactically by both
the players and the team as a whole. The players can use tackling tactically by hitting the
opposition very hard so your teammates will be more motivated to try and turn the ball
over and score. Another way the players can use it tactically is by forcing the ballcarrier out
into touch so that they can get the lineout and start an attack. The team can use tackling
tactically by coming up as a line quickly and making quick hard tackles so that they can drive
the attacking team backwards and put pressure on them to do something with the ball.
In this picture, you can see that
the player in green has hit his
opponent very hard as the
player’s body is bent in a ‘C’ shape
so this will give the green team
more motivation to play better
after this big hit.
In this picture you can see that the
white and red player has tackled the
blue player into touch to stop him
from scoring a try. This means that
not only have they stopped a certain
try but now they also have the ball
back and can start an attack of their
own.
, Another key technical factor in rugby is passing because this skill allows the ball to be moved
across the pitch quickly so that the attack can find the gaps in the defence. This will then
allow them to break through the defensive line so that they can score a try. Passing is
another skill that is important for the number 8 position as they would be involved in a
number of hard lines with other forwards so if their teammate next to them has found a gap
then they would pass the ball to them so that they can break the defensive line. An example
of a number 8 who passes the ball well is Sergio Parrisse as he is a key player for Italy so he
is given the ball a lot however he is also a very clever player as he is able to make space for
his teammates so he can then pass them the ball for them to run into the gaps. This shows
that passing is just as important as tackling as if you don’t pass then you are unlikely to
score tries but if you don’t tackle then you will concede tries. Passing can also be used
tactically by the team as a number of plays would involve players to run different lines and
the one of these players would be passed the ball. For example you could have a number 8
running a hard line off the fly-half and then a centre running out the back and then the fly-
half would either pass the ball to the number 8 if he has a gap in front of him otherwise he
would pass the ball out to the centre. This shows that it is a lot more crucial to use passing
in a tactical way compared to tackling as if you use passing tactically then it can be very easy
to break down defences.
Physical Factors:
The main physical factors in rugby are cardiovascular endurance, muscular endurance,
strength, speed, power and agility. In the number 8 position, all of these physical factors are
key as it is such a versatile position. However if you look at some of the best number 8’s
around the world, then you will see that they will be stronger in some areas than others and
vice versa. The main similarity between all number 8’s is that they have an abundance of
power which is extremely important for their position. The reason why power is important
for a number 8 is because they are expected to carry the ball hard into contact a lot so they
have to be powerful so that they can break through tackles and give their team more field
position for the backs to work with. An example of a powerful number 8 is Louis Picamoles
because whenever he has the ball in his hands he will keep driving forward no matter how
many players are trying to tackle him. He is also very good at scrummaging because of the
amount of power he can produce to help drive the scrum forwards. This means that his
power will allow his team to keep going forward to attempt to get a try. Here is a link to a
video that shows just how powerful Louis Picamoles is: https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=nzJG2g4nQ28.
Another important physical factor for the number 8 position is muscular endurance. This is
because they have to consistently make tackles, hit the rucks and carry the ball into contact
so they are always using their muscles to their maximum. Therefore if they didn’t have good
muscular endurance then they wouldn’t be able to do everything they need to for their
position and their team. An example of a player who shows great muscular endurance is
Assignment 1- Task 1
I am writing this report based on the performance profiling of rugby and the intrinsic and
extrinsic factors that can affect performance. For this assignment I will be focusing on the
number 8 position in rugby.
Technical and Tactical Factors:
Technical factors in rugby are the way in which the skill is performed whereas tactical
factors in rugby is the way the team will set up so that they can win the game. There are a
number of technical and tactical factors in rugby such as tackling, passing, rucking,
scrummaging, kicking and mauling. Tackling is a key factor in rugby as it stops the opposition
from breaking through the defence and scoring and it is very important for the number 8
position as they are usually in the middle of all the contact. For example, in the 2019 season
Billy Vunipola (Saracens and England number 8) had an 81% tackle percentage with 118
successful tackles and only 28 missed tackles. This shows just how key tackling is especially
for the number 8 position as if he had missed more tackles then that could have been the
difference between winning and losing games. Tackling can also be used tactically by both
the players and the team as a whole. The players can use tackling tactically by hitting the
opposition very hard so your teammates will be more motivated to try and turn the ball
over and score. Another way the players can use it tactically is by forcing the ballcarrier out
into touch so that they can get the lineout and start an attack. The team can use tackling
tactically by coming up as a line quickly and making quick hard tackles so that they can drive
the attacking team backwards and put pressure on them to do something with the ball.
In this picture, you can see that
the player in green has hit his
opponent very hard as the
player’s body is bent in a ‘C’ shape
so this will give the green team
more motivation to play better
after this big hit.
In this picture you can see that the
white and red player has tackled the
blue player into touch to stop him
from scoring a try. This means that
not only have they stopped a certain
try but now they also have the ball
back and can start an attack of their
own.
, Another key technical factor in rugby is passing because this skill allows the ball to be moved
across the pitch quickly so that the attack can find the gaps in the defence. This will then
allow them to break through the defensive line so that they can score a try. Passing is
another skill that is important for the number 8 position as they would be involved in a
number of hard lines with other forwards so if their teammate next to them has found a gap
then they would pass the ball to them so that they can break the defensive line. An example
of a number 8 who passes the ball well is Sergio Parrisse as he is a key player for Italy so he
is given the ball a lot however he is also a very clever player as he is able to make space for
his teammates so he can then pass them the ball for them to run into the gaps. This shows
that passing is just as important as tackling as if you don’t pass then you are unlikely to
score tries but if you don’t tackle then you will concede tries. Passing can also be used
tactically by the team as a number of plays would involve players to run different lines and
the one of these players would be passed the ball. For example you could have a number 8
running a hard line off the fly-half and then a centre running out the back and then the fly-
half would either pass the ball to the number 8 if he has a gap in front of him otherwise he
would pass the ball out to the centre. This shows that it is a lot more crucial to use passing
in a tactical way compared to tackling as if you use passing tactically then it can be very easy
to break down defences.
Physical Factors:
The main physical factors in rugby are cardiovascular endurance, muscular endurance,
strength, speed, power and agility. In the number 8 position, all of these physical factors are
key as it is such a versatile position. However if you look at some of the best number 8’s
around the world, then you will see that they will be stronger in some areas than others and
vice versa. The main similarity between all number 8’s is that they have an abundance of
power which is extremely important for their position. The reason why power is important
for a number 8 is because they are expected to carry the ball hard into contact a lot so they
have to be powerful so that they can break through tackles and give their team more field
position for the backs to work with. An example of a powerful number 8 is Louis Picamoles
because whenever he has the ball in his hands he will keep driving forward no matter how
many players are trying to tackle him. He is also very good at scrummaging because of the
amount of power he can produce to help drive the scrum forwards. This means that his
power will allow his team to keep going forward to attempt to get a try. Here is a link to a
video that shows just how powerful Louis Picamoles is: https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=nzJG2g4nQ28.
Another important physical factor for the number 8 position is muscular endurance. This is
because they have to consistently make tackles, hit the rucks and carry the ball into contact
so they are always using their muscles to their maximum. Therefore if they didn’t have good
muscular endurance then they wouldn’t be able to do everything they need to for their
position and their team. An example of a player who shows great muscular endurance is
