Is Breakthrough Power an Effective Assessment of Team Performance of University Rugby Football ?: 3356 Board #261 June 2 3

PURPOSE:We reported in a previous study (ACSM’s 60th Annual Meeting) that kinetic energy (kg•m2/s2) calculated from body weight (kg) and 30m sprint (m/s; maximum value), called breakthrough power (BT), was good as a performance assessment of running with body contact during rugby. The purpose of this study was to determine if the BT of individual players can explain team performance in rugby football. METHODS:For four years the top level teams of university rugby football in Japan were investigated retrospectively (the number of players of 86 [regular 16, reserve 70] in 2010–11 season, 60 [18, 42] in 2011–12, 96 [19, 77] in 2012–13, and 113 [19, 94] in 2013–14). Every season, number of players of regular and reserve (individual player’s performance level) were included in the high BT group (number of the regular players of the season) and in the low BT group. Odds ratio and Fischer’s exact test were calculated, and compared to team performance of the Japan university championship. RESULTS:Odds ratio (p value as Fischer’s exact test) of each season was 28.6 (0.00) in 2010–11, 19.24 (0.00) in 2011–12, 8.40 (0.00) in 2012–13, and 2.88 (0.09) in 2013–14. The adjustment of odds ratio that standardized the player total number of each season to 60 players at the minimum of four seasons was 17.16 (0.00), 19.24 (0.00), 3.95 (0.05), and 0.99 (1.00), respectively. Apart from 2013–14, the regular player group had higher BT than the reserve group. Team result finished second in the Japan university championship in 2010–11 and 2011–12, but defeated in the first round of the championship in 2012–13, and defeated in the qualifying round in 2013–14. In the season when odds ratio was high, i.e. most players with high BT participated in a game as regular players, team result was high. CONCLUSIONS: In the 2013–14 season, the contribution of breakthrough power, i.e. fitness level to assessment of player performance (regular or reserve) was low, thus team fitness was low. As result, the team performance was low. Thus the contribution of fitness factor to assessment performance level is important in rugby football. Breakthrough power is an effective assessment of team performance of university rugby football.