Performance Science Domains: Contemporary Strategies for Teams Preparing for the Rugby World Cup

Abstract

Purpose: As the start of the 10th Rugby Union World Cup approaches, performance staff will be working on the final elements of their teams’ preparation. Much of this planning and preparation will be underpinned by the latest performance science research. In this invited commentary, we discuss contemporary performance science research in rugby union centered around 4 key performance domains. First, we outline a systematic approach to developing an overall understanding of the game demands and how performance staff can enhance the players’ preparedness for competition. We then move on to outline our understanding of the training science domain, followed by a brief overview of effective recovery strategies at major tournaments. Finally, we outline research in the area of competition-day strategies and how they can positively impact players’ readiness to compete. Conclusions: Evaluating a team’s preparation for the Rugby Union World Cup can be achieved by mapping their performance plan based on the 4 domains outlined above.