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Article

Analysis of Positional Physical Demands in Tier 2 Rugby Union: A Multivariate Approach over Speed Ranges

by
Angel Lino-Samaniego
1,2,*,
Adrián Martín-Castellanos
1,2,
Ignacio Refoyo
1,
Mar Álvarez-Portillo
2,3,
Matthew Blair
4 and
Diego Muriarte Solana
1
1
Facultad de Ciencias de la Actividad Física y del Deporte (INEF-Departamento de Deportes), Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, C/Martín Fierro, 7, 28040 Madrid, Spain
2
Department of Physical Activity and Sports Science, Alfonso X El Sabio University (UAX), 28691 Madrid, Spain
3
Spanish Rugby Federation, 28008 Madrid, Spain
4
Institute of Sport, Exercise and Health, Otago Polytechnic, Dunedin 28040, New Zealand
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Sports 2025, 13(8), 260; https://doi.org/10.3390/sports13080260 (registering DOI)
Submission received: 20 June 2025 / Revised: 25 July 2025 / Accepted: 30 July 2025 / Published: 8 August 2025
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Physical Profile and Injury Prevalence in Sports)

Abstract

Rugby union involves intermittent high- and low-intensity activities, making it essential for strength and conditioning practitioners to understand specific physical demands. While GPS technology has enhanced this understanding, limited research focuses on Tier 2 national teams. This study aimed to describe the speed-related physical demands of a Tier 2 national rugby union team. This retrospective observational study analyzed 230 GPS files from 55 professional male players of an international Tier 2 national rugby union team, collected across 17 international matches. Speed-related performance variables were analyzed. Players who played ≥55 min were included. A Kruskal–Wallis test with post hoc comparisons was used to examine positional differences. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) identified four main components explaining 84.65% of the variance, while a two-step cluster analysis grouped players into Low-, Mid-, and High-Demand profiles based on these components. Backs showed greater high-intensity running demands compared to forwards. This study’s results provide novel insights into the physical demands of Tier 2 international rugby union, highlighting differences among player positions and clustering players based on their specific speed demands. These findings can help strength and conditioning practitioners design position-specific training loads, implement tailored recovery strategies, and reduce injury risk in Tier 2 international rugby union.
Keywords: cluster analysis; global positioning system; injury prevention; performance; principal component analysis; team sport; workload monitoring cluster analysis; global positioning system; injury prevention; performance; principal component analysis; team sport; workload monitoring

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MDPI and ACS Style

Lino-Samaniego, A.; Martín-Castellanos, A.; Refoyo, I.; Álvarez-Portillo, M.; Blair, M.; Muriarte Solana, D. Analysis of Positional Physical Demands in Tier 2 Rugby Union: A Multivariate Approach over Speed Ranges. Sports 2025, 13, 260. https://doi.org/10.3390/sports13080260

AMA Style

Lino-Samaniego A, Martín-Castellanos A, Refoyo I, Álvarez-Portillo M, Blair M, Muriarte Solana D. Analysis of Positional Physical Demands in Tier 2 Rugby Union: A Multivariate Approach over Speed Ranges. Sports. 2025; 13(8):260. https://doi.org/10.3390/sports13080260

Chicago/Turabian Style

Lino-Samaniego, Angel, Adrián Martín-Castellanos, Ignacio Refoyo, Mar Álvarez-Portillo, Matthew Blair, and Diego Muriarte Solana. 2025. "Analysis of Positional Physical Demands in Tier 2 Rugby Union: A Multivariate Approach over Speed Ranges" Sports 13, no. 8: 260. https://doi.org/10.3390/sports13080260

APA Style

Lino-Samaniego, A., Martín-Castellanos, A., Refoyo, I., Álvarez-Portillo, M., Blair, M., & Muriarte Solana, D. (2025). Analysis of Positional Physical Demands in Tier 2 Rugby Union: A Multivariate Approach over Speed Ranges. Sports, 13(8), 260. https://doi.org/10.3390/sports13080260

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