ORIGINAL ARTICLE
Trends in performance indicators of English Premiership Rugby teams
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1
Khmelnytskyi National University, Department of Theory
and Methods of Physical Education and Sport, Khmelnytskyi,
Ukraine
2
Zaporizhzhia National University, Department of Theory
and Methods of Physical Training and Sports, Zaporizhzhia,
Ukraine
3
Borys Grinchenko Kyiv Metropolitan University, Department
of Physical Education and Pedagogy of Sport, Kyiv, Ukraine
4
Bohdan Khmelnytskyi National Academy of the State Border
Guard Service of Ukraine, Department of Physical Education
and Sport, Khmelnytskyi, Ukraine
Submission date: 2025-02-06
Final revision date: 2025-04-04
Acceptance date: 2025-04-05
Publication date: 2025-12-23
Corresponding author
Mykola Latyshev
Department of Physical Education and Pedagogy of Sport, Borys Grinchenko Kyiv Metropolitan University, Kyiv, Ukraine
TRENDS in Sport Sciences 2025;32(4)
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ABSTRACT
Introduction:
Sport continuously evolves in response to modern challenges, with data analysis playing a pivotal role in understanding trends and predicting future developments. In
team sports, including rugby, performance indicators are critical for optimizing training processes and enhancing competitive effectiveness.
Aim of the study:
This study aims to identify key trends in the performance indicators of English Premiership
Rugby teams from 2014 to 2024.
Material and methods:
The dataset included 1,261 matches, covering 96.9% of all games during this period. A total of 25 performance indicators were analyzed.
Results:
The results revealed a gradual increase in points per match from 24.0 to 25.9 (R2 = 0.69, p < 0.05), driven by a rise in tries from 2.5 to 3.5 (R2 = 0.90, p < 0.05) and successful conversions from 1.9 to 2.4 (R2 = 0.85, p < 0.05). The number of mauls increased from 3.3 to 5.7 (R2 = 0.81, p < 0.05), accompanied by an improvement in maul success rate from 85% to 91%.
In contrast, penalty goals declined from 2.3 to 1.1 (R2 = 0.96, p < 0.05), while offloads decreased from 9.2 to 7.0 (R2 = 0.74, p < 0.05).
Conclusions:
The findings indicate a gradual and consistent increase in match scoring and a growing importance of specific technical actions. These trends contribute to understanding
the ongoing evolution of rugby and its performance dynamics.