Training Load Monitoring in Amateur Rugby Union: A Survey of Current Practices

ABSTRACTGriffin, A, Kenny, IC, Comyns, TM, and Lyons, M. Training load monitoring in amateur Rugby UnionA survey of current practices. J Strength Cond Res XX(X)000–000, 2020—Amateur Rugby Union has an inherent risk of injury that is associated with detrimental effects on player welfare and team performance. Training load (TL) is a modifiable risk factor that, when monitored, may provide strength and conditioning (S&C) coaches with opportunities to reduce the risk of injury. The purpose of this study was to explore TL monitoring practices used by S&C coaches working with male and female amateur adult Rugby Union teams and their rationale for using such. Thirty-three (n = 31 male and n = 2 female) S&C coaches representing 62% of the total number of male clubs and 71% of female clubs, playing at the highest national amateur level, participated in the study by completing an online survey. Seventy-three percent of respondents stated that they monitor TL. The most common method of recording TL was the session rating of perceived exertion (sRPE), used in 83% of monitoring systems. However, no respondent used sRPE after match-play. Thirty-three percent of the S&C coaches surveyed use the sRPE data to calculate the acute:chronic workload ratio (ACWR) for highlighting when players are at risk of injury. Without post-match sRPE data, weekly TL and ACWR cannot be accurately calculated. Consequently, TL prescription based on these data and calculations are inaccurate. This study is the first of its kind to exclusively examine the TL monitoring practices of S&C coaches working with amateur adult Rugby Union teams. The findings show that there is a disconnect between previously published research information and its practical application.