Measuring Skill in Rugby Union and Rugby League as Part of the Standard Team Testing Battery

Coaches, strength and conditioning coaches, and researchers typically use a standard testing battery as a screening tool to measure physical characteristics of players. The information from this testing battery is subsequently utilized to check whether a player can meet the demands of the sport, talent identification, long-term player development, squad/team selection and/or for designing training programs. Apart from these physical attributes, Rugby players (both Union and League) also need to efficiently execute a range of technical and tactical skills during a match. Attempts to assess skill in Rugby have been reported, but little has been documented on assessing skill as part of a Rugby team testing battery. This review highlights the use of, and requirements of, a skill assessment that can be used in a Rugby team setting. When devising a skill assessment, a number of factors such as standardisation, validity, reliability, logistics, player safety, ecological validity, and representative design need t...