| Summary: | Rugby union is a popular sport played in more than a 100 countries worldwide. In South Africa
rugby is a major sport c0mpare.d to other playing countries such as Australia, England, France,
Ireland and Scotland where it is only thud, fourth or fifth most popular sport (SARFU: 2003d:ll)
Rugby consists of various activities that require certain anthropometrical, physical and motor and
rugby-specific components. These components are specific to the positional requirements in
rugby (Craven, 1974; De Ridder, 1993; Noakes & Du Plessis, 1996; Malan & Hanekom, 2001;
Van Gent, 2003). Du Randt and Headley (1993:112) stated that the process of talent identification
in South Africa was uncontrolled and in the beginning phase. Since then scientific research on
talent identification of youth rugby players in South Africa has been done by De Ridder (1993),
Pienaar and Spamer (1995,1998), Hare (1997) and Van Gent (2003) to name a few. Research has
been done regarding positional requirements (Van Gent, 2003) in the adolescent rugby player.
However, little is known about the elite schoolboy rugby player in South Africa and
internationally.
In 1995, the National Sports Council of South Africa compiled a policy, highlighting the need
and importance of a scientific identification and development programme of talented sportspeople
(South Africa, 1996). Eight years after the national policy was compiled, the South African
Rugby Football Union (SARFU) launched a major new player identification and development
strategy (SARFU, 2003d:15). In 2003, SARFU identified the U/16 age group schoolboys as the
first level of talent identification thus the focus should be on South African schools in particular,
because this is the breeding ground for elite sportsmen and women. The U/16 and U/18 players
are chosen to represent their provinces at a national rugby week. The U/16 and U/18 rugby
players chosen at the end of the national rugby week (Grant Khomo U/16 week and the U/18
Craven Week for High Schools) are named the Green Squad and consists of a 100 top players
from both the U/16 and U/18 groups (SARFU, 2003b:2).
This study is the start of a new phase of research on the elite youth rugby player. The significance
of this study is the compilation of a profile of the U/16 and U/18 elite rugby player, with
reference to anthropometrical variables, physical and motor abilities and game-specific
skills which will serve as a guide to the school and provincial coaches on team selection and
individual training programmes. A further contribution is that this research will support SARFU
in the process of identifying and developing youth rugby players. Furthermore, this study will
also form part of an international research profile on talent identification of elite youth rugby
players as well as the development in school sport.
The aim of this study was to compile a status profile of the U/16 and U/18 elite rugby player in
South Africa with reference to anthropometrical variables, physical and motor abilities and game specific
skills as well as a status profile for different playing positions of the U/16 and U/18 elite
rugby player in South Africa.
The literature review emphasises the value of sport education and physical education in schools
as well as the growth and motor development of the adolescent. According to Dick (1992:125)
the adolescent period is the best time for the athlete to develop physical and motor abilities.
Physical and sport education in schools offers the adolescent the opportunity to develop certain
skills be it physical, motor, emotional or mental skills. In South Africa many talented and less talented
adolescents have the opportunities to participate in sport due to player development
programmes in various sports. Not only does physical and sport education aid to improve health related
and skill-related fitness but also aids in talent detection and talent identification
programmes. It is also important to fully understand the adolescent's growth and motor
development as these variables have an influence on sporting performance.
The literature review also discusses talent identification models that have evolved over the past
decades as well as talent identification in youth sport and youth rugby development in South
Africa. Salmela and Regnier (1983) stated that talent identification is a long process in which
potential sportspeople are identified and developed in a specific kind of sport. Assessments of
talent identification programmes should be done regularly to get the best value for a country's
sporting achievement as well as an individual's future sporting performance. This could help
researchers to adapt regularly to the physical profile of youth rugby players and help to establish
norms that can be used to identify and develop elite youth sportspeople.
The empirical study (chapter 4) explains the different measurements and tests that were done with
the Green Squad players. The research group consisted of U/16 (n = 93) and U/18 (n = 97) elite
South African schoolboy rugby players, also known as the Green Squad of SARFU. The players
of the Green Squad represented all 14 provinces of South Africa. Each player was tested in
August 2003 and February 2004 according to a rugby test protocol of SARFU. The test protocol
consisted of anthropometrical variables; body height, body mass, body fat percentage, muscle
percentage, skin fold thickness and somatotype. The game-specific skill components that were
used included ground skills, kicking for distance, passing for distance, passing for accuracy 4 m
and catching and throwing over the crossbar. Physical and motor components consisted of bench
press, pull ups, push ups, speed over 10 m and 40 m, agility Illinois test and speed endurance.
Descriptive statistics (x, standard deviation, minimum and maximum) were used as well as
practical significant differences (d-values) (Cohen, 1988). The method of principal components
analysis (PCA) and correlations was used to determine best player position of the Green Squad
2003/2004 season (Bartholomew et al. 2002). The SAS-computer programme package of the
North-West University, Potchefstroom campus (SAS Institute Inc., 1999) was used for data
analysis.
By means of the results that were obtained, it was indicated that as far as the anthropometrical
variables among the Ul16 Green Squad players were concerned differences were found between
the Green Squad group and U/16 rugby players of other studies. The U/l6 Green Squad players
also reported practical significant differences with regard to anthropometrical components from
2003 to 2004. The results of the anthropometrical data of the U/18 Green Squad players
compared favourably to literature. Although the U/18 Green Squad group improved from 2003 to
2004 in terms of anthropometrical components, low practical significance was recorded.
In terms of physical and motor, the U/16 Green Squad players presented more improvements
from 2003 to 2004 than the U/18 Green Squad players that could be due to growth and training
programmes that were followed. However, the U/18 Green Squad players presented a better
performance than the U/18 players in literature that could also be due to conditioning and training
programmes that were followed. With regard to game skill components the U/16 and U/18 Green
Squad rugby players possessed better game-specific skills in most tests than their counterparts in
literature.
Differences between national and provincial youth rugby players were recorded with regard to
anthropometrical, physical and motor and game-specific components, thus the importance of
further studies on the elite schoolboy rugby players, are evident.
Practical significant differences were found between different playing positions in both age
groups with reference to anthropometrical, physical and motor and game-specific components. It
can be derived that differences do exist between playing positions with regard to'
anthropometrical, physical and motor and game-specific components and that it is necessary to
include the components in a player position test battery.
To summarise, this study succeeded to compile a status profile of the elite youth rugby player
with reference to physical and game-specific variables. This test battery can be used in positional
talent identification and development models for elite schoolboy rugby players. School and
provincial coaches can use this test battery as a guide on team selection and individual training
programmes. It adds an enormous amount of knowledge on talent identification of youth elite
rugby players. === Thesis (M.Ed.)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2005.
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