ABSTRACT

Rugby union is a collision team sport, classified as an interval aerobic-anaerobic activity involving great strength and power of the upper and lower extremities (Duthie et al., 2003). Since the first World Cup open to woman in 1991, this traditional male sport is increasingly practiced, non-professionally, by female athletes. Game analysis (Duthie et al., 2003; 2005; Deutsch et al., 2007) and functional evaluation (Scott et al., 2003; Duthie et al., 2003) of players of different skill, gender and/or age are classical approaches to the understanding of the physical demands of rugby (Reilly and Gilbourne, 2003). However there appears to be limited scientific papers examining women's rugby at the elite level. A recent paper has been published on women's rugby league (Gabbett, 2007), which is a similar but distinct sport from rugby union. The only specific reference that we are aware of is a fifteen years old congress proceeding (Kirby and Reilly, 1993). Therefore, due to the specificity of rugby codes and to the evolution of rugby union in recent years (Duthie et al., 2003), the data that are currently available on women's rugby union may not reflect the current game.