ABSTRACT
It has been said that sheer muscular power (strength applied at speed) is the basis of physical effort in rugby (Evans, 1973). Because of methodological problems the measurement of the maximal power of rugby footballers has been confined to tests of explosive or passive strength such as the Sargeant jump or hand grip test, whilst the determination of power output during running has been limited to treadmill and field tests which measure, or predict, maximal aerobic power ( https://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"> V . 0 2 https://s3-euw1-ap-pe-df-pch-content-public-p.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/9780203720035/4f171d74-2867-42d1-88ad-137858f57c23/content/inline-math_171_B.tif" xmlns:xlink="https://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"/> max). During such tests body weight must be supported throughout the run so oxygen uptake is quite rightly expressed in relation to body weight, with the consequence that rugby forwards with their particularly high body weight have relatively low https://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"> V . 0 2 https://s3-euw1-ap-pe-df-pch-content-public-p.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/9780203720035/4f171d74-2867-42d1-88ad-137858f57c23/content/inline-math_172_B.tif" xmlns:xlink="https://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"/> max values compared to other groups (Bell, 1980; Williams et al., 1973). In Rugby Union football the power required to win the ball is to a large extent supplied by the heavy body weights of the forwards. Furthermore, it has been estimated that one third of the distance run by a rugby forward during an international game is covered at maximal pace with the remainder at approximately three quarter pace (Williams, 1976). Maximal sprinting activity requires a power output which is 2–3 times greater than the maximal aerobic power (Wootton, 1984). Therefore, it is of interest and of relevance to examine the power output of rugby forwards during maximal running activity and to express this power output both in absolute terms and in relation to body weight. Thus the purpose of the present study was to examine the power output of rugby forwards during maximal treadmill sprinting and to make comparisons with some previously collected data on rugby backs of the same playing standard.
