Thinking as one: enhancing shared mental models simulation in international rugby union

Shared mental models (SMMs) have been identified as a key psychological construct that underpins team coordination.This pragmatic mixed-methods pilot study, embedded within the Irish women’s international rugby union team (n = 39), examined the development of SMMs through a simulation-based intervention. Across a 10-week competitive period, participants completed weekly video-based tasks, bookended by pre- and post-intervention assessments using the Shared Mental Models in Team Sports Questionnaire (SMMTSQ). SMMs coherence increased significantly following the intervention. Both team (M_pre = 166.21, M_post = 199.53, p = 0.003) and individual (M_pre = 86.13, M_post = 103.65, p = 0.003) understanding improved, with an overall increase in understanding (M_pre = 252.33, M_post = 303.18, p = 0.002). Qualitative findings (n = 8) indicated that players and staff experienced the intervention as well-integrated within the training week and a valuable tool for informing coaching practice. These findings provide preliminary support for simulation-based pedagogical approaches to develop shared understanding in high performance team sport. The study also extends the role of the Performance Analyst towards a more proactive pedagogical approach.