Impact of the 10-Meter Rule Change on Professional Rugby League: Implications for Training

Rudi Meir, MA, CSCS; Paul Colla, BHMS; and Cynthia Milligan, BHMSSchool of Exercise Science and Sport ManagementSouthern Cross UniversityKeywords: rugby league; time and motion analysis; training.WHEN DEVELOPING A SPORT-specific training program for ateam, the strength and condition-ing coach needs a detailed knowl-edge and understanding of the de-mands placed on participantsduring competition. Observationusing time and motion analysis isa practical alternative to more so-phisticated procedures that canprovide details relating to the typeof match play activities performed,how often they are performed, andfor what period of time. In addi-tion, the frequency and ratio ofwork to rest, overall distance cov-ered, and intensity of effort—andtherefore the dominant energysystems used—can be identifiedand estimated.Rugby league football is ateam sport played over two 40-minute halves separated by a 10-minute half-time interval. A teamcomprises 13 players with teampositions broadly defined as eitherforwards (i.e., all players involvedin the scrum,