In the latest ‘Sevens Uncovered’ we take an in-depth look at the different elements of analysis that contribute to a teams’ performance on the field.
In the Olympic era of Rugby Sevens matches are won by the narrowest of margins, meaning every percentage gain away from the pitch is time well spent.
With the introduction of the full-time status in Rugby Sevens, coaching has now become a lot more technical and important meaning analysis plays a big role in a lot of the full-time coaches’ coaching process.
“From my first time on the Series there were four analysts, now, there are up to 13,” said Phil Dunne from the IRB’s game analysis department.
“Now there’s a wireless network that the teams can download all the footage from. All 16 teams have access to the same content, so the information that they collate from the software packages allows them to develop profiles on teams, which then allows them to prepare for future performances.”
One man with a unique role within his own team is Scotland’s multi-tasking skills coach, former international centre Graham Shiel.
“Looking at the analysis side of things, it has become more and more important for each and every team,” said Shiel.
“The crew of analysts that are travelling with each team are getting bigger and bigger and the information that they can generate is becoming more and more powerful.
“For us – it’s trying to make it as fluent between the statistics and trying to get the information we need to try and to try and enhance our performances which is a vital part of our daily and tournament preparation for performances.”
Andrew Turnbull, who will represent his country on home soil at this weekend’s Glasgow Sevens, admits the players see the benefits of the analysis.
“It’s hugely important,” added Turnbull. “When you come off a game sometimes all sorts of things are going on in your head, but when you actually see it, and play it, it kind of changes things a wee bit and you can see in a bit more detail about what you’re doing. So yeah, it’s a massive thing for us to be able to do that.”
Perhaps most interestingly, Dunne added an interesting stat relating to a coach and post-match analysis….
“Recent research into performance analysis identified that coaches can only recall 20 to 40 percent of game play without the use of video.
“So, speaking to a lot of coaches, they will tell you that it’s a vital part of their preparation for performance.”
