Research reveals demands on players

KEY new research has been unveiled into the physical demands on professional rugby union players during games.

Preliminary findings by researchers from the University of Chester followed detailed work with eight Aviva Premiership clubs — Bath, Exeter, Harlequins, Leicester, London Irish, Wasps, Northampton and Sale Sharks.

GPS (Global Positioning System) units were worn by players, enabling more than 300 sets of data from 54 Premiership matches to be collected.