Table 3.

Players’ focus groups results.

Theme	Categories	Sub-categories	Categories’ additional example quotation
Task constraints	Sport participation history	Multisport background	“I preferred football up until I was 11, probably, then changed to rugby. And cricket, I preferred cricket until […] I started enjoying rugby and I started rugby. And a bit of athletics as well, on the side”. PG1
	Activity type	Exposure to training Consistency in good performance Position specific requirements Repetition of skills Dedication to improve skills Enjoy the skills Handling skills Skill transferability Skill-set variety	“[…] It's then what people are actually doing away from training and away from the club. […] So, it's those players who do that extra training bit, who have that extra want to not lose that are the ones that end up coming through and out the other end”. PG1
	Game exposure	Game played	“Because I think the more you're out on the pitch, the better you get as a player”. PG2
Performer constraints	Anthropometric	Height	“Because I feel like rugby is not that specialised, i.e., you've got to have loads of different qualities about yourself a part being tall”. PG2
	Physiological	Multitude of physical factors Individual characteristics Speed Fitness Strength Agility Physicality Work rate Jump qualities Quickness	“Like you've got to have speed, be quick, you've got to be agile”. PG2
	Psychological and psychosocial	Hard work Mindset Ask for feedback Communication Teamwork Consistency Improvement Competitiveness Player-coach relationship Grit Effort Lifestyle Aggressiveness Coachability	“[…] when you first come in, you've got to understand, you've got to look at the people who are seniors in the team, and understand the amount of hard work they put in to be where they are. And that you're going to have to put in easily that much, if not more, if you want to eventually get to that position. And if you can just get it in your head that it's going to take a hell of a lot of hard work to get into that position, then that's a good start. Because you get your first professional contract, that's just the beginning, you haven't even done anything yet at that stage. That's where all your hard work begins. So, the faster you can understand that, the faster you can start getting better”. PG2
	Technical-tactical	Position specific technical differences Good at basic drills Ball carrying Kicking skills for back Passing ball for width for forwards Decision making Big tackles Turnovers Great breakdowns	“You've got one or two things that you're really good at and some other stuff you're good at but it's not brilliant […]. Whereas in world class players, they make big tackles, make big carries, turnovers, work great at breakdowns, they've got everything”. PG1
Environmental constraints	National	Culture	“So, I started playing there, but yeah once again, all the way through secondary school probably did every single sport I could possibly do because it is how we do here [in England]”. PG2
	Socio-economic	Type of school	“If you really want to stick with rugby, it's kind of a private school thing…” PG1
	Family	Parents Brothers	“So, my dad was an actual ex-professional scrum-half as well so I used to do a lot with him. So, we’d go and that would be where I'd kind of get my basic pattern and kicking stuff done till I'd prepare myself to go and play in the academy in Wales”. PG1