Table 2.

Introduction to practical support for practitioners working with rugby players.

Factor	Advisory	Methods to Meet Advisory	Level of Evidence	Directions for Future Research
Energy	Ensure energy intake meets the demands of the sport. The current literature suggests that rugby players have high energy demands but the levels of intake required to maintain energy balance may not be sufficient.	Education of athletes Delivery of education workshops around unique energetic demands of rugby athletes, with consideration for positional variability Provision of infographics for personal use and in food areas within the rugby environment App-based education and communication (e.g., WhatsApp) Engagement with athletes around meals in catered environments Education of stakeholders Delivery of education workshops and infographics around the unique energetic demands of rugby athletes, with considerations for positional variability Provision of tailored shopping lists Provision of food and batch-tested supplements Explore canteen implementation and transformations Food parcels, particularly for academy players with various rugby-specific and external obligations, to ensure meeting energy requirements Outsource food delivery and preparation Appropriate estimation of resting metabolic rate and energy expenditure when direct determination of energy expenditure is not available Utilise a rugby-specific resting metabolic rate estimation equation [101]	Moderate	Quantify energy intake in female rugby players Investigate barriers and facilitators to enable the meeting of energy demands
Protein	Ensure per-meal protein intake is in-line with best-practice sports nutrition guidelines in the literature (0.4 g·kg−1 BM of protein on 4–6 eating occasions throughout the day; Schoenfeld and Aragon, 2018)	Education of athletes Delivery of education workshops providing information and recommendations for protein intake based on specific athletes’ body mass and activity levels, with consideration for within-day protein periodisation Provision of infographics for personal use and in food areas within the rugby environment App-based education and communication (e.g., WhatsApp) Engagement with athletes around matches, training, and in catered environments Education of stakeholders Delivery of education workshops and infographics providing information and recommendations for within-day and overall protein intake based on specific athletes’ body mass and activity levels Provision of tailored shopping lists, with specific considerations for individual athlete body mass and activity levels to ensure optimal carbohydrate availability Provision of food and batch-tested supplements Protein stations in changing rooms to ensure availability around matches and training sessions Provision of batch-tested supplements for athletes to introduce into the home environment	Low	Quantify protein intake in female rugby players Determine the impact of periodising within-day protein intake on rugby-specific movement patterns, performance, body composition, and recovery
Carbohydrate	Ensure daily carbohydrate is in-line with best-practice sports nutrition guidelines in the literature (5–10 g·kg−1·day−1; [27], with considerations for food volume due to observed body mass variability.	Education of athletes Delivery of education workshops providing information and recommendations for carbohydrate intake based on specific athletes’ body mass and activity levels, with consideration for within-day and between-day carbohydrate periodisation Provision of infographics for personal use and in food areas within the rugby environment App-based education and communication (e.g., WhatsApp) Engagement with athletes around meals in catered environments Education of stakeholders Delivery of education workshops and infographics providing information and recommendations for carbohydrate intake based on specific athletes’ body mass and activity levels, with considerations for carbohydrate periodisation Provision of tailored shopping lists, with specific considerations for individual athlete body mass and activity levels to ensure optimal carbohydrate availability Provision of food and batch-tested supplements Explore canteen implementation and transformations Food parcels, particularly for academy players with various rugby-specific and external obligations, to ensure meeting carbohydrate requirements Outsource food delivery and preparation	High	Quantify carbohydrate intake in female rugby players Carbohydrate periodisation in young academy athletes Determine the impact of periodising carbohydrate intake (between-day and within-day) on rugby-specific movement patterns, performance, body composition, and recovery
Diet quality	Support increases in fruit and vegetable intake in youth athletes	Education of athletes Delivery of education workshops providing information and recommendations for optimising diet variety and quality Provision of infographics for personal use and in food areas within the rugby environment App-based education and communication (e.g., WhatsApp) Engagement with athletes around meals in catered environments Education of stakeholders Delivery of education workshops and infographics providing information and recommendations for optimising diet variety and quality Provision of tailored shopping lists Provision of food and batch-tested supplements Explore canteen implementation and transformations Food parcels, particularly for academy players with various rugby-specific and external obligations Outsource food delivery and preparation	Low	Quantification of fruit and vegetable intake in elite rugby players Quantification of fibre intake
Determinants of food choice	Ensure stakeholders such as coaches, support staff, partners, and caregivers are able to appropriately support food choice provision. Increase nutrition knowledge in athletes and stakeholders.	Education of athletes Delivery of education workshops with specific focus on techniques to improve dietary intake and quality Provision of infographics for personal use and in food areas within the rugby environment Engage in one-to-one discussions with athletes to understand the unique determinants of food choice in environments other than the specific rugby environment (e.g., home, work or school, during travel) App-based education and communication (e.g., WhatsApp) Engagement with athletes around meals in catered environments Education of stakeholders Engage in one-to-one discussions with parents and caregivers to understand the unique determinants of food choice in environments other than the specific rugby environment (e.g., home, work or school, during travel) Delivery of education workshops and infographics providing information on techniques to improve dietary intake and quality Provision of tailored shopping lists Where practical, ensure greatest availability of sports nutrition practitioners within the club environment Implementing strategies to improve dietary practices in rugby players via regular communication and monitoring of players, and delivery of educational materials to both players and stakeholders may be unfeasible without appropriate practitioner investment [74] Utilise evidence base to structure systematic approach to nutrition support provision	Low	Greater geographic variability in qualitative understanding of determinants of food choice in rugby players Determination of barriers and facilitators to meeting generic and sport-specific nutrition guidelines for athletes and stakeholders Further quantification of nutrition knowledge in athletes and stakeholders