Table 1.
General characteristics of included studies1
| Author | Sample size | ƪAge (years) | Target Population | Study design | Country | Sport | Physiological construct |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Appleby et al. (2012) [80] | 20 | 24.4 ± 3.4–26.4 ± 3.4 | Adults | Longitudinal | Australia | Rugby union | Strength |
| Argus et al. (2012) [13] | 112 | 16.6 ± 0.8–24.4 ± 2.7 | Adolescents & Adults | Cross-sectional | New Zealand | Rugby union | Strength, power |
| Atkins (2006) [103] | 50 | 21.1 ± 4.7–22.1 ± 5.0 | Adults | Cross-sectional | England | Rugby league | aHIRA |
| Austin et al. (2013) [24] | 36 | 24.4 ± 3–24 ± 4 | Adults | Test re-test | Australia | Rugby league & union | bHIEP |
| Baker (2009) [81] | 64 | 19.5 ± 1.7–25.0 ± 3.3 | Adults | Cross-sectional | Australia | Rugby league | Strength-endurance |
| Baker and Newton (2008) [77] | 40 | 22.6 ± 3.6–25.3 ± 3.4 | Adults | Cross-sectional | Australia | Rugby league | Strength, power, agility, speed. |
| Baker (2002) [78] | 95 | 16.2 ± 1.2–23.5 ± 3.2 | Adolescents & Adults | Cross-sectional | Australia | Rugby league | Strength, power |
| Bradley et al. (2015) [5] | 45 | 21–33 | Adults | Longitudinal (repeated measures) | England | Rugby union | Speed, strength |
| Comfort et al. (2011) [75] | 18 | 21.7 ± 4.1 | Adults | Cross-sectional | England | Rugby league | Speed, agility, power, strength |
| Cobley et al. (2014) [47] | 1172 | U13-U15 players | Adolescents | Longitudinal | United Kingdom | Rugby league | Muscular power, speed, change of direction speed, maximal aerobic power |
| Darrall-Jones et al. (2015) [53] | 67 | 15.5 ± 0.3–19.0 ± 1.1 | Adolescents | Cross-sectional | England | Rugby union | Speed, agility, power, aHIRA |
| Darrall-Jones et al. (2015b) [59] | 67 | 15.4 ± 0.3–19.3 ± 1.2 | Adolescents | Cross-sectional | England | Rugby union | Speed, aHIRA, maximal aerobic speed |
| De Lacey et al. (2014) [104] | 39 | 24 ± 3 | Adults | Cross-sectional | New Zealand | Rugby league | Speed, strength, power |
| Delaney et al. (2015) [72] | 31 | 24.3 ± 4.4 | Adults | Cross-sectional | Australia | Rugby league | Speed, change of direction ability, strength, power |
| Durandt et al. (2014) [27] | 174 | U16-U18 players | Adolescents | Cross-sectional | South-Africa | Rugby union | Speed, agility, strength, endurance, aerobic fitness |
| Gabbett (2000) [61] | 35 | 26.5 ± 5.1 | Adults | Cross-sectional | Australia | Rugby league | Speed, power, maximal aerobic power |
| Gabbett (2002a) [30] | 159 | 12.3–25.1 | Adolescents & Adults | Cross-sectional | Australia | Rugby league | Power, speed, agility, estimated V02MAX |
| Meir et al. 2001 [105] | 146 | N/m | Adults | Cross-sectional | Australia and England | Rugby league | Strength, endurance speed, agility |
| Gabbett (2005a) [31] | 240 | 16–18 | Adolescents | Cross-sectional | Australia | Rugby league | Power, speed, agility, maximal aerobic power |
| Gabbett (2005b) [32] | 45 | – | Adolescents | Cross-sectional | Australia | Rugby League | Power, speed, agility, maximal aerobic power |
| Gabbett (2005c) [33] | 68 | ≥ 18 | Adults | Cross-sectional | Australia | Rugby league | Power, speed, agility, maximal aerobic power |
| Gabbett (2006) [34] | 415 | 21.1 ± 3.4–25.7 ± 5.6 | Adults | Cross-sectional | Australia | Rugby league | Power, speed, agility, maximal aerobic power |
| Gabbett et al. (2007) [35] | 86 | 22.5 ± 4.9 | Adults | Cross-sectional | Australia | Rugby league | Power, speed, agility, maximal aerobic power |
| Gabbett et al. (2008a) [19] | 42 | 23.6 ± 5.3 | Adults | Cross-sectional | Australia | Rugby league | Speed, change of direction speed |
| Gabbett et al. (2008b) [36] | 35 | 14.1 ± 0.2–16.9 ± 0.3 | Adolescents | Longitudinal (repeated measures) | Australia | Rugby league | Speed, power, muscular endurance, agility, maximum aerobic power |
| Gabbett (2009) [73] | 12 | 24.4 ± 3.5 | Adults | Cross-sectional | Australia | Rugby league | Acceleration, power, change of direction speed |
| Gabbett (2009b) [37] | 88 | 13.2 ± 0.6–16.5 ± 0.3 | Adolescents | Cross-sectional | Australia | Rugby league | Speed, change of direction speed, power, maximal aerobic power |
| Gabbett et al. (2011a) [16] | 58 | 23.8 ± 3.8 | Adults | Cross-sectional | Australia | Rugby league | Speed, repeated sprint ability, change of direction speed, power, prolonged HIRA |
| Gabbett et al. (2011b) [49] | 86 | 23.3 ± 3.8 | Adults | Cross-sectional | Australia | Rugby league | Speed, change of direction, power, repeated sprint ability, prolonged HIRA, maximal aerobic power |
| Gabbett et al. (2013) [50] | 38 | 23.1 ± 2.7 | Adults | Prospective cohort experimental design | Australia | Rugby league | Repeated sprint ability, prolonged HIRA, maximal aerobic power. |
| Gabbett et al. (2009c) [65] | 64 | 15.9 ± 0.6–16.0 ± 0.2 | Adolescents | Cross-sectional | Australia | Rugby league | Speed, change of direction speed, muscular power, maximal aerobic power |
| Gabbett & Seibold (2013) [15] | 32 | 24 ± 3 | Adults | Prospective cohort design | Australia | Rugby league | Strength, strength endurance, power, prolonged HIRA |
| Galvin et al. (2013) [29] | 30 | 18.4 ± 1.5 | Adolescents | Single-blind placebo controlled design | England | Rugby league & union | Repeated sprint training, speed, prolonged HIRA |
| Green et al. (2011) [6] | 28 | 19 ± 1.3–19 ± 1.7 | Adolescents | Cross-sectional | Ireland | Rugby union | Speed, change of direction ability |
| Hansen et al. (2011) [79] | 40 | 23.7 ± 5.0 | Adults | Cross-sectional | Australia | Rugby union | Speed, power |
| Holloway et al. (2008) [70] | 12 | 21.5 ± 2.2 | Adults | Cross-sectional | Australia | Rugby league | Anaerobic endurance |
| Jarvis et al. (2009) [10] | 19 | 23.0 ± 5.4 | Adults | Cross-sectional | Wales | Rugby union | Speed, agility, maximum aerobic power |
| Johnston & Gabbett (2011) [51] | 12 | 22.7 ± 2.2 | Adults | Randomized, counterbalanced cross over experimental | Scotland | Rugby league | Repeated sprint ability & effort |
| Johnston et al. (2015) [54] | 31 | 16.5 ± 0.5 | Adolescents | Between groups, repeated measures experimental design | Australia | Rugby league | HIRA |
| Johnston et al. (2015b) [60] | 21 | 19.2 ± 0.7 | Adolescents | Cross-sectional | Australia | Rugby league | HIRA, muscular strength, power |
| Kirkpatrick and Comfort (2013) [38] | 24 | 18.7 ± 0.9 | Adolescents | Cross-sectional | England | Rugby league | Power, strength, speed |
| Krause et al. (2015) [76] | 485 | U12-U15 | Adolescent | Cross-sectional | Australia | Rugby union | Speed, power |
| Lombard et al. (2015) [7] | 453 | 18.1 ± 0.7 | Adolescents | Repeated cross-sectional design | South Africa | Rugby union | Strength, endurance, speed |
| Moore and Murphy (2003) [71] | 15 | 22.5 ± 2.5 | Adults | Cross-sectional | Australia | Rugby union | Anaerobic capacity |
| Meir et al. (2001) [58] | 146 | N/m | Adults | Cross-sectional | England and Australia | Rugby league | Speed, Muscle strength, power, endurance, agility |
| Parsonage et al. (2014) [39] | 156 | 15 ± 7 | Adolescents | Cross-sectional | UK | Rugby union | Power, speed, endurance capacity |
| Pienaar and Coetzee (2013) [28] | 40 | 18.9 ± 0.4 | Adolescents | Pre-posttest, randomized experimental design | South Africa | Rugby union | Power, acceleration, speed, agility, anaerobic capacity |
| Scott et al. (2015) [68] | 55 | 15.6 ± 0.3–19.4 ± 0.5 | Adolescents | Test retest, comparative cross-sectional | Australia | Rugby league | Prolonged HIRA |
| Serpell et al. (2010) [74] | 30 | ≥ 18 | Adolescents & Adults | Within subject & between subject experimental design | Australia | Rugby league | Agility |
| Smart and Gill (2013) [42] | 44 | 15.3 ± 1.3 | Adolescents | Pre-post experimental control design | New Zealand | Rugby union | Strength, power, speed, anaerobic and aerobic running |
| Smart et al. (2013) [52] | 1161 | *N/m | Adults | Retrospective, secondary data analysis | New Zealand | Rugby union | Strength, power, speed, repeated sprint ability. |
| Smart et al. (2014) [17] | 510 | *N/m | Adults | Retrospective, secondary data analyses | New Zealand | Rugby union | Strength, speed, power, repeated sprint ability |
| Till et al. (2016) [18] | 81 | U17-U19 | Adolescents & Adults | Cross-sectional, Longitudinal | United Kingdom | Rugby League | Speed, Muscular power, strength Endurance, |
| Till et al. (2014a) [69] | 133 | 15.5–20.1 | Adolescents | Longitudinal | England | Rugby league | Power, speed, endurance, strength |
| Till et al. (2014b) [55] | 75 | 13.0–19.9 | Adolescents | Longitudinal | England | Rugby league | Power, speed, endurance, strength. |
| Till et al. (2015) [56] | 130 | U16-U20 | Adolescents | Longitudinal | England | Rugby league | Power, speed, endurance, strength |
| Till and Jones (2015) [57] | 121 | 12.8–15.5 | Adolescents | Longitudinal | England | Rugby league | Power, speed, endurance |
| Till et al. (2011) [43] | 1172 | 13.57 ± 0.27–15.57 ± 0.27 | Adolescents | Longitudinal | United Kingdom | Rugby league | Muscular power, Speed, change of direction speed, maximal aerobic uptake |
| Till et al. (2013) [44] | 81 | 13.6 ± 0.2 | Adolescents | Longitudinal | United Kingdom | Rugby League | Muscular power, speed, change of direction, maximal aerobic power |
| Till et al. (2014c) [45] | 81 | 13.62 ± 0.24 | Adolescents | Longitudinal | United Kingdom | Rugby League | Muscular power, speed, change of direction speed, maximal aerobic power |
| Till et al. (2016b) [41] | 580 | U13-U15 | Adolescents | Longitudinal | United Kingdom | Rugby League | Speed, Change of direction speed, Muscular power, maximal aerobic power |
| Till et al. (2013b) [46] | 1172 | U13-U15 | Adolescents | Longitudinal | United Kingdom | Rugby League | Speed, muscular power, change of direction speed, maximal aerobic power |
| Till et al. (2016c) [66] | 257 | U15 | Adolescents | Longitudinal | United Kingdom | Rugby league | Muscular power, speed, change of direction speed, maxiam aerobic power |
| Till et al. (2015b) [67] | 580 | 13.60 ± 0.55–13.80 ± 0.72 | Adolescents | Cross-sectional | United Kingdom | Rugby League | Speed, change of direction speed, muscular power, maximal oxygen uptake. |
| Till et al. (2010) [48] | 683 | 13.6 ± 0.27–15.54 ± 0.27 | Adolescents | Longitudinal | United Kingdom | Rugby league | Speed, change of direction speed, muscular power, maximal oxygen uptake. |
| Vaz et al. (2014) [12] | 46 | 26.2 ± 2.8–26.7 ± 2.9 | Adults | Cross-sectional | Portugal | Rugby union | Strength, speed, maximal aerobic power |
| Waldron et al. (2014a) [62] | 28 | 15.1 ± 0.4–17.0 ± 0.4 | Adolescents | Longitudinal | Australia | Rugby league | Speed, power, aerobic endurance |
| Waldron et al. (2014b) [63] | 13 | 15.1 ± 0.3–17.0 ± 0.3 | Adolescents | Longitudinal | Australia | Rugby league | Speed, power, aerobic endurance |
| Gabbett (2002b) [64] | 66 | 24 ± 4 | Adults | Cross-sectional | Australia | Rugby league | Power, speed, agility, maximal aerobic power |
| Gabbett (2006b) [40] | 77 | 16.7–27.3 | Adolescents & Adults | Cross-sectional | Australia | Rugby league | Speed, agility, maximal aerobic power |
ahigh intensity running ability; b repeated high intensity exercise performance; ƪage was reported as mean ± standard deviation or range (for one sample of participants) or group range (if a study had more than two groups of participants); *N/m-not mentioned; Strength-denotes lower or upper body muscular strength; Power- denotes lower or upper body muscular power