Catapult and Rugby Football Union (RFU), Premiership Rugby, and Premiership Women’s Rugby (PWR) Announce Multi-Year Partnership
A New Era for Rugby Performance in England
Today, Catapult is excited to announce a new multi-year partnership with the Rugby Football Union (RFU) that will provide England’s national rugby teams, Premiership Rugby, and Premiership Women’s Rugby (PWR) with advanced performance-tracking technology. This collaboration is set to enhance both team and individual performance by integrating data-driven insights that support better coaching and player development across English rugby.
“It has been a long-time objective to align player tracking technology across all areas of the professional game. The partnership between the RFU, Premiership Rugby, PWR and Catapult will provide players and practitioners access to a range of best-in-class products to optimize how players are managed and drive game-wide insights through standardized data capture and integrated data and video analysis,” said Duncan Locke, Head of Technical Performance at the Rugby Football Union.
Comprehensive Rugby Performance Analysis Tools
As the preferred provider of athlete monitoring technology, Catapult will equip England’s men’s and women’s national teams, Premiership Rugby, and PWR with its full suite of performance analysis tools. These include the Catapult Vector System, MatchTracker, and Focus.
Catapult Vector and MatchTracker Integration
The Catapult Vector System offers an in-depth understanding of player and team performance through athlete monitoring data. When integrated with MatchTracker, it provides coaches with a detailed visualization of on-field dynamics, helping them identify patterns and trends in real-time. This enables coaching staff to sort, filter, and rapidly access critical insights, allowing them to make informed tactical adjustments as games unfold.
Focus Video Capture for Tactical Adjustments
Additionally, Focus captures multi-angle video and data during both games and practices, supporting decision-making and tactical adjustments on the spot. Together, these tools will empower RFU, Premiership Rugby, and PWR teams to make strategic choices around player performance and injury management, providing a competitive edge.
Advanced Tools for Rugby-Specific Insights
The agreement extends to include the Catapult Vector Rugby Analytics Suite, Elite Vests, and the ClearSky Local Positioning System (LPS), specifically designed to enhance rugby performance tracking.
“Utilizing Catapult ClearSky technology, we can now monitor performance with unprecedented precision. This not only elevates individual and team performance understanding but also supports player management through consistently and efficiently capturing and monitoring player workloads and movement patterns across all club and international environments, aligning with the RFU’s commitment to player welfare and safety,” added Locke.
Catapult Vector Rugby Analytics Suite
The Catapult Vector Rugby Analytics Suite is optimized for rugby, utilizing advanced algorithms to monitor key actions like scrums, kicks, lineout jumps, and contact involvements. This data is instrumental for teams looking to improve individual and team performance on the field.
-> Discover more about Catapult’s Rugby Analytics Suite, by watching our latest on-demand webinar, titled ‘Updated Rugby Suite: Revolutionizing Athletic Performance Metrics‘.
Elite Vests and ClearSky LPS
The Elite Vests are designed for both women and men, with a version optimized for each. The Elite Vest for women improves sensor placement for enhanced heart rate signal quality, while the men’s vest includes an inlaid chest band to ensure stable sensors during intense movement, leading to greater data accuracy.
Catapult’s ClearSky LPS provides real-time, low-latency data and will be installed at major national venues, including Allianz Stadium and the Honda England Rugby Performance Centre, as well as domestic training locations like Bristol Bears and Gloucester Rugby. This setup allows RFU teams to capture reliable data during both training sessions and matches, contributing to a more comprehensive understanding of player performance.
Seamless Data Management and Integration Across All Levels
As part of this agreement, Catapult will provide RFU, Premiership Rugby, and PWR teams with tools for streamlined data management and sharing across club, league, and game levels. Teams can set their performance thresholds and operational zones, creating tailored training strategies that align with the needs of each squad throughout the season.
Data from Catapult systems will seamlessly sync with the league’s and domestic team’s overall architecture, fostering information flow and enhanced insights across all levels of rugby. In addition, players will benefit from a performance passport that consolidates all their data directly into the Catapult OpenField Cloud, allowing smooth data sharing when players transition between teams within RFU, Premiership Rugby, or PWR.
”Premiership Rugby is excited to partner with Catapult Sports, making available the latest player tracking technology to our teams,” said Matt Cross, Head of Science and Medical Operations at Premiership Rugby.
“By providing practitioners with comprehensive and individualized data using Catapult technology, we empower them to make informed decisions to prioritize player performance and safety. It has been a long-term ambition to align player-tracking technology across the elite game in England, and this partnership provides the opportunity to make this technology available to clubs, allowing for seamless data sharing to support players transitioning across different environments from both a performance and welfare perspective.”
Supporting Player Safety and Performance Continuity
The introduction of player passports through Catapult will help manage players’ workloads and monitor movement patterns, which is crucial for preventing injuries and ensuring continuity in performance data. With the latest insights, coaches can make informed decisions on training and recovery, keeping players healthier and performing at their best.
“As a player, having access to detailed performance insights like this is a game-changer for us and ensures every player in Premiership Women’s Rugby can operate at the highest level,” said Marlie Packer, Co-Captain for the Saracens.
“Catapult athlete monitoring technology will allow us to track our progress, manage our workload, and refine our skills in ways we couldn’t before as we play in the best women’s league in the world. It’s exciting to know that we’re supported by tools designed to prioritize both our performance and our long-term health. This partnership is helping us elevate our game and align with the highest standards in rugby.”
Conclusion: A New Approach to Rugby Performance Analysis in England
This partnership between Catapult and the RFU represents a forward-looking approach to rugby performance analysis. By equipping teams with advanced tools for monitoring and analyzing player performance, Catapult and RFU are set to support the continued growth and development of rugby in England.
“We are excited to begin this new partnership with three of the world’s most respected rugby organizations, the RFU, Premiership Rugby, and PWR,” said Kieran Dannatt, Vice President of Strategic Partnerships and Development of Catapult.
“By investing in Catapult’s technology, the RFU, Premiership Rugby, and PWR are building a sustainable model for the future of rugby. This partnership ensures that the RFU, Premiership Rugby, and PWR teams have cutting-edge technology that enhances both team and individual athlete performance and player care, further solidifying English rugby’s position as a leader in rugby innovation.”
With Catapult’s technology, England’s rugby teams will improve their strategic decisions, enhance player safety, and push the boundaries of innovation in the sport, positioning English rugby as a leader on both national and international stages.