Enhanced Rugby Suite Introduces Rugby Lineout Jumps

Catapult is thrilled to announce the latest enhancement to our Rugby Suite: Lineout Jumps. This feature is designed to quantify the number of lineout jumps, providing teams with even more insights into athlete training and game dynamics.

Catapult’s Current Rugby Union Suite

Our Rugby Suite already quantifies key rugby set plays and skills, including scrums, contact involvements, and kicks. Each skill is measured using count, duration, and Back-in-Game (BiG) Time metrics. These metrics offer comprehensive insights into player performance, enabling teams to optimise their strategies and improve outcomes on the field.

Introducing the Rugby Lineout Jumps

We have developed a new feature to detect and analyse lineout jumps based on valuable feedback from several key rugby clients. Based on this feedback, understanding these jumps’ volume and frequency is crucial for player performance and injury mitigation.

“Integrating lineout jumps analysis into the Rugby Suite is a game-changer for us. It provides critical insights that help us optimise player performance. By accurately tracking the volume and frequency of lineout jumps, we can better manage player workloads and ensure athletes are not overexerted during training sessions. This data allows us to fine-tune our tactical and technical workflows, ensuring that we can practice efficiently while minimising the risk of injury. Ultimately, this feature empowers us to make informed decisions that enhance overall team performance and player longevity.” – Tom Sherriff, Head of Athletic Development at Saracens Rugby.

Developing the Rugby Lineout Jumps Feature

How We Derived This Solution

To develop the ability to quantify Lineout Jumps, we consulted extensively with several key rugby clients, including feedback from Premiership Rugby teams and Rugby governing bodies. 

The feedback from a Premiership Rugby team outlined that they had been dedicating a staff member specifically to count lineout jumps, underscoring the critical value lineouts have on rugby performance.

Why This Matters to Rugby Teams

Although lineout jumps can be easily detected using video in games, many teams need more time or resources to count these jumps during training sessions. Given the vertical nature of lineout jumps, GPS alone cannot detect this type of movement, whereas Catapult’s wearable devices provide a unique advantage. 

The intense eccentric demands placed on muscles and joints during lineout jumps and the need for coaches to practice tactical and technical workflows mean that a significant training load could be added to many athletes without prior awareness. By accurately detecting and analysing lineout jumps, teams can better manage player workloads, optimise training sessions, and reduce the risk of injury.

This enhancement addresses a critical need identified by rugby professionals and aligns with our commitment to providing comprehensive, actionable insights that help teams stay ahead of the competition.

How to Take Advantage of Rugby Lineout Jumps

The new metrics will be included in the Vector Pro package – reach out to your account or customer success representative. To get started with the Rugby Lineout, follow these steps to view them in your OpenField dashboard:

How to Start Using Rugby Lineout Jumps

1. Contact your Customer Success Representative
   If you don’t already have the Rugby module applied to your account

2. Download and Install OpenField Console version 3.13.0 or above
   
3. In OpenField Console, process any new or historical raw files
   Rugby Lineouts will be detected in addition to existing Rugby events whenever a raw file is processed or re-processed in OF Console 3.13.0 or above
   
4. Sync OpenField Console data to the Cloud
   Use the ‘Full Sync’ or ‘Sync’ tile, depending on which is available on your account
   
5. View your Rugby Lineout data
   Lineout Jump counts are available as a parameter in OpenField Cloud, with individual Lineout events available via the Connect API

If you are not a Catapult customer but want to start using the Rugby Lineout Jumps, click here and complete the form to speak to our specialist rugby team.

Also, our rugby webpage provides the full scope of solutions for rugby teams. Click here to view that page and discover the solutions that enable you to stay ahead of the competition with the latest advancements in rugby performance analysis.