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Table 1 General characteristics of included studies1

From: A systematic review investigating measurement properties of physiological tests in rugby

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

  1. 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