Recovery strategies in elite level rugby union players and positional considerations - scoping review

Background: Rugby union training and competition results in task specific fatigue. As a result, it is essential that practitioners working in elite rugby settings identify and understand the position specific demands placed upon players and then align appropriate recovery to optimise performance. Therefore, the primary aim of this scoping review is to explore fatigue and recovery in elite rugby players and investigate any specific strategies used to enhance recovery. The secondary aim of this scoping review is to discuss potential positional differences in relation to recovery strategies and fatigue markers. Methods: Thirty-seven articles were included in this scoping review, with results identifying a diversity in the recovery approaches taken, with cold water immersion the most commonly used, compression garments, partial and whole-body cryotherapy, electrostimulation, nutritional supplements (fish oil), pool based active recovery and innovative mattresses also utilised. Results: Findings align with previous research showing that many recovery strategies have limited empirical support, however, interestingly from our review was the finding that 26 studies included no specific recovery intervention within their research methodology. Meanwhile, only five studies reported positional data results, meaning it is difficult to appropriately compare position specific recovery or quantify the effectiveness of specific recovery strategies. Conclusions: Thus, this scoping review serves as a “call to arms” to the rugby union research community to identify position specific data in future works and then integrate positional specificity and individualised athlete needs to enhance recovery.