Influence of the Opposing Team on the Physical Demands of Elite Rugby League Match Play

Players covered significantly greater (p ≤ 0.05) distances at high speeds when competing against Bottom 4 teams compared to Top 4 teams.

• Total distance per minute and relative distance at low speeds were greater during won matches.
• Winning teams performed a higher number of maximal accelerations and high-intensity effort bouts than losing teams.
• Mean and maximum efforts in repeated high-intensity bouts were also higher in winning teams, while recovery times were shorter in losing teams.
• Moderate (7-17 points) and large (≥18 points) winning margins were linked to greater relative distances covered compared to small winning margins.
• No significant differences in physical demands were observed between small, moderate, and large losing margins.

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