Optimising Talent Pathways in Rugby Union: A Multidisciplinary, Mixed-Methods Approach to Talent Recognition, Identification, Development, and Selection

Abstract

This thesis aimed to provide a comprehensive understanding and enhance the effectiveness of talent recognition, identification, development, and selection in rugby union pathways through five chapters, including four empirical studies.
Chapter 1 critically reviews the current literature on talent identification and development research, highlighting existing findings and identifying key gaps. Specifically, the review explores the theoretical underpinnings of talent, examines talent development models, and analyses the key factors influencing talent development and their roles within talent systems. Finally, the chapter discusses the role of the talent development environment. These discussions are centred around three main themes: (1) the limited inclusion of technical-tactical skills in the talent process; (2) the lack of multidisciplinary research; and (3) the limited interventions designed to enhance the talent development environment.
Chapter 2 details the design, validation, and reliability tests of the Bangor Rugby Assessment Tool (BRAT), a novel observational instrument for assessing technical and tactical skills in rugby union. The tool was developed via the following three stages: (1) completion of a targeted literature search and expert focus group to inform initial item content; (2) Bayesian structural equation modelling to examine instrument factor structure; and (3) establishment of instrument reliability using intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC). Results demonstrate excellent model fit (PPP = 0.511), strong validity and good reliability (ICC = 0.79). The assessment tool offers a valid and reliable tool for measuring technical and tactical aptitude within rugby union, whilst maintaining the requisite practical utility valued by practitioners.
Chapter 3 investigates a multidisciplinary approach across three distinct and critical phases in the development process: recognition, identification, and selection within the rugby union pathway. Specifically, the study applied a machine learning approach to evaluate the predictive performance of anthropometric and physiological models and determine whether a multidisciplinary approach enhances predictive power. Additionally, the study examined how predictive models changed across these developmental stages and assessed the influence of relative age on predictive power. The findings demonstrate the superior predictive performance of a multidisciplinary approach at every stage of development, highlighting the importance of moving beyond a unidimensional, physiological approach.
Chapter 4 examined the talent development environment (TDE) of a developmental rugby union pathway. Utilising a holistic ecological approach allowed for the exploration of subjective experiences within the environment, enabling us to explore: (1) what characterises a rugby union environment in terms of its culture, relationships, roles, and structures; and (2) how both functional and dysfunctional features of the TDE influence player development. The results identified several functional features within the TDE and emphasises the importance of evaluating the functionality of TDE features within their specific contexts. Additionally, dysfunctional features were identified as barriers to player development. This study provides unique insights into the TDE of a developmental rugby union pathway and offers several salient applied implications for practitioners in rugby union.
Chapter 5 investigated a novel individualised approach to enhancing the TDE. First, we employed the Talent Development Environment Questionnaire-5 to assess player perceptions of their environment within the high-performance system. This was followed by a series of bespoke, coach-delivered individualised interventions informed by players’ unique psychosocial profiles. The findings suggest that individualised interventions positively affected the targeted items of the TDEQ-5 and therefore, improved key elements of the talent development environment. This study presents a novel, individualised approach to enhancing the talent development environment and demonstrates how accounting for interindividual variability can enhance intervention application by tailoring them to the specific needs of each player.

Date of Award	6 Jun 2025
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	Bangor University
Sponsors	Knowledge Economy Skills Scholarships (KESS 2) & Welsh Rugby Union
Supervisor	Julian Owen (Supervisor), Vicky Gottwald (Supervisor) & Eleri Jones (Supervisor)