Ostensibly the same game, but there are significant differences between Men’s and Women’s Rugby Union, particularly around the balance between passing and kicking.
Here, we breakdown and compare some of the key differences between Men’s and Women’s Rugby.
The data tells us there is significantly more kicking in the men’s game when compared to the women’s game, with nearly twice as many in-play kicks. The ratio of passing to kicking tells a similar story, with significantly more passes per kick in the women’s game.
Breaking these numbers down into kick types reveals further differences. Clearance kicks make up a larger proportion of total kicks in the Women’s game, suggesting kicking is primarily used for territorial gain and for relieving defensive pressure. In the Men’s game, contestable kicking makes up a greater proportion of their total kicks, indicating kicking is more often used as an attacking strategy.
Women run the ball more often than their male counterparts, with nearly 12% more running plays.
Whether it be defensive exits or attacking phases, this suggests running with ball in hand takes on more importance in the Women’s game.
COMPARING 2O MEN’S & 20 WOMEN’S TEST MATCH PASSING DATA
The data shows women pass the ball more than men but not by a significant amount.
Unsurprisingly, men pass the ball further and faster than women, on average.
In Women’s Rugby the ball is in-play for a great proportion of the match which equates to nearly 40 minutes. This compares to only 37 minutes for the Men.
Therefore you get more rugby per match in the Women’s game.
This may be explained by the fact significantly more kicking in the men’s game means more kicks to touch meaning the ball is off the pitch and out of play.
