Characteristics of Ireland's Defensive Performance within Their Own 22 m Zone in Rugby Game

The objective of the game of rugby is to score the maximum number of points possible against the opposing team by running with, passing, kicking, and grounding the ball in accordance with the laws of the game, spirit of the sport, and fair play. [1] Studies have focused on the performance of attacks that focus on the opponent's 22 m with the team attempting to approach the try line to score more points. [2] The top teams in the league reported that they played more frequently and scored more tries in the opponent's 22 m zone, and that they were characterized by a high number of penetration attacks, particularly by runs, from which they scored a high percentage of tries in a short period of time. [3] Further, they have reported that approximately 80% of their goals were scored from the area up to 22 m from the enemy goal line.[4] They analyzed the impact of play within the opponent's 22 m on the victory and defeat percentage in domestic adult rugby. The winners were found to have a higher percentage of set plays and tries owing to opponent error or infringement. In contrast, the losers exhibited a higher percentage of turnovers and infringements that resulted in the loss of attacking rights. However, there studies focused on defense within one's own 22 m are lacking. Therefore, in this study, data from the 2024 GUINNESS MEN'S SIX NATIONS RUGBY provided by Stats Perform, Inc were used to examine the characteristics of Ireland's defensive performance within their own 22 m zone.