Data processing also takes place in French rugby

The French Rugby Federation has just announced its partnership with SAS, a leader in analytics, to support France’s XV.

It’s no longer a secret, technology is unanimous in the world of sport. The Tech invites itself on all types of terrain, and more and more in the middle of the oval. SAS, leader in analysis, and the French Rugby Federation (FFR) formalize their partnership.

The idea for this collaboration came to Christophe Galthié, coach of the XV of France of rugby and its staff, immediately after the Tournament of Six Nations 2021. He has been in discussions with teams at SAS, a specialist in data analysis and management, to use it to improve the Blues’ performance.

Analytical? It is the use of data to improve the performance of a team, in this case the France rugby XV. In other sports this method has already been present since the early 2000s, such as in football. Otherwise called “global method”, for the round ball. “The French Rugby Federation had a plethora of data. With a team already there that was trying to structure this data a bit. Rugby is a sport with several coaches. (…) We came with our Viya platform which made it possible to restructure the data”, explains Jean-François Sebastian, general manager of SAS France, on the set of Tech&Co.

The development of GPS data makes it possible, for example, to know individual performances such as heart rate calculation, distances traveled or the speed of the players, all this to optimize the performance of the Blues. As the CEO of SAS France reminds us: “The (Fabien Galthie) he had a strong desire to develop analytics and make France the world leader in analytics for his team.”

A tool that improves player performance

In professional sport, performance requires ever more precise information on players or athletes to facilitate the work of physical trainers. In rugby, muscle work is fundamental and increasingly at the highest levels. These data allow to know the daily weight of a player, his fat mass or his muscle mass. And depending on the results, the physical trainer gives more or less workload to the player. Individual work that brings better collective results.

This tool also allows you to develop collective game actions such as touch, scrum or even kick. A rugby team is made up of players playing by sector. The fronts (n°1 to 8) and the backs (n°9 to 15). Group and specific game sequences for very specific game sectors.

“We started with the touchline with the touchline coach, Karim Ghezal, on the throw-in, ball speed, player positioning, etc… And then we tackled the scrum, even going as far as analyzing the game of the arbiter, knowing what he is sensitive to, on the cards dealt or not”, underlines Jean-François Sebastian. These elements, once collected, allow coaches to study and optimize player performance.

This follow-up with this tool is a godsend for Christophe Galthié and his players who have been walking on water since November 6, 2021, 13 consecutive games without defeat and a 2022 Grand Slam at stake. Technology is now part of the world of sport and allows professional athletes to perform better, as demonstrated by the XV of France for over a year.