Carnegie applied rugby research CENTRE

Leeds Beckett University’s Carnegie Applied Rugby Research (CARR) centre brings together researchers and practitioners within the sports of rugby with expertise in coaching, strength and conditioning, sport science and player development.

Image of a rugby match and the player with the ball is up in the air
The entrance Carnegie School of Sport building on Headingley Campus

Featured research

Solving real-world problems: Reducing head injuries in Rugby League

We work extensively with the Rugby Football League to help reduce injuries, specifically concussion in the sport of rugby league.

Our research on the RFL’s TaCKLE (Tackle and Contact Kinematics, Load and Exposure) project has helped influence real policy change while maintaining the same excitement the game has always offered its fans.

The entrance Carnegie School of Sport building on Headingley Campus
The Leeds Beckett rugby league team in a match

who we work with

Working with rugby union and rugby league professional clubs, international and national governing bodies, as well as sports technology companies, the CARR centre is increasing the effectiveness of talent identification and development strategies, while improving player performance, welfare, alongside reducing the risk of injury.

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Our Research Expertise

Outputs and Recognition

 

  • Owen C, Till K, Weakley J, & Jones B. (2020) Testing methods and physical qualities of male age grade rugby union players: a systematic review, PLoS One, 15(6): e0233796. Accepted 13th May 2020.
  • Till K, Weakley J, Read D, Phibbs, P, Darrall-Jones J, Roe G, Chantler S, Mellalieu S, Hislop M, Stokes K, Rock A, and Jones B. (in press) Applied Sport Science for Male Age-Grade Rugby Union in England. Sports Medicine, 6, 14 – Open, 10th January 2020
  • Till K, Morris R, Emmonds S, Jones B, & Cobley S. (2018) Enhancing the evaluation and interpretation of fitness testing data within youth athletes. Strength Cond J, 40(5), 24-33.
  • Till, K., Scantlebury, S., & Jones, B. (2017) Anthropometric and physical qualities of elite male youth rugby league players. Sports Medicine. 47(11), 2171-2186. Doi: 10.1007/s40279-017-0745-8
  • Till, K. & Jones, B. (2015) Fitness Testing for Rugby. Chapter 2. In Till, K. & Jones, B. (Eds.) The Science of Sport: Rugby. Crowood Press.
  • Darrall-Jones, J., Jones, B. & Till, K. (2015) Anthropometric and Physical Profiles of English Academy Rugby Union Players. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research. 29(8), 2086-96
  • RFL Profiling Tool 

  • Smith, D., King, RFGJ., Duckworth, LC., Sutton, L., Preston, T., O’Hara, JP., Jones, B. (2018) Energy expenditure of rugby players during a 14-day in-season period, measured using doubly labelled water. European Journal of Applied Physiology, 118(3):647-656.
  • Costello, N., Deighton, K., Dyson, J., McKenna J. & Jones, B. (2017) Snap-N-Send: A Valid and Reliable Method for Assessing the Energy Intake of Elite Adolescent Athletes. European Journal of Sports Science, 17(8):1044-1055.
  • Costello, N., Deighton, K., Preston, T., Matu, J., Rowe, J., Sawczuk, T., Halkier, M., Read, D., Weaving, D. & Jones, B. (2018) Collisions activity during training increase total energy expenditure measured via doubly labelled water. European Journal of Applied Physiology, 118(6):1169-1177

  • Tee, J., McLaren, S., Jones, B. (2020) Sports injury prevention is complex: We need to invest in better processes, not singular solutions. Sports Med 50(4): 689-702
  • Tee, J., Till, K., Jones, B. (2019) Incidence and characteristics of injury in under-19 academy level rugby league match play: A single season prospective cohort study. Journal of Sports Sciences, 37(10):1181-1188
  • Tee, J.C., Bekker, S., Collins, R., Klingbiel, J., van Rooyen, I., van Wyk, D., Till, K., Jones, B. (2018) The efficacy of an iterative "sequence of prevention" approach to injury prevention by a multidisciplinary team in professional rugby union. Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport, 21(9):899-904
  • Cummins, C., Welch, M., Inkster, B., Weaving, D., Jones, B., King, D., Murphy, A. (2019) Modelling the relationships between volume, intensity and injury-risk in professional rugby league players. Journal Science and Medicine in Sport, 22)6):653-660

  • Till K, & Baker J. (2020) Challenges and [Possible] Solutions to Optimising Talent Identification and Development in Sport. Frontiers Psychology Performance Science. 16th March 2020. 
  • Till, K., Emmonds, S., & Jones, B. (2019) Talent Identification. Chapter 2. In Lloyd, R., & Oliver, J. (Eds.) Strength & Conditioning for Youth Athletes. Science and Practical Applications, Routledge, pp. 20-44
  • Till K, Jones B, Cobley S, Morley D, O’Hara J, Chapman C, Cooke C, & Beggs C. (2016) Talent Identification in Youth Sport: A novel methodology using higher-dimensional analysis. PLOS One. 11(5), e0155047
  • Till, K., Cobley, S., Morley, D., O'Hara, J., Chapman, C., & Cooke, C. (2016) The influence of age, playing position, anthropometry and fitness on career attainment outcomes in rugby league. Journal of Sports Science, 34(13), 1240-1245
  • Till, K. Cobley, S. Wattie, N. O'Hara, J. Cooke, C. & Chapman, C. (2010) The prevalence, influential factors and mechanisms of relative age effects in UK Rugby League. Scandinavian Journal of Medicine and Science in Sports. 20. 320-329
  • RFL Testimonial (Dave Rotheram; Chief On-Field Officer)
  • RFU Testimonial (John Lawn; Head of Game Development)
  • Ben Lazenby interview (Yorkshire RU Academy; Academy Manager) 
  • England Rugby League Testimonial (Kevin Sinfield; Rugby Director and Head of England Performance Unit)
  • England Rugby Union Testimonial (Jonathan Pendlebury; England Rugby Union Under 18s Head Coach)
  • UK Coaching Report: Leeds Rhinos Late Maturer Development Programme (Published Sept 2019) 
     

  • Till K, Weakley J, Read D, Phibbs, P, Darrall-Jones J, Roe G, Chantler S, Mellalieu S, Hislop M, Stokes K, Rock A, and Jones B. (in press) Applied Sport Science for Male Age-Grade Rugby Union in England. Sports Medicine, 6, 14, https://doi.org/10.1186/s40798-020-0236-6 – Open, 10th January 2020 Hendricks, S., Till, K., den Hollander, S., Savage, T., Roberts, S., Tierney, G., Burger, N., Keer, H., Kemp, S., Cross, M., Patricios, J., McKune, A., Bennet, M., Rock, A., Stokes, K., Ross, A., Readhead, C., Quarrie, K., Tucker, R., Jones, B. (2020). Consensus on a video analysis framework of descriptors and definitions by the Rugby Union Video Analysis Consensus group. British Journal of Sports Medicine
  • Dalton-Barron, N., Whitehead, S., Roe, G., Cummins, C., Jones, B. (2020) Time to embrace the complexity when analysing GPS data? A systematic review of contextual factors on match running in rugby league. Journal of Sports Sciences Phibbs, PJ., Jones, B., Roe, G., Read, D., Darrall-Jones, J., Weakley, J., Rock, A., and Till, K. (2018) The organised chaos of English adolescent rugby union; Influence of weekly match frequency on the variability of match and training loads: Weekly training loads of elite adolescent rugby union players. European Journal of Sports Science. 18(3): 341-348
  • Whitehead, S., Till, K., Weaving, D., & Jones, B. (2018) The use of microtechnology to quantify the peak match demands of the football codes: a systematic review. Sports Med Jones B, Hendricks S and Till K (2019) Match and collision characteristics and exposures across world rugby union, World Rugby, Submitted 3rd August 2019 Weaving et al. The peak duration-specific locomotor demands and concurrent collision frequencies of European Super League rugby. Journal of Sports Sciences Jones, B. Hendricks, S. and Till, K. (2016) Training habits of elite male rugby union players. Rugby Football Union.

Professor Ben Jones

Rugby players have unique psychological and nutritional requirements, given the demands of the sport. Our work is used to support both senior and developing rugby players enhance their performance and overall wellbeing.