scholarly journals The influence of nationality and playing position on relative age effects in rugby union: A cross-cultural comparison.

2017 ◽  
Vol 29 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-4
Author(s):  
P Kearney
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
New Zealand ◽  
South African ◽  
Rugby Union ◽  
Cross Cultural ◽  
Age Effects ◽  
Cultural Comparison ◽  
Relative Age ◽  
Cross Cultural Comparison ◽  
Sport Culture

Background: Recent research in a French context suggested that relative age effects (RAEs) in rugby union may be influenced by playing position; specifically, that RAEs may be more pronounced in back row players who do not have as extreme an anthropomorphic profile as other forward positions. Methods: In the present study, dates of birth of 6 663 players from four nations (Australia, England, New Zealand, South Africa) were analysed for relative age effects. Results: The hypothesis that RAEs would be more pronounced in back row players was not supported. South African rugby was an obvious outlier due to the finding that RAEs were present across all playing units. These results suggest that late maturing players have been disproportionately lost to the South African system across all positions. Conclusion: Nation-specific youth sport culture appears to be more important than playing position for determining who is at risk of RAEs in rugby union.

scholarly journals The influence of nationality and playing position on relative age effects in rugby union: A cross-cultural comparison.

2017 ◽  
Vol 29 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-4
Author(s):  
P Kearney
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
New Zealand ◽  
South African ◽  
Rugby Union ◽  
Cross Cultural ◽  
Age Effects ◽  
Cultural Comparison ◽  
Relative Age ◽  
Cross Cultural Comparison ◽  
Sport Culture

Background: Recent research in a French context suggested that relative age effects (RAEs) in rugby union may be influenced by playing position; specifically, that RAEs may be more pronounced in back row players who do not have as extreme an anthropomorphic profile as other forward positions. Methods: In the present study, dates of birth of 6 663 players from four nations (Australia, England, New Zealand, South Africa) were analysed for relative age effects. Results: The hypothesis that RAEs would be more pronounced in back row players was not supported. South African rugby was an obvious outlier due to the finding that RAEs were present across all playing units. These results suggest that late maturing players have been disproportionately lost to the South African system across all positions. Conclusion: Nation-specific youth sport culture appears to be more important than playing position for determining who is at risk of RAEs in rugby union.

Cross-Cultural Comparison of Personality: New Zealand Children and English Children

1978 ◽  
Vol 42 (3_suppl) ◽  
pp. 1111-1116 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. H. Saklofske ◽  
S. B. G. Eysenck
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Cross Cultural ◽  
Personality Structure ◽  
Eysenck Personality Questionnaire ◽  
Personality Questionnaire ◽  
Cultural Comparison ◽  
Personality Dimensions ◽  
Cross Cultural Comparison ◽  
Age Trends ◽  
High Degree

The recently published Junior Eysenck Personality Questionnaire contains scales to measure the personality dimensions of Extraversion, Neuroticism, and Psychoticism, as well as a Lie (dissimulation) factor. In view of the large volume of standardization data cross-cultural studies of personality structure are possible. The questionnaire was accordingly administered to a sample of New Zealand boys ( N = 644) and girls ( N = 672), aged from 7 to 15 yr., and the New Zealand data compared with the results reported in the manual for samples of English children. The pattern of correlations between scales was similar for both samples, the correlations tending to be quite low. The majority of items loaded on their respective factors, and these factors could be clearly identified with Eysenck's personality dimensions. Factor comparisons indicated a high degree of factor similarity for boys and girls. Internal consistency reliabilities were quite satisfactory for both sexes and closely resembled those reported in the manual. Sex and age trends were also consistent with the English results. Of some interest is the fact that New Zealand children obtained higher Psychoticism scores than did English children; they also obtained lower Lie scores.

The Relative Age Effect in Soccer: Cross-Cultural Evidence for a Systematic Discrimination against Children Born Late in the Competition Year

1999 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 54-64 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jochen Musch ◽  
Roy Hay
Keyword(s):  
Age Effect ◽  
Cross Cultural ◽  
Sociocultural Factors ◽  
Birth Date ◽  
Cultural Comparison ◽  
Youth Soccer ◽  
Relative Age ◽  
Cross Cultural Comparison ◽  
Relative Age Effect ◽  
Professional Soccer

Previous findings of skewed birth date distributions among sports professionals have been interpreted as evidence for a systematic discrimination against children born shortly before the cut-off date for each age grouping. Alternative explanations for these findings exist, however. This research therefore attempted to replicate the effect in a cross-cultural comparison. A strong relative age effect in professional soccer was found in Germany, Japan, Brazil, and Australia, showing that the effect is independent of different cut-off dates and a variety of climatic and sociocultural factors. A shifted peak in the birth date distribution of Australian soccer professionals paralleling a corresponding change in the cut-off date in Australian soccer in 1989 was also established. This pattern of results provides strong evidence for the cut-off date in youth soccer as the main cause for the relative age effect in professional soccer.

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