Performance indicators contributing to success at the group and play-off stages of the 2019 Rugby World Cup

Performance indicators that contributed to success at the group and play-off stages of the 2019 Rugby World Cup were analysed using publicly available data obtained from the official tournament website using both a non-parametric statistical technique, Wilcoxon’s signed rank test, and a decision rules technique from machine learning called RIPPER. Our statistical results found that ball carry effectiveness (percentage of ball carries that penetrated the opposition gain-line) and total metres gained (kick metres plus carry metres) were found to contribute to success at both stages of the tournament and that indicators that contributed to success during group stages (dominating possession, making more ball carries, making more passes, winning more rucks, and making less tackles) did not contribute to success at the play-off stage. Our results using RIPPER found that low ball carries and a low lineout success percentage jointly contributed to losing at the group stage, while winning a low number of rucks and carrying over the gain-line a sufficient number of times contributed to winning at the play-off stage of the tournament. The results emphasise the need for teams to adapt their playing strategies from group stage to the play-off stage at the tournament in order to be successful.

Влияние широкополосной частотной модуляции на конкуренцию ортогонально поляризованных мод двухмодового лазера

The intermode competition of orthogonally polarized modes in a broadband frequency modulated double-mode laser within a numerical model was investigated. The modulation is implemented by a corresponding change in the length of the resonator. Parameters of the active medium correspond to He-Ne lasers with an inhomogeneous broadened gain line. It is shown that negative effects of the competition can be significantly reduced at certain values of the modulation frequency and the frequency deviation.

Crossing the gain line: Migration, sport and national belonging on Facebook

Hosting the Rugby World Cup in 2011 offered a chance for New Zealand to showcase itself on the world stage, but also provided immigrants to the country an opening to assert their legitimate place in the nation. We present the particular case of Leslie, a Filipina migrant, and her Facebook activities during the tournament. Approaching these texts through the frameworks of liminality and timescale-differentiated identity construction along with Social Actor Network Analysis, we unravel the discourses of national belonging facilitated by the interaction of social media and a sporting mega-event. Our analysis shows that Facebook’s semiotic affordances, interconnectivity and ability to bridge time and distance allowed Leslie to be part of the collective by performing an emerging identity as a New Zealander. As a result, she transcended the identity of being an other in New Zealand to – at least for this period – take on one of national belonging.