A Study of Rugby Punts in Japan’s Top Level League: Qualitative Research Follow-up to Quantitative Result

Ryuta Koyanagi

[Received March 2, 2020; Accepted October 29, 2020] 

The purpose of this study was to obtain qualitative knowledge regarding the effective punts in rugby union by using an embedded model of mixed methods. In previous research, punts in the last 20 min; punts past own team’s 22m area; punts in Turnover, Restart, and Quick tap; punts in 1 ruck/ mauls; and punts in Scrum Half were significantly different between the Winning Team and Losing Team. For better interpretation of these results and further analysis for this qualitative research, a semi-structured interview was conducted with two elite Japanese players. The systematic cause analysis technique was used to analyze the data.
Our findings were as follows:
Winning Team could use Area kick, Grubber kick, and Kick pass past their own 22m area.
High accuracy of the Long kick is one of characteristics of players in the Winning Team.
Punts by team tactics would be effective in the Restart situation.
A dominance at an attacking gain line in the opponent’s area provides players an opportunity to use punts in Scrum Half.
These findings contribute to the practical knowledge regarding punts and could be useful for players and coaches.


Keywords: rugby, punts, mixed methods, qualitative research, SCAT

[Football Science Vol.18, 1-14, 2021]


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