High-speed running (>5 m/s) is commonly reported in men`s rugby union and sevens; however, the appropriateness of using the same speed threshold for Women`s Rugby Sevens players is unclear, and likely underestimates the degree of high-intensity exercise completed by female players. The aim of this study was to establish, for international Women`s Rugby Sevens players, a physiologically defined threshold - speed at the second ventilatory threshold (VT2speed) - for the analysis of high-intensity running, using mean and individualised thresholds. Game movement patterns (using 5 Hz GPS) of 12 international Women`s Rugby Sevens players (23.5 ± 4.9 years, 1.68 ± 0.04 m, 68.2 ± 7.7 kg; mean ± s) were collected at an international tournament. Seven of these players also completed a treadmill VO2max test to estimate VT2speed. Compared to the mean VT2speed threshold (3.5 m/s), the industry-used threshold of 5 m/s underestimated the absolute amount of high-intensity running completed by individual players by up to 30%. Using an individualised threshold, high-intensity running could over- or underestimating high-intensity running by up to 14% compared to the mean VT2speed threshold. The use of individualised thresholds provides an accurate individualised assessment of game demands to inform the prescription of training.
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