High-school adolescents’ motivation to rugby participation and selection criteria for inclusion in school rugby teams: coaches’ perspective (the SCRuM project)

OBJECTIVE: Despite increasing rugby popularity among schoolboys’ worldwide, specific factors influencing their motivation to participate in rugby remain unclear. Therefore, this study was conducted in two parts with a dual purpose of exploring perceptions of rugby coaches on (i) factors motivating schoolboys to engage in competitive rugby, and (ii) criteria for selecting schoolboy rugby players for possible inclusion in school rugby teams. RESULTS: A qualitative study targeting Zimbabwean high school-based rugby coaches purposively-recruited during the 2017 Dairiboard Zimbabwe Rugby School Festival was conducted. Using the conventional approach to content analysis, the 22 recruited male coaches (median age = 45.5 years) felt that playing rugby is a choice largely influenced by either intrinsic or extrinsic motives for schoolboys. Additionally, coaches considered players’ characteristics (performance during training, attitude, physical qualities and skills) and match-related factors when selecting schoolboys for possible inclusion in school rugby teams. To effectively promote competitive rugby participation among schoolboys and promote sustainable and effective talent identification programmes in Zimbabwe, more recognition should be paid to factors motivating schoolboys to participate in rugby and also on the factors coaches consider when assembling school rugby teams which indirectly informs on what coaches think should be trained among schoolboy rugby players. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (10.1186/s13104-019-4138-y) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.