Predictors of match performance in the South African Rugby Union Women's Premier Division.

This article focuses on identifying performance indicators predictive of winning, losing, and points difference in the South African Rugby Union (SARU) Women's Premier Division competition during the 2021 and 2022 seasons. Analysis of 33 match indicators revealed that scoring tries, higher goal kicking success percentage, and a greater proportion of dominant tackles increased the odds of winning, while receiving yellow cards decreased these odds. For points difference, factors related to clean breaks, tries, and conversions predicted larger winning margins, whereas positive tackles and lineout wins were associated with closer matches. The study highlights differences from existing men's rugby data and underscores the need for more research on women's rugby to validate and expand these findings, offering practical insights for coaching strategies in tackling, goal kicking, and set pieces.