Brown, Nicholas J.2025-06-182025-06-182000https://hdl.handle.net/1828/22398The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between assertive and aggressive behaviors and performance in elite international rugby. Hostile and instrumental aggressive and assertive acts were examined in relation to performance, competitive level, competition stage, timing of aggression, field position and points differential between teams. The data sample consisted of teams competing in the 1999 Rugby World Cup tournament in Wales. Teams examined were the top four teams at the end of the tournament (classified as successful) and the five teams which failed to win a match in the tournament (classified as unsuccessful). Hostile and instrumental aggressive and assertive behaviors were coded on the basis of an extensive observation schedule of the players in each of the matches. All games were recorded on videotape so they could be observed accurately and objectively. A series of one-way analyses of variance were conducted on the data comparing assertive and hostile and instrumental aggressive acts, with field position, time in the game, stage in the tournament, and teams (successful or unsuccessful). Where ANOVAS found significant differences between conditions posthoct tests were conducted. Findings indicated that hostile and instrumental aggressive behaviour was not related to performance for teams competing at the 1999 Rugby World Cup Tournament. Aggressive behaviour was also found to be unrelated to the stage of the tournament that teams were competing in, or the period of the game. No differences were found in the levels of hostile and instrumental aggressive behaviour between successful and unsuccessful teams. Analysis of aggressive behaviour, point's differential, and field position indicated that most acts of aggression occurred in the neutral zone of the field and when scores were close. Assertive play was positively related to performance, competitive level, and stage of the tournament. The results are discussed in relation to previous findings and implications for coaches discussed.enAvailable to the World Wide WebThesis