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Evaluating Coaches’ Consensus on the Personality Attributes of Elite Rugby Players
Thesis (MCom)--Stellenbosch University, 2026.
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| Format: | Thesis |
| Language: | English |
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Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University
2026
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| _version_ | 1867614088324972544 |
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| access_status_str | Open Access |
| author | Du Toit, Megan Gene |
| author2 | Pienaar, Jacques |
| author_browse | Du Toit, Megan Gene Pienaar, Jacques |
| author_facet | Pienaar, Jacques Du Toit, Megan Gene |
| author_sort | Du Toit, Megan Gene |
| collection | Thesis |
| dc_rights_str_mv | Stellenbosch University |
| description | Thesis (MCom)--Stellenbosch University, 2026. |
| format | Thesis |
| id | oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/135777 |
| institution | Stellenbosch University (South Africa) |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2026-06-10T12:46:28.519Z |
| license_str | Other — see source repository |
| provenance_str_mv | Harvested via OAI-PMH from SUNScholar — Stellenbosch University Repository |
| publishDate | 2026 |
| publishDateRange | 2026 |
| publishDateSort | 2026 |
| publisher | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| publisherStr | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| record_format | dspace |
| source_str | SUNScholar — Stellenbosch University Repository |
| spelling | oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/135777 Evaluating Coaches’ Consensus on the Personality Attributes of Elite Rugby Players Du Toit, Megan Gene Pienaar, Jacques Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences. Dept. of Industrial Psychology. Thesis (MCom)--Stellenbosch University, 2026. Du Toit, M. G. 2026. Evaluating Coaches’ Consensus on the Personality Attributes of Elite Rugby Players. Unpublished masters thesis. Stellenbosch: Stellenbosch University [online]. Available: https://scholar.sun.ac.za/items/d7b56455-ab42-40da-b1b3-4118a6b7f4a0 South African rugby has long been renowned for its global dominance, largely due to the exceptional athleticism of its players. In recent years, however, growing physical parity among international teams has challenged this historical advantage. Since the sport’s governing body relies heavily on sponsorships and television rights – with government funding covering only about half of operational costs – strategic decisions regarding resource allocation between professional players and the national talent pool have therefore become crucial for sustaining the long-term success of the Springboks. This mixed-method study explored the tenability of using personality traits to predict the future performance of professional rugby players. Guided by the Big Five Personality Framework, it aimed to develop a conceptual model illustrating the interplay between personality traits and their collective impact on rugby performance. To operationalise the conceptual model, a questionnaire was developed to capture the relationships implied between personality traits and rugby performance. Prior to the main study, a pilot phase was conducted to evaluate the questionnaire’s clarity, usability, and validity. Two stakeholder groups participated: ten personality experts and eleven current rugby players. The experts assessed the face and content validity of the items, while the players evaluated their clarity and contextual relevance. Feedback from this phase led to the refinement or removal of several items, culminating in a revised conceptual model. The main study employed a Delphi process involving twelve professional rugby coaches, each with at least five consecutive years of experience, to evaluate the plausibility of the proposed trait–performance linkages captured in the revised questionnaire. While Delphi studies typically involve multiple rounds, this process concluded after the first round, as all items exceeded the acceptable threshold for inter-rater reliability (0.50 ≤ W < 0.70). While some proposed linkages (personality–performance) were not supported, the majority were endorsed, resulting in a further refined conceptual model that integrates theoretical reasoning, empirical feedback, and expert judgment. This model represents an informed synthesis of evidence identifying personality traits and facets most likely to influence key competencies and psychological states critical for rugby performance. This study offers a theoretically grounded framework for understanding personality–performance relationships in professional rugby. It contributes to the long-term strategic identification and development of talent in South African rugby by highlighting the psychological factors that likely underpin future player performance and provides a foundation for future empirical validation and applied use within high-performance sporting contexts. Masters 2026-04-10T07:32:54Z 2026-04-10T07:32:54Z 2026-03 Thesis https://scholar.sun.ac.za/handle/10019.1/135777 en Stellenbosch University 151 pages application/pdf Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| spellingShingle | Du Toit, Megan Gene Evaluating Coaches’ Consensus on the Personality Attributes of Elite Rugby Players |
| title | Evaluating Coaches’ Consensus on the Personality Attributes of Elite Rugby Players |
| title_full | Evaluating Coaches’ Consensus on the Personality Attributes of Elite Rugby Players |
| title_fullStr | Evaluating Coaches’ Consensus on the Personality Attributes of Elite Rugby Players |
| title_full_unstemmed | Evaluating Coaches’ Consensus on the Personality Attributes of Elite Rugby Players |
| title_short | Evaluating Coaches’ Consensus on the Personality Attributes of Elite Rugby Players |
| title_sort | evaluating coaches consensus on the personality attributes of elite rugby players |
| url | https://scholar.sun.ac.za/handle/10019.1/135777 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT dutoitmegangene evaluatingcoachesconsensusonthepersonalityattributesofeliterugbyplayers |