Height prediction in elite Italian rugby players: A prospective study

Objectives: We investigated the validity of the Mirwald equation as an estimate of height in a cohort of rugby players. Methods: This was a prospective study with agreement analysis of height assessments conducted in 39 male youth rugby players (mean age 15.1 ± 0.9 years). During the 2007/2008 season, 151 young athletes were selected by rugby coaches using subjective decisions based on current performance and future potential. The rugby players were measured by physician experts and their height was estimated using the Mirwald formula (MF). Only 39 athletes were finally selected because they reached an elite level, allowing actual adult height to be collected from the official team websites in June 2018. Method agreement was assessed by intraclass correlation coefficient, regression, and plotted by Bland and Altman analysis. Results: Twenty athletes played in the Italian National team and 19 in the First Italian Division (Eccellenza). Overall, they presented an early maturation and the MF was able to accurately estimate height. The MF underestimated height (187.4–189.1 cm) and showed a high association with actual adult players' height (r = 0.925, P <.001). Conclusions: Our results demonstrate that the MF, whose estimation of stature is based on height, sitting height, body mass, and leg length is able to predict stature in rugby players.