Task complexity and social identity interact to shape interpersonal coordination in rugby union

Grounded in an ecological dynamics framework and drawing on social identity theory, this experimental study examined how task complexity (manipulated by the defenders' initial positions) and attackers' motivational goals (either self- or team-oriented goals) interact to shape interpersonal coordination in a rugby union small-sided game. It was hypothesized that the goal priming influence player and team behaviors in high complexity situations, characterized by broader landscapes of affordances. Interpersonal coordination was analyzed at both the team and player levels through a passing network analysis integrating both the spatial dimension and the topological roles of the different players. Results showed that the manipulation of task complexity had a clear effect on team coordination patterns and on players' role within it, indicating that the attackers have adapted their passing interactions to the spatial configuration of defenders. Motivational goals' priming alone had limited effects but did interact with task complexity, particularly at the level of player roles. Overall, the findings offer some insights into how ecological dynamics and social identity processes may jointly shape interpersonal coordination in team sports, while providing methodological advances for analyzing collective behavior through network analysis.