Rugby - Planning the Training

Even before the last over has been bowled in the last cricket match, the rugby season is already underway. This may mean you are preparing for the All Black tour and the Home Internationals. More likely, you are getting out on a Saturday and playing club matches, or representing your school or college.

Demands of the sport

Most people imagine the typical rugby player as a tall, burly individual with an unlimited thirst for lager and a prodigious appetite for tandoori. In reality, the successful rugby player these days has to be conditioned to perform well in his position. Backs, for instance, will be a different size and shape from forwards. The fit player must have sufficient endurance to last the 80 minute match. He must have speed to reach the correct position first or to out-run opposing backs. Power and strength are important during the scrummage, rucks and mauls. Forwards will need jumping ability for the lineout, while agility is important to out manoeuvre and outwit opponents. All this, of course, needs to be added to a base of skills essential in any ball game, as well as tactical awareness and planned team strategy. At all levels, the demands on the rugby player are great, requiring a combination of thorough physical conditioning and well-drilled skills.

Phases of training

As with field sports, the rugby player needs to be able to maintain a solid level of fitness for a number of months ranging from September to April. At the top level, the summer tours can add to the increasing demands made upon players throughout the year. Those at this level will aim to peak physically when it is most important for them to play well. Every four years this will mean the World Cup, but in the meantime Home Internationals are the next major targets.

The extra games added to first-class league rugby will not help the plight of the top players. It is not realistic to play hard, intense rugby every week for the club and then be expected to perform to a high standard internationally. Players inevitably end up missing some club matches to prepare for the big ones.

For club players, much conditioning work needs to be carried out in the summer months, leaving room for some midweek training to add to this fitness base. This means that the summer will require conditioning running to boost endurance, as well as weight training to improve strength and circuit work to increase muscular endurance.

As the season approaches, the emphasis should shift more towards power and speed. The work in training should become more specific to the match situation, where sessions can be combined to include attention to both skills/technique and fitness.

The training week

The structure of the week will depend very much on the standard of rugby played. Keen players in a club side may have structured training 2-3 times a week, with matches on Saturday, aside from training on their own. Others may simply turn out on Saturday, throwing in the odd run and weights session during the week. It is important to remember, however, that this can be a dangerous game to play without adequate conditioning.

It makes bettor sense for club sessions to be more skills-based, or at least to incorporate drills that work on technique. They can also deal with specific areas of fitness such as anaerobic endurance. One technique is to use tackle bags where four are placed 10 metres apart from each other in a square formation. Players can then run and tackle, get up, run and tackle a number of times in a variety of directions. The drill can be timed and short recoveries given before going on to the next intensive burst.

Another drill can involve sprinting a set distance, say 30 metres, in pairs, and then performing wrestling activity before sprinting again. After a short recovery, this drill can be repeated a number of times to make a hard session that develops speed, anaerobic endurance and specific strength.

Another way to improve running speed and specific strength is tethered running. This means sprinting while towing a tractor tyre, or with a harness held by a partner.

Work in the weights room is important, but should include pulling as well as pushing exercises. Resistance training should attend to the upper and lower body. Do not give in to the temptation to concentrate on muscle bulk alone. It is specific strength and speed that is required. It is also useful for forwards to do a small amount of isometric work as well as the popular dynamic work.

Approach aerobic conditioning with caution. Aerobic endurance is important to help players recover from frequent high intensity bursts. The best way to improve this normally is with a combination of steady-state running and interval running. The problem is that players with big frames can easily be injured if the running is not built up gradually and careful attention paid to the running surface and the shoes used.

A good way to start is to combine running and walking around the pitch. Begin by jogging the width and walking the lengths. Build up the number of laps achieved, then change to jogging the lengths and progress through to continuous jogging. Once you have established a solid base, you can alternate between jogging and faster running.

Article Reference

The information presented on this page is adapted from an article which was first published in Peak Performance issue 37.

How To Play Rugby - A Tough Game Made Easy

"How To Play Rugby - A Tough Game Made Easy" is aimed at assisting rugby players in enhancing their rugby skills and transforming them into skillful rugby players. You will find detailed information on rugby playing positions and their roles, explanation of rucks, mauls, scrums and lineouts, plus in-depth lessons on ball skills, fitness training and techniques to outwit your opponents.

Select this link for more information on "How To Play Rugby".

Training for Rugby

No other sport, in terms of fitness and coaching, has made such major strides in the last decade. Yet so many of the training and conditioning techniques now being used by professional players and their coaches have yet to percolate further down the sporting ranks.

A must for every player and coach.

Select this link for more information on "Training for Rugby".

Associated Pages

The following Sports Coach pages should be read in conjunction with this page:

Associated Books

The following books provide more information related to this topic:

Strength and Conditioning for Games Players, C. Brewer, ISBN 1 902523 85 7
Advanced Studies in Physical Education and Sport, P Beashel et al., ISBN 0 17 4482345
Physical Education and the Study of Sport, B. Davis et al., ISBN 0 7234 31752
Essentials of Exercise Physiology, W.D. McArdle et al., ISBN 0 683 30507 7
Physical Education and Sport Studies, D. Roscoe et al., ISBN 1 901424 20 0
The World of Sport Examined, P. Beashel et al., ISBN 0 17 438719 9
Advanced PE for Edexcel, F. Galligan et al., ISBN 0 435 50643 9
Examining Physical Education, K. Bizley, ISBN 0 435 50660 9
Sport and PE, K Wesson et al., ISBN 0 340 683821
PE for you, J. Honeybourne, ISBN 0 7487 3277 2

Keywords: rugby, training, player, program, planning, sport, running, play, game, work, fitness, strength, conditioning, club, endurance, important, skills, specific, technique, information, physical, wingers, props, centres, locks, hooker, flankers, level, drill, session, mean, number, jogging