Getting your Conditioning Foundations Right for the New Laws

There is no doubt that the new break down laws and not being allowed to move after a kick until put on side by the kicker, have had a significant effect on the way the game is currently being played. There is therefore a need for the conditioning priorities and emphasis to be re-evaluated, addressed and implemented.

In a nutshell, without getting too technical, the game has definitely got faster, there are more total breakdowns, more consecutive breakdowns (teams are building a higher number of phases in single attack sequences) and there is less kicking with more running and counter attacking keeping ball in hand. So what is the relevance of this from a conditioning point of view?

Obviously there is a need for increased running fitness (aerobic & anaerobic abilities). The yardage been covered by the modern player per game is increasing and improving your endurance capabilities, specific to the games requirements, is critical for being able to last the 80mins. See some of my previous blogs for some of my thoughts on this.

However, for me the 2 most important foundational basics for any team to ensure they have in place with regards to their conditioning, specifically following the new law implementations, are their strength and power training systems.

It does not help you if you can get to the breakdown but are ineffective there.

The breakdown is where a lot of the games are currently being won and lost. The ball carrying ability of players has also needed to improve as getting across the advantage line is critical to help dominate the breakdown area and make it easier for the attacking side to maintain possession, while increasing the difficulty for the defence to have to get back through the gate to try and compete for the ball. Effective ball carrying and getting across the advantage line requires good speed on the ball, explosive power in contact and improved agility, as shifting the contact point to target the space to the left and right of the defender and spinning through contact points is becoming increasingly more important. Rocky Elsom is a great example of a big guy, with good speed and strength who understands the concepts of putting speed on the ball and running to the sides of the defensive “brick wall” and not trying to bash through it. He is therefore very effective at crossing the gain line as a result.

Getting to breakdowns requires explosive speed and acceleration and being effective once you arrive there requires a combination of strength, power and technique. Size alone carries little benefit for the modern player. The combination that some of the best loose forwards and other effective breakdown players share is they are big, incredibly strong and powerful, understand and can implement the breakdown and contact techniques superbly and they possess genuine speed. The current loose trios of the tri nations’ teams is confirmation of where the modern game is heading. The Aussies have Elsom, Brown and Pocock, New Zealand play with McCaw, Kaino and Reid and South Africa have Spies, Burger, Juan Smith, Louw, Kankowski and co.

I see it becoming more difficult for the smaller loose forward to have as a dominant effect at the breakdowns as the smaller Phil Waugh, George Smith and Heinrich Brussouw type players have done in the past with the new laws. Their ball carrying ability is less effective, their offloading in contact ability will be less than the bigger player, they will not be as effective at counter rucking, a vital tool for creating turnovers now, and they will be more easily removed as a threat or counter rucked away by the bigger players. They are all brilliant players but the reality is at the top level of the game you are getting players who are also brilliant as well as big, powerful, fast, etc

Increase a teams strength and power and you will also help prevent injuries. The inclusion of the correct compensatory exercises for antagonistic muscles and the strengthening of the ligaments will go a long way to cut the injury rates down.

A players ability to run at top speed is directly dependant on increasing the power of the propulsion phase of the running step. The more power you can produce during the propulsion phase, the higher the velocity. The first step to increasing your speed is improving your leg power. Improved agility is also directly linked to your strength and power. To be able to stop, decelerate or accelerate quickly you need a strong concentric (shortening) or eccentric (lengthening) of the calf, knee and hip muscles, improved mainly by increasing their strength. Improving your agility means you need to increase the force that these muscles can produce, also know as the triple extensors, this can only be improved through strength training.

Upper body and core strength is critical once at the breakdown to be able to rip balls, hold onto balls, wrestle players away and effectively clean out threats. There is no place in the modern game for weak players and those who are neglecting their strength and power training will start to become less effective in this area. Improved upper body strength will also result in improved passing skills and accuracy as more power results in the ability to pass faster, further and with greater precision

Improved power will also transfer directly to an increase in your reaction time. The quickness of a limb depends on how many fast twitch fibres have been recruited to contract with maximum power. The more you can recruit the more power you will be able to generate. Improved reaction time, power and strength will all result in overall improvements in a players quickness, the ability to have quick feet and rapidly move in different directions. If you are not improving the strength and power of your calf muscles you will struggle to make significant improvements in your agility and quickness.

All these factors reinforce the need for strength and power training to be a top priority for any team. I truly believe if any team does not have a correctly designed, monitored, implemented and progressive strength and power training strategy they are creating a scenario where they will start to fall off the pace from a performance point of view and will struggle to keep up with the best when it comes to the demands of the modern rugby game.

Steve Mac | rugbyIQ.com conditioning specialist 

Steve has a history of top level involvement in rugby as a player and skills, strength and conditioning trainer. He was the Springbok Strength Coach for 2006 and 2007, being a member of the victorious South African squad to the 2007 Rugby World Cup in France.

Subscribe to  rugbyIQ.com: + 400 Rugby Drill Videos in 20 sections - among them many Gym, Endurance and fitness drills Complete Rugby Conditioning Programs Exclusive Training Videos and much more