Physical conditioning

Improving your fitness can make you a better player and less prone to injury. For players, coaches and those who design physical conditioning programmes for Rugby players, you need to have a general understanding of the key components of fitness and also the specific physiological demands of the Game.

What follows is a brief introduction to the area of physical conditioning for Rugby. If you would like more detailed information, please register for and complete World Rugby’s online Level 1 Strength and Conditioning programme at worldrugby.org/sandc

Speed is the ability to coordinate simple or complex limb movements at high velocity.
Strength is the maximum force an individual can exert through a muscle or group of muscles, against an external resistance.
Endurance is a measure of the body’s ability to maintain a rate of work.
Functional competence is the extent to which a player has good stability and mobility during movements related to the game.
Power = Speed x Strength.

In Rugby, all players require a degree of each of these components, but the relative importance of each component will vary according to a player’s playing position.