2021 Rugby Program Insight Week 2

The more things change – they stay the same.

As previously written, in developing a strong Rugby Development Program for the players and to drive performance in 2021 - SDR have updated our sports science program significantly.

A large part of this is tracking the players running volumes and the various types of running load and impacts – ensuring at all times the players train specifically to the strategic Game Model and the various stresses they will experience in a game.

Gone are the days where the players run mindless middle-distance efforts. It’s all about metres per second and ensuring the team can play at ‘above game speed’ for durations specific to game periods and that the players can operate at ‘sprint speed’ more often than the opposition.

Our aim is that all SDR Teams can play collectively faster and longer than the opposition. We aim to develop the SDR Teams to play the game at optimum speed, technically, physically and tactically – higher than anything our opposition can sustain or live with on the field for the entire game.

The key term being ‘collectively higher’ – as it is no use having some members that can play above game speed and other players in the team that can’t.  The team will operate to the lowest common denominator in this sense.

So how do we train to do this?

Well, it is a mixture of sports science using GPS Units, as well as the ART of shaping the training stimulus and load specific to the Game Model strategy and periods of play. Having had a lot of experience with Super Rugby – Jarryd Knapp and I have adapted various programs to suit the SDR strategic game model.

The best way to do this is through games-based training program and skills – manipulating speed efforts – contacts and collisions, plus formulating game scenarios targeting specific skills and game model strategies.

It is old school training – monitored and steered by new age science – based on what we have learnt from Super Rugby.

Most Shute Shield Clubs are training using some of these methods, they definitely are all using GPS tracking – however the magic is in the way that the program is implemented.

Initial results from our program and monitoring the intensity of training have been very promising – measured – analysed and tweaked every week.

We would welcome you to come down to any of the sessions and have a look at how it all operates!

Todd Louden

Head of Rugby