*** New Official Rugby Thread ***

[StrongmanSteve]

I have pretty good speed, especially on the field (ex-football player) and I think I'm pretty hard to tackle. I do have some body fat to lose, but I'm not sure if I should keep it on to help cushion myself and so I can have more calories to work with for recovery (keep/gain strength) or lose maybe 10lbs to get faster and have less weight to carry.

Also, I'm still debating if I'm gonna do rugby or submission grappling. I have 2 weeks to decide.

I decided to play after all. I'm excited for it. I just hope I adapt quickly and learn the game fast.

I'm thinking ill lose another 10lbs so I can gain some speed and conditioning since I want to play back, even though ill lose strength and power.

Also, since practices are tues/thurs could I do say WS4SB on MWF? As I'm pretty sure madcows/TM would be too much. And maybe go for a slow steady jog on Saturdays?

[krakkerz]

I decided to play after all. I'm excited for it. I just hope I adapt quickly and learn the game fast.

I'm thinking ill lose another 10lbs so I can gain some speed and conditioning since I want to play back, even though ill lose strength and power.

Also, since practices are tues/thurs could I do say WS4SB on MWF? As I'm pretty sure madcows/TM would be too much. And maybe go for a slow steady jog on Saturdays?

Don't throw the baby out with the bathwater. Backs need speed and power. Not as much conditioning as you might think compared to forwards.

It's up to you, but if that's you in the avatar, you don't need to lose any weight.

[StrongmanSteve]

Don't throw the baby out with the bathwater. Backs need speed and power. Not as much conditioning as you might think compared to forwards.

It's up to you, but if that's you in the avatar, you don't need to lose any weight.

Here's a more realistic look, my morning weight is 169 but I'm about 175 day weight in these pictures:

http://imgur.com/a/hx6mA

[jamalfudge]

Here's a more realistic look, my morning weight is 169 but I'm about 175 day weight in these pictures:

http://imgur.com/a/hx6mA

I wouldn't worry about trying to cut before starting rugby, if you hit the pitch 2-3 times per week and hit the iron 2-3 times a week, anything loose will melt off.

Cheers for going out, I started playing club level rugby for the first time last year at 31-32. One of my few regrets is not staying active through my 20s. Better to go for the team and decide it's not for you than wonder how you would've fit in after you hadn't tried out. You'll probably end up liking it, anyway.

[krakkerz]

Watching the Bledisloe Cup test and have seen my first scrums under the new laws.

I hope they get better. So far they're a fail for me.

[daxpwn]

Anybody watching the USA vs Canada game tonight?
Should be good!

[krakkerz]

Anybody watching the USA vs Canada game tonight?
Should be good!

I would be if the live feed was up.

[StrongmanSteve]

I wouldn't worry about trying to cut before starting rugby, if you hit the pitch 2-3 times per week and hit the iron 2-3 times a week, anything loose will melt off.

Cheers for going out, I started playing club level rugby for the first time last year at 31-32. One of my few regrets is not staying active through my 20s. Better to go for the team and decide it's not for you than wonder how you would've fit in after you hadn't tried out. You'll probably end up liking it, anyway.

Thanks man. Cheers to you for going out in your 30s! I hope so.

[StrongmanSteve]

After further thought I think I'll drop another 10lbs mates. Get to single digit bodyfat. Hopefully keep strength up while allowing me to improve my conditioning and speed. Goal is 160lbs morning weight, so I'll probably be 165 during the day. I definitely want to be a back, hopefully a winger if I can. I also want to drop weight because I'm afraid if I don't the coaches will notice my muscularity and strength and will want me to be a forward. I have 4 weeks before practice starts so I should be good to go by then. Does that make any sense, or is my logic flawed?

[Afrozac]

Hey guys,

Playing rugby league in Australia, as opposed to rugby union as most of you in here play haha.

Anyone have any tackle drill I could do with just run with one person (me). Won't have one of those big tackle bags, so chances are pretty slim! Preparing for the rep season, although my tackling isn't really up to par imo. I'm fairly big and strong and can stop most players that run at me, althought I don't practice much and not much technique in my tackling!

[lhprop1]

Hey guys,

Playing rugby league in Australia, as opposed to rugby union as most of you in here play haha.

Anyone have any tackle drill I could do with just run with one person (me).

I'm sorry that you have been forced to play the game of league instead of union.

As for tackling drills that you can do by yourself, I suppose you could to to the park and find a tree. Failing that, you could just go out for a run and practice on random pedestrians. Pretend that little children and old women are your teammates and avoid tackling them.

[gambo1914]

I saw that are some rugby leagues that happend every year but it seems that only countries play on them, how those leagues work? and the country system is like soccer you play in a domestic league and get recruited?

What are the strongest domestic rugby leagues?
What´s the average attendance on the bigger domestic league? And on the bigger countries leagues?
How much media attention does rugby gets compared to other sports?
How much is average salary of rugby in the bigger domestic leagues and how much is the bigger salaries in the bigger domestic leagues compared to soccer, american football, Baseball like?

I live in a country that it doesn´t have Rugby, so I play in an amauter club, is there any country that have a College Rugby competition? The only one that I found is Japan.

Sorry, rugby is not common in my country that´s why a lot of questions

[krakkerz]

I saw that are some rugby leagues that happend every year but it seems that only countries play on them, how those leagues work? and the country system is like soccer you play in a domestic league and get recruited?

What are the strongest domestic rugby leagues?
What´s the average attendance on the bigger domestic league? And on the bigger countries leagues?
How much media attention does rugby gets compared to other sports?
How much is average salary of rugby in the bigger domestic leagues and how much is the bigger salaries in the bigger domestic leagues compared to soccer, american football, Baseball like?

I live in a country that it doesn´t have Rugby, so I play in an amauter club, is there any country that have a College Rugby competition? The only one that I found is Japan.

Sorry, rugby is not common in my country that´s why a lot of questions

What is your country? I had assumed Italy. Please forgive me if I have that wrong. But if it is the case, Italy has quite a large Rugby following.

I guess the strongest domestic competitions are from the "6 Nations" in the northern hemisphere (England, Ireland, Wales, Scotland, France, Italy) and the the Rugby Championship nations in the southern hemisphere (South Africa, New Zealand, Australia and Argentina). But there are strong competitions in all the top 20 Rugby nations.

Bigger crowds in the southern hemisphere provincial games are in the 30-40,000 range. For internationals, it's closer to 80,000. I'm not sure of the northern hemisphere, but I believe they might be higher.

Media attention depends on how big the games are. I think top nations have good coverage. The 6 Nations, I think are behind soccer. The southern hemisphere nations have a different mix of sports that Rugby competes with. In Australia and New Zealand, Rugby is probably the biggest sport (Rugby League in Australia and Union in NZ).

I could be wrong, but I don't think there are any competitions where the money compares with Premier League soccer, American Football, Baseball or Basketball.

Rugby is a club sport. Universities have teams, but they often compete in a club competition. Some countries have University competitions, though.

[gambo1914]

What is your country? I had assumed Italy. Please forgive me if I have that wrong. But if it is the case, Italy has quite a large Rugby following.

I guess the strongest domestic competitions are from the "6 Nations" in the northern hemisphere (England, Ireland, Wales, Scotland, France, Italy) and the the Rugby Championship nations in the southern hemisphere (South Africa, New Zealand, Australia and Argentina). But there are strong competitions in all the top 20 Rugby nations.

Bigger crowds in the southern hemisphere provincial games are in the 30-40,000 range. For internationals, it's closer to 80,000. I'm not sure of the northern hemisphere, but I believe they might be higher.

Media attention depends on how big the games are. I think top nations have good coverage. The 6 Nations, I think are behind soccer. The southern hemisphere nations have a different mix of sports that Rugby competes with. In Australia and New Zealand, Rugby is probably the biggest sport (Rugby League in Australia and Union in NZ).

I could be wrong, but I don't think there are any competitions where the money compares with Premier League soccer, American Football, Baseball or Basketball.

Rugby is a club sport. Universities have teams, but they often compete in a club competition. Some countries have University competitions, though.

I live in Portugal.
The college teams are professionals?

I saw that the average salary of players in the english first division was around 8,000 a month, I asked because i tough it was low for the big attendance that rugby has.

[krakkerz]

I live in Portugal.
The college teams are professionals?

I saw that the average salary of players in the english first division was around 8,000 a month, I asked because i tough it was low for the big attendance that rugby has.

Portugal are currently 22 in the world. That doesn't mean it's a strong movement there, but it does mean that the team is only just outside the World Cup qualifying rank. In fact, Portugal compete in the 2007 World Cup. So the competition there is building.

College teams are most definitely not professional. The very vast majority of clubs are amateur - worldwide.

Two observations about the salary figures you're heard. Firstly, there are all sorts of names for different high level Rugby competitions. I can't even keep up with the European competitions. It's too much for my tiny convict brain to understand. You may or may not be looking at top grades. Some people are certainly paid much more than that.

Secondly, you are correct that Rugby has relatively low salaries compared to football and the American sports. Rugby Union has only been professional for 18 years. It is still establishing it's income stream. Rugby League has been professional for 105 years, but is very small in total audience compared to Football.

[StrongmanSteve]

Less than 2 weeks until rugby practice starts for me. I've been dropping weight and running/sprinting at the park, but my lifts have gone down. I'm gonna up my cals to a maintenance or slightly above level to hopefully gain strength back and come in strong.

On another note, I know I want to play as a back but should I start looking into each specific position to see where I think I'd fit best? Or should I just go with the backs during practice and see where I end up?

[krakkerz]

Less than 2 weeks until rugby practice starts for me. I've been dropping weight and running/sprinting at the park, but my lifts have gone down. I'm gonna up my cals to a maintenance or slightly above level to hopefully gain strength back and come in strong.

On another note, I know I want to play as a back but should I start looking into each specific position to see where I think I'd fit best? Or should I just go with the backs during practice and see where I end up?

Go to where your coach needs you. If he's like some coaches, he'll put you on the wing to reduce your responsibilities. If he's like others, he'll put you at flanker to get you near the ball more. Either way, he'll know where you can do the most good for the team.

[AxisLabs]

Less than 2 weeks until rugby practice starts for me. I've been dropping weight and running/sprinting at the park, but my lifts have gone down. I'm gonna up my cals to a maintenance or slightly above level to hopefully gain strength back and come in strong.

On another note, I know I want to play as a back but should I start looking into each specific position to see where I think I'd fit best? Or should I just go with the backs during practice and see where I end up?

That is exciting!

Best of luck to ya.

Played my first season at wing. Tons of fun.

[zipzac]

i guess i'll start. i'm going into my 4th season playing union in about a week (2 fall seasons, this will be my second spring season). i play second row for my university's team. any other locks out there?

I know its old but im a lock. Im like 3rd heaviest in team too behind our props. Played for 5 seasons

[steviedell1985]

just noticed this section cant believe i missed it
been playing Rugby Union now for 5 years Play second ROw(loch ) for the whole time im 6'2" 229 lbs

love it
but workign with my coach this season to move to number 8 by start of next season

we had our first cup game last weekend and first league game against the Strathclyde police team this weekend

[steviedell1985]

wondered what every ones training routines are ill start
im back at rugby 3 times a week and also at the gym 3 times
Monday (6am ) bicepts, Chest
Tuesday (7pm 2hours) rugby training
Wednesday (6am) Legs Shoulders
Thursday (7pm 2 hours) RUgby trainign
Friday (6am) Back, Tricepts
Sat Morning i do 1 hour warm up session pre match then play a match of Rugby
Sunday Rest(swimming light)

[bwbraves70]

I will be captaining my HS team (15s) once school starts up in a few weeks. My biggest pet peeve is endurance. (I play flanker so im running all over.)
Any idea of a good workout that i can do to help train my team's endurance at captains practices. Preferably not just running, I would like to incorporate some sort of skills work into the practices as well.
Im looking for some sort of drill or game where everyone is moving constantly and everyone is getting the ball.
Thanks, best of luck to all who have a season approaching.

[Vukov]

I love rugby but my build for it fokkin sucks, lanky as fuark making me easy to tackle need to rely on my speed and aggression

[jamalfudge]

I will be captaining my HS team (15s) once school starts up in a few weeks. My biggest pet peeve is endurance. (I play flanker so im running all over.)
Any idea of a good workout that i can do to help train my team's endurance at captains practices. Preferably not just running, I would like to incorporate some sort of skills work into the practices as well.
Im looking for some sort of drill or game where everyone is moving constantly and everyone is getting the ball.
Thanks, best of luck to all who have a season approaching.

There's a rucking drill we've done split into groups of four. One guy is a defender, another carrying the ball, one to clear the ruck, the other runs a pick and go and becomes the defender on the next round. There us constant movement and rotation, go the width if the pitch and back.

[SportsScience52]

Been playing 4 years now, usually Flanker, or somewhere in the pack. I moved out to UTAH recently and am thinking about going out to salt lakes Haggis team.origianly from St. Louis where I played for the 2nd oldest club in the US. St. Louis ramblers!

[Rugbyfanfla]

Not a player here (came to the game to late for that I am 53 now), but now consider the game my favorite to watch even over (Amercian) football and baseball.

Much more of a Union fan than League, but I do enjoy both. Teams are Premiership - Harliequins, Pro 12 - Leinster, Super Rugby - Highlanders, ITM cup - Southland, Currie Cup - Lions.

To all who do play, good luck and have a great season, you guys are true gladiators.

If people are looking on TV for competitions, DirecTV has the best deal for you. Channel 490 (standard def) and 490-1 (high def) carry Super Rugby, select 4 Nations (Aus, NZ, RSA and Argentine games), Currie Cup and ITM Cup games. Fox Soccer Plus (621 and 621-1) carry selected games from the Premiership, Pro 12 and rugby league games from NRL, and Super League. Also new station BeinSport channel 620 carries 6 Nations, and on 625 NBC Universal they carry some 7's and U21 games, and the weekly show "Total Rugby".

Edit : Forgot to add that 621 also carries "Boots n' All" the show for NRL highlights and personal interviews.

[Rugbyfanfla]

Also, Pro 12 and Premiership begin competition this Friday, so look for it on Fox Soccer Plus (subscription channel)

[StrongmanSteve]

Less than 2 weeks until rugby practice starts for me. I've been dropping weight and running/sprinting at the park, but my lifts have gone down. I'm gonna up my cals to a maintenance or slightly above level to hopefully gain strength back and come in strong.

On another note, I know I want to play as a back but should I start looking into each specific position to see where I think I'd fit best? Or should I just go with the backs during practice and see where I end up?

UPDATE: So I went a little crazy with the post-diet "refeed" and managed to get my weight back up to 175 in the morning. I attribute much of it to water and glycogen though, strength is coming back and I'm feeling stronger. Still unsure about how I'm going to plan my eating for the season, to count calories/macros or not. First practice is on Thursday so I'll update again then

Go to where your coach needs you. If he's like some coaches, he'll put you on the wing to reduce your responsibilities. If he's like others, he'll put you at flanker to get you near the ball more. Either way, he'll know where you can do the most good for the team.

That's true. Thanks.

That is exciting!

Best of luck to ya.

Played my first season at wing. Tons of fun.

Thanks mate. I'll be sure to post how everything pans out.

[TheGainTrain]

I will be captaining my HS team (15s) once school starts up in a few weeks. My biggest pet peeve is endurance. (I play flanker so im running all over.)
Any idea of a good workout that i can do to help train my team's endurance at captains practices. Preferably not just running, I would like to incorporate some sort of skills work into the practices as well.
Im looking for some sort of drill or game where everyone is moving constantly and everyone is getting the ball.
Thanks, best of luck to all who have a season approaching.

Play continuous touch rugby at a fast game related speed. Also put a cone at the edge of your own tryline so when your are defending, the person who touches the attacker has to run back around the cone and your defense line has to work harder for the loss of your defender

[StrongmanSteve]

Just an update as I said I would, however this will likely be my last post in this thread. I'm no longer going to be playing rugby. I found out at the orientation that there's a lot more training and commitment than I had thought or would expect for a club team. It consists of morning training Mon-Fri from 6-7:30am (runs MWF, lifts TTh), team practice TuWedTh from 4-6pm, games or practice Saturday, and random events/fundraisers often. Pretty hectic schedule in my opinion. Goodluck to all in their season though.