Francesco is a strength and conditioning coach and PhD student in sports sciences at Birmingham City University, where he investigates the determining factors in the identification and development of talent in professional rugby union. During part of his PhD experience, Francesco was also the head of performance training at the English Premiership rugby team Worcester Warriors Women RFC as well as being strength and condition coach for the men’s academy of the same club.
- Hi Francesco, it’s a pleasure to talk about athletic training in rugby with you. Could you briefly explain the organization of rugby categories in England?
Hi guys, thanks for the interview, it’s a pleasure to chat with you. The rugby system in England is divided into leagues, the maximum of which is called the Premiership. Next we have the Championship which breaks down into Championship North 1 and Championship South 1 and forms the second level. The third level instead consists of the Championship North 2, Championship Midlands 2, Championship South West 2 and Championship South East 2.
- What is the professional education pathway for a strength and conditioning coach who wants to work in rugby in the united kingdom?
To work as strength and conditioning coach for rugby (but in general for any sport) in England you need AT LEAST a university degree AND years of experience on the field doing training internships at clubs, universities and sports performance centers. There is also a continuous professional development through organizations recognized by each sports federation in the United Kingdom and in the Commonwealth in general. There are very specific skills and steps that have been established to match high strength and conditioning standards and nothing is managed by every single sport federation, which make the education clear and enable all the strength and conditioning coaches to “speak the same language”.
- How long are the off-season, pre-season and in-season in women’s rugby in the UK? How often do athletes train during these different periods?
The Premier English women’s rugby championship generally begins between September and October and ends, depending on the results, in April-May. It is followed by a period of about 3 weeks of off-season and then resumes for 6-9 weeks of pre-season. Between February and March there are international championships that could involve some athletes and therefore for them, the structure of the championship follows a different trend. The players train every day. If the match is on Saturday, Sunday and Wednesday are generally the de-loading days.
- How is your athletic / medical staff structured?
Each team has its own characteristics but all follow the standard imposed by the Rugby Football Union, under penalty of relegation. There is the head of strength and conditioning that manages the athletic part and interacts with the group of physiotherapists. At the same time as the head of the medical part is the Head Doctor who is responsible, in fact, for the therapeutic part of the team. All interact and collaborate during daily / weekly meetings for the optimal management of the players.
- Could you briefly list what you think are the main physical qualities to look after in rugby?
All. Rugby is a contact sport where almost no part of the body is totally excluded from collisions that occur at very high speed for 80-minutes game. If we then add 1) the fact that the players can be distracted from “catching” a ball, which is oval, whose bounces are never totally predictable, and 2) that the contact could come from as many as 15 different heavy opponents no less of 90 kg, we can easily imagine how much time the female players have to spend with the strength and conditioning coach.
- What facilities and equipment do you have for athletic training? How much time do you have available for your sessions in the gym?
Barbells and rucks, dumbbells, rubber bands, medicine balls, sleds and boxes cannot be missing in the gym. On the field, on the other hand, a chronometer, obstacles and hurdles, shields and tackle bags are essential for athletic training. The time available depends on many factors. The range usually varies from 20 to 90 minutes.
- How do you structure your athletic training sessions during a typical week of in-season training?
It depends on what kind of work we do. For example, if you are in the gym or on the field, if the goal of the day is to maintain, recover or achieve certain peaks in strength-power-speed etc… In the gym, for example, players start individually with a standard activation routine provided from the first day of training. Then there is the mobility part which is conducted by the strength and conditioning coach showing the key points of each exercise. Then we move on to the power phase with the Olympic weight-lifting that always precede the strength work with overloads. It all ends with a series of core training and some exercises that we call “accessory”.
- Is there any specific exercise that you think is particularly important for the development of strength and power in rugby?
We could write a book starting from this question. In summary, however, I believe that the squat, deadlift, clean and bench press movements with all their variants are the core of athletic training in rugby union.
- What are the main difficulties you encounter in planning and conducting athletic training sessions with your rugby team?
Mainly these are the same difficulties that all the strength and conditioning coaches who work in sport at a professional level have to face. Certainly, making the right decision under pressure is something difficult especially in the early years of a professional career. Subsequently, the challenge for those who work in clubs with different international athletes is to address individual performance needs to achieve very different goals in the best possible way.