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Rugby players spend considerably more playing time in
physical contact and contest with opponents than players in
other forms of football.
Much of this contact involves extended grappling and
wrestling, but what is also characteristic of rugby is the
amount of time spent attempting to drive forward under loads
considerably heavier than bodyweight. Obviously this is so in
the scrum and maul, but also at the tackle. Both ball-carrier
and tackler may strive to drive one another backward for an
extended time after engagement. American football and rugby
league are also primarily collision sports, but their tackles
tend to terminate much more quickly.
"the evolution of rugby is likely
to involve a concentration on the identification of and
development of heavy, very mobile players who possess very
high-range explosive strength."
Recognition of the importance of physical strength has led
to a tendency for rugby selectors to favour increasingly
heavier players even for backline positions. A modern
professional rugby team is likely to average over 100kg
bodyweight, compared with less than 95kg and less than 90kg
for rugby league and Australian football respectively.
Increased bodyweight appears to confer no advantage in
soccer.
No valid size comparison can be made with players in
American football. Its use of specialist teams means that
individual players are only on the field for limited periods
and therefore really massive players can be employed for the
more static areas of engagement.
For professional rugby, players are often chosen on the
basis of their size and apparent strength but are then not
really expected to work to become significantly stronger. Much
strength training in rugby appears to have the aim of
generating hypertrophy - increasing muscle size and thus body
mass - or of maintaining strength levels rather than seriously
exploring the potential for markedly increased power.
Soccer, Australian football and rugby league are
continuous-flow type games, whereas rugby and, to a much
greater extent, American football are characterised by
frequent stoppages and thus require lower levels of aerobic
fitness. But I see little evidence that rugby coaches have
fully realised the potential this provides to gain a
competitive edge by requiring their players, backs and
forwards, to seriously train for strength.
I would suggest that, given the development of very
well-drilled coordinated defensive lines, the next stage in
the evolution of rugby is likely to involve a concentration on
the identification of and development of heavy, very mobile
players who possess very high-range explosive strength.
(This article also appears on the MyoQuip Blog
website)
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