Rugby (7s) Sevens is a high intensity, exciting modified version of 15-a-side Rugby Union. It is a collision based sport played on a standard sized rugby field, with seven players per team with modifications made to the playing rules. Players require highly-developed speed, mobility, strength, power and endurance to tolerate the physical demands of sevens competition. They have to be able to demonstrate acceleration, speed, muscular power, and endurance qualities that are better than professional Rugby Union players. During tournament play, Rugby Sevens games are played over two by seven minute halves with a two minute break for half time. The time between games may vary from as little as 90 minutes through to 180 minutes. The demands of Rugby Sevens demand a high quality physical preparation program addressing the qualities of Strength, Power, Speed, Agility and Conditioning.

Rugby Sevens Strength & Power Training

In this program you will be addressing the fundamental pushing and pulling movements required for Rugby Sevens. After initial testing you will be able to work at the recommended percentage of your adjusted one repetition maximum. Rugby Sevens specific strength will be addressed using a 4 week progressive overload working up to 85%, 90% and 95% of your estimated one repetition maximum, this will be followed by an unloading week working to 75%. Rugby Sevens specific power exercises will involve variants of traditional Olympic lifts (such as power cleans and power snatch) with loaded and unloaded jumping activities. These Rugby Sevens Strength & Power sessions will not only allow you to physically dominate your opposition, it will also provide the underlying structural integrity to reduce the inherit risks of injury associated with the game.

Rugby Sevens Speed & Agility Training

The Rugby Sevens Speed training sessions have been broken into the key components of technique development, acceleration, maximal velocity running and agility (change of direction). Technique development is essential to improve running efficiency and in reducing injuries that may occur as a result of incorrect technique. A player’s ability to accelerate in Rugby Sevens will allow them to get into the right position whether in attack or defence to execute that critical play. Enhancing a player’s maximal velocity will add value to the team in finishing off attacking plays both as a ball runner and support player, whilst in defence being able to cover ground to make that critical tackle or move into a passing channel nullifying a support player. Agility is a vital component of attacking plays providing players with the ability to avoid defensive players and in defence react to fleet footed opposition attackers.

Rugby Sevens Fitness & Conditioning

The Rugby Sevens Fitness & Conditioning sessions are aimed at building running capacity that allows players to be able to express strength, power and speed over the full duration of a Rugby Sevens tournament. The program is built initially around increasing running volume which will improve running efficiency, build joint and tendon robustness with the desired effect of increasing the player’s cardiorespiratory function. Rugby Sevens requires repeated high intensity burst of running that may be required with very mixed work to rest ratio’s and involve getting up and down off the ground whilst enduring high levels of fatigue. A player may be required to do back to back efforts with minimal or no rest, this program is designed so that players are exposed to high levels of lactic acid and cumulative fatigue so that when it comes to game time you will be in the right position at the right time, in the last minute or second of that critical game to execute the right play.