How do England Rugby players recover between Test matches?

Immense physical exertion goes into Test match rugby. So what happens in the seven days between Test matches to ensure the players are able to train to their full potential and, most pertinently, be ready to do it all over again the following weekend? RFUtv went behind the scenes with the England medical and fitness team to find out.

[@adamknight5089]

Brilliant insight into the life of Rugby players, thank you so much

[@treenut999]

One of your best Rugby Training videos!! Thank you!!

[@matthughes9592]

Great video will definitely try it after my leg is out of cast

[@Freedomfoe07]

Seems like a really positive, relaxed environment. Allows the players to focus without any unnecessary pressure.

[@marlodmays]

i struggle to understand why some people are so negative and childish in their comments below, we all have our opinions on right way/wrong way of doing things, we should just accept that we all think differently, its one of the joys in life.. but lets be realistic, all teams and athletes believe and do things that "THEY" feel is right for them! what works for one person may not work for the other.. getting a balance amongst 30 athletes is a challenge, but hats off to England, they are trying to get it right!

[@Beatty36901]

From experience i feel that drinking water during a game or training is the nicest drink possible as well as really refreshing the body not anything that's been flavoured which leaves you more thirsty than before you took a drink.

[@XR6coon]

You are absolutely right there. WATER is the only hydration the human body needs. After all just as humans themselves have evolved, their internals have evolved too obviously so our systems have evolved with water and our systems are set to take in water NOT flavored lolly water. Is there no place the corporate pieces of shit won't breach and full our heads with lies about their basically made but over sophisticated and over convincing BS products? They throw some basic shit together then bring out the BS science to convince us. Just like the lolly water they're pushing in this up. Natural sugars will have an advantage because we evolved with fruits etc, but not the artificial sugars they use. The word 'Electrolytes' is a way of fooling humans in to buying something that looks and tastes like sachet fruit juice and 'electrolytes is such a fascinating word isn't it. It's the old 'make up a big word with a fancy explanation and the dumb humans will go for it' scenario. The corporates use the same type of advertising ploys on all the products they try to push on to us, using big words and fancy meanings is an old way of fascinating then convincing humans of total BS. One could even liken the BS the corporates do to what the white plague did to all the indigenous about 250 yrs ago to take their land off them. They mesmerized them with shiny trinkets and things they'd never heard or seen before. Liken that to what they do in advertising to get us to buy their BS products that satisfy our wants instead of needs, just like they approached the indigenous with wants and not needs. I see major similarities. The white plagues way of thinking is still pouring it's poison on to the people. Sorry to go all colorful on you but that's how it is, and the white way of deceiving people is still abundant. They use the exact same tactics now as they did then and ignorant humans still flock to it in droves.

[@HENDIE1967]

I was reading that their is not enough electrolytes in water for an active person and it advised adding sea salt to your water...me personally I use sliced lemons.....

[@superseba3395]

@@XR6coon yes but we didn’t envolve to play sports this intense, so we May need some extra help that can be given by mixing water salt and sugar, so you get hidrated faster and you also get back the electrolytes

[@badongdi]

Yeah i would agree with you, I think as time has got on teams are slowly getting bigger, in the 70's and 80's teams just looked like normal people (almost), and then in the 1990's the teams generally started getting more muscular and fitter and now they seem to put on a lot of hypertrophy on the players which has lead to some slightly slower but more powerful and crunching games!

[@Dan101215]

Yeah it is definitely a different game now compared to what it used to be. Without size you will get left behind, but I would love to see that emphasis on speed and agility. Imagine forwards that can side step and have incredible agility. Owen and Ben Franks have a video on here of their agility sessions and it is why they are such good props. A game for the hurricanes where he catches and tackles a winger to save a try. I find 7s more entertaining at the moment for the speed

[@edcosner4383]

I like this observation mainly because I'm the Strength and Conditioning Coach that trained the Franks Brothers back then (still training and consulting with Ben while he's coaching). The Hurricane's Coaches gave me the game ball from the game Ben caught the winger from behind!! Cheers

[@Dan101215]

My point is that there seems to be an emphasis on weightlifting. Bulky A to B runners seem to be the stock professional and the greats like Jason Robinson, Gareth Edwards and Barry John are few and far between.

[@rmorgan288]

how do they recover from a 30-3 thrashing on the pitch?

[@Crazylalalalala]

what the hell is lucozade? is that like the UK version of gadoraid/poweraid?

[@pete09gfx]

Electrolytes, sporting term for salts.

[@davejones8956]

@rugbyking32, it's nothing to do with cost Becuase in the military the 24 hour ration packs contain isotonic powder. These powders inside the ration packs are not recommend by the military even though they include them.

[@badongdi]

My point is that of course they will re watch matches they have lost/won and see where the strengths and weaknesses are, the show them all training in the gym because that is what they do on top of that, they are not going to make a youtube video about how they analyse and correct problems in previous games..., if that got out then other team managers could simply watch this video and know what to expect in their next game.

[@cymruadam]

How do England players recover from losing by 27 points in a grand slam decider?

[@Dan101215]

Do they actually practice their skills/structure and game plan after it has gone wrong or are they just trying to be professional weightlifters?

[@pumbar]

I used to play for our second team after bacon butties and a mug of tea. We drank loads of beer afterwards.

[@aistonify]

haha for a second I thought you were saying Mouritz botha can bugger off

[@WelshHDGamer]

You ain't getting past us Friday night! Not a chance! Cymru am byth!

[@jamesdarby4344]

Coming to the England page to gloat about an eventual loss? not the wisest of decisions

[@WelshHDGamer]

James Darby Well, we played poorly in that second half, but you deserved the win... Either way, England played poorly at the hands of the Irish, so a title decider in Cardiff in a fortnight perhaps?

[@jamesdarby4344]

Yeah can't believe I'm saying this but go on wales!

[@Talbot6832]

WelshHDGamer - Fifa 15, Minecraft & Gaming Content! Hmmm, I think England actually played more to their potential in that second half and Wales had no answer. Mind games... all mind games with England.

[@BenSparrey]

They'll need this after the world cup...

[@Dan101215]

If you watch rugby from 2000 you will notice that the teams are noticeably leaner and generally faster. I know professionals that are being told they are too big to run properly. Compare James Haskell to Daililgo who could play 7s

[@Miles2323]

Yes it is. It's a sports marketed drink

[@samfoster21]

I did a sports science degree at university and one of my lecturers worked for lucozade. He even admitted that electrolytes have no affect on sports performance which is coincidentally not what lucozade sell their product saying. That lady chatted complete shit.

[@Britalex]

All this science, investment support and we still got thrashed by Wales?

[@vonteflon]

I found that programme misleading. They repeatedly, but very subtly, used the caveats "unless you're planning to work out at maximum intensity for over an hour in one session" and "of course what we're saying doesn't apply to elite level sport".

[@thornty123]

One bottle of Lukozade Sport contains in "Aspartame"the equivalent of 22 tea spoons of sugar.

[@migelprager1097]

2:57 whats the point of those half-ass squats ? Where I work-out, we always have to do them all the way down...

[@goonerinSP]

migel prager looked like box squats maybe.

[@badongdi]

Of course they do... why would they show that on youtube?...

[@georgewhichello5261]

The multiple rugby sessions wouldn't cover that.

[@pumpkin7296]

your doing it wrong. you couldnt get out if your pool

[@Talbot6832]

A Grand Slam and 1 undefeated year later... gotta be doing something right.

[@TheIrishny]

Basically

[@budwhite1]

Its very popular to do sports science and journalism at the mo, both can bugger off.

[@TreacleMary]

Electrolytes electrolytes electrolytes electrolytes electrolytes. Electrolytes.

[@Britalex]

So they should have got similar score

[@XR6coon]

And bullshit to the size thing. That has been the problem with England in the past, too large too lanky and easy to step around. Add speed and agility to a large player and then you might have a chance but they are still restricted because of the boots, sprigs, and turf, then there are the biological restrictions, joints etc do not grow any bigger on a large super muscly person (although the joint may be larger it is in proportion to the players size). A smaller player might be similar in every way to the larger player but he's not contending with gravity, inertia and kinetic energy. When a large player falls he falls harder than a lighter player. Lomu used his size and agility but was restricted to what he could do, basically steam along in a straightish line turning his ankles slightly to fool the opposition but if you watch him he had to slow right down before turning or changing angles. That will always be a problem for big players. Weight and Inertia act against a larger player far greater than a smaller player. Center of gravity is another, too large and tall and instantly the player is restricted even more. A large player needs a round a bout to turn whereas a smaller player turns on a dime. Both have their benefits and a team needs a mixture of big and small players I believe, but they need to be strategically positioned throughout the team. The 'Conrad Smiths' of the game certainly have their place and some would say they have the perfect combo because their abundance in skills and maneuverability overcomes their small size until they get nailed of course then plain 'hardness' comes in to it. Conrad can take the hits, bot can he take the hits, and on that point some smaller players take the hit far better than larger players because of the gravity, inertia and kinetic energy effects. Two large players connecting is far more damaging than a large and small player, just like the 'head on' speed in a car is doubled when both cars are traveling at 100kmph, it becomes a 200kmph impact. Personally England have relied on size too much in the past and they are flogging a dead horse thinking size is still the answer. When will they learn? The All Blacks have had up to 100kg pack weight differences in the past yet they've pushed England all over the park.

[@IamMcBobb]

England have the best pack on the planet right now (going to within 3 points of the Boks and The ABs with a badly, badly misfiring backline) but they seem to want to apply the same methodology to their backs. They want a big 10, they want a bigger 12 and they want the biggest 13. While I think battering ram style backs (Manu Tuilagi, Julian Savea, Mathieu Bastareaud to name some of the best) I fully agree that you need some smaller guys who can move around with more alacrity. If you have a team of giants then the little guys will dance round you and make you look daft. If you have a team of little guys then the giants will run all over you and make you look daft. It's all about balance and England really need to learn that before RWC 2015

[@NT-fb6ow]

MrMcBobb Best pack in the world? Really?

[@IamMcBobb]

ben-t Yup, as was shown this Autumn, the Boks got chewed up in the front 8, so did NZ and so did Australia. They'll give everyone the shove around this 6N too. Plus Cole and Corbs are coming back at some point and they're monsters in the scrum.

[@MKRM27]

XR6coon Do you have a track record of talking complete nonsense?

[@SD78]

BRAWNDO - The Thirst Mutilator It's got electrolytes

[@alex887799]

they forgot to mention the aspartame present in the lucozade.. good ol aspartame...

[@elnino98]

Which will have absolutely no effect on them unless they're drinking several liters a day, for months on end.

[@nicktaylor1264]

But we did big time...

[@rugbyking32]

because it would be expensive

[@sambooth3372]

Fuck Lucazade. I'll stick to water thanks.

[@MKRM27]

Sam Booth Fine. Do what you want. No one cares.

[@fakeclanAbaddon]

This video should be called "Feature - How England pay their players by plugging the shit out of lucozade to get money"

[@ignaciodivargonzalez3469]

*wich

[@badongdi]

Oh yeah? Your argument seems completely backed up with evidence...

[@milesthemelonator]

be wary of the scientific claims made by people from sports drink companies. Remember their main aim is to sell a product and it's therefore in their interest to tell you you need their product more than water etc

[@pinkchease]

Electrolytes is just a fancy word for salt just to let everyone know

[@javman817]

...by lifting girlie weights that many 16 year olds can lift with two years experience. I saw the KIWI forward cleaning and jerking 100-120kg nit very string at all an inmost cases not even bodyweight. There is no excuse when backs are stronger than the forwards. Nigel Walker who was a contemporary of Colon jackosn as a 110hurdler playerd for wales 20 years ago and clean 140kg in those days and was considered one of the fastes and strongest on the field. When he came back to track he could barely break 11 seconds for th e100m (he was only a 10.6 runner anyway. I know rugby players need speed off the mark but many of the strength coaches are off the mark producing no very strong teams and not very quick ones either, If they were good - they would coach individual athletes like track athletes to prove they can teach up to world class - my guess and my experience is that they would not know where to start. Some of the explanations of things like hydration and its importance for ant chemical reaction in the body sounds like bogus biology or typical gym talk which is based on old wives tales! You can be quick and strong - although some of the static llits such as the ower lifts are not conducve to powerful lifts like the Olympic lifts. Olympic lifting is generally considered as most useful and impressive. Loads can bench 200kg but how many can clean IT!!

[@georgehornsby2075]

ELECTROLYTES!!!!

[@davejones8956]

If the hydration a stuff is true why don't soldiers in afghan drink lucozade

[@jimmyboyG485]

You are aware Wales will train their team in a similar way? Also, this is sport, the result is never certain. All the training in the world won't win you every match.

[@plonka4wonka]

shes cute though

[@jimmyboyG485]

This isn't a maths equation. Points aren't directly proportional to some quantifiable measure of training. England had a bad match, Wales played well, Wales won. It happens. Humans aren't machines.

[@jamesg3456]

Her description of hydration was terrible

[@rugbyking32]

its sponsorship, advertising for their products, nothing more

[@ALI1992MACK]

Notice it in all the England videos they love quarter squats which is pointless leave your ego at home and learn to squat like Ben and Owen franks aka deep squats

[@badongdi]

yes, but we also beat the all blacks haha

[@MrKnuckleknob]

Massive dose of pseudo-science from that Lucozade lady.

[@0910dc]

anyone who believes that lucozade talk needs to watch the bbc panorama programme on sports products. Like the top comment says, it is complete trash

[@MMATHECOUNT1992]

little tip skip from 1:00 to about 1:54 thank me later

[@Cadeeeful]

All that lucozade stuff was complete bullshit.

[@DAGATHire]

How do England Rugby players recover between Test matches? Answer: WHo gives a shit

[@NT-fb6ow]

You do you watched the video

[@ignaciodivargonzalez3469]

what fucking lenguage do you english people talk, i cant even understand two words so i can translate properly what they are talking about... ahaha tv clips from england should have subtlites!

[@NT-fb6ow]

They speak "English" you probably haven't heard of it. Where are you from?

[@sivx17]

They sound fine to me.

[@TheMarshalMurat]

this is probably the dumbest comment on KZbin.

[@ignaciodivargonzalez3469]

In Spain we talk better spanish than outside... but in england you talk shit compared with outside... evolution of lenguage and education is being left apart in England. You speak like redheads and with extreme accent! no way to understand a shit men

[@ignaciodivargonzalez3469]

P S. Fukoff

[@willparky]

nothing lol that guy has never learnt anything about nutrition clearly