Now for the juggling act...
Our writers get to grips with what lies ahead for South Africa’s sides when the tournament gets under way on Friday In a Rugby World Cup year players have to be carefully managed
● Super Rugby returns this week but it does so at the risk of being dwarfed by events of global significance later this year.
All roads lead to the Rugby World Cup (RWC) later this year and even the southern hemisphere showpiece has to yield to the game’s quadrennial jamboree with coaches having been made all too aware of their responsibility to the national cause. Players’ fitness is paramount this year.
The problem is, though coaches and conditioning trainers have science as a guide, there is no one-size-fits-all application for the way players are managed this year.
“It is very individualistic in nature. You have to look at the player’s age, his position, his previous injuries to help paint a picture of what is required,” said Derick Coetzee, who was the Springboks’ conditioning coach when they won the RWC in 2007.
“In the case of Os du Randt, who played his 80th Test in the RWC final, he had to be managed carefully compared to, say, CJ van der Linde, who is a lot younger. It is a complicated process,” said Coetzee.
Workloads have to be managed carefully and that isn’t confined to what happens on the field of battle. “Lots of research has been done in this field. Where acute training loads are suddenly, say, one-and-a-half times more than your chronic training loads, then your risk of injury increases dramatically.
“Unfortunately our players are still being contracted by their union as well as SA Rugby. You don’t have full control. Every coach will have his own agenda around when he believes a player should peak,” said Coetzee, who is the head of department of exercises and sports science at the University of the Free State.
New Zealand’s top players are centrally contracted and are rested in accordance to rules laid down by the national body.
It perhaps partly explains why their top franchises have of late fallen short in a RWC year.
With the Crusaders, Hurricanes and the Chiefs off the pace, the Highlanders stepped up to the plate in 2015. Four years earlier the Reds rose to the top, while the Bulls started their remarkable run with victory in 2007.
“Of course the aim would be for players to peak during the RWC but then you need buyin from all the coaches,” said Coetzee.
To that end Bok coach Rassie Erasmus has visited Super Rugby and Pro14 franchises laying out clear plans of what is required to get his players physically and psychologically ready for the RWC.
Apart from over playing individuals, Coetzee’s biggest concern was injured players returning to battle earlier than they ought to.
“Often it happens that a player has a niggle and that he can play but that of course increases the risk factor.
“Management work on a ‘return to play’ agenda. The reality is it should be a ‘return to performance’. It doesn’t help just having the player fit enough to be on the field and not performing optimally.
“At this level it means small shifts can make a meaningful difference. The biggest risk for suffering injury is an existing injury.”
The Sharks will be enthused by the fact that they bring very few injuries into the season. Jean-Luc du Preez and Philip van der Walt will miss the start of the competition.
The Lions have had a number of players on the mend in the off season, some undergoing shoulder operations that could no longer be put off. Others like Cyle Brink and Lourens Erasmus are long-term casualties but the former should return in the coming weeks.
The Bulls will have RG Snyman, Jaco Visagie and Marnitz Boshoff missing for the start of the competition.
The Stormers appear to be unscathed going into the new season with nine Springboks starting yesterday’s friendly against Boland.
The local injury count among the elite players may be relatively low but those who pick up niggles later in the season had better be managed properly.
“For injuries to fully mend you require time and that unfortunately is a commodity that coaches simply don’t have in abundance,” Coetzee warned.