Get fit – or else – warning for Ndlambe Tigers rugby team
Club adopts exciting Bryce Rennie training programme
Ndlambe Tigers RFC has warned players that it has started cracking the whip by adopting a more professional approach to the game in the 2024 season.
In a pre-season talk arranged by the club’s executive earlier this week, it was made clear to players that fitness will be at the forefront of its plans this year – and no slacking off will be tolerated.
A few players, together with members of the executive and background staff, gathered for a formal pre-season meet-and-greet at a Bank Lane business premises on Monday January 8.
Ndlambe Tigers CEO Christo Breytenbach indulged in some tough talking in his address to players.
He said the fitness and conditioning regime the club had decided to implement was based on the “All Access Rugby Conditioning” programme designed by sports scientist and former Border Bulldogs player, Bryce Rennie.
Breytenbach said Rhodes and NMU graduate, Rennie, had shared his fitness manual with the controlling body for rugby, South Eastern Districts Rugby Union (Sedru), which, after approving it, distributed it to all clubs.
“Fitness is a mandate, right? … that comes from the executive.
“It is also a requirement. Why do you have to be fit? You cannot play if you are not fit.
“There are benefits to being fit. Research shows it improves brain health, manages weight, reduces risk of diseases, strengthens bones and muscles and improves the ability to do everyday activities.
“Committing yourselves to this will make you a stronger player,” he said.
Explaining the programme’s concept, Breytenbach said Rennie put players into groups according to their positions, conditioning and weight.
“The reason is that not every rugby player in their different positions needs the same strength exercises, and so on.
“The [programme] highlights the player’s position and the specific group, which means players will train together according to their specific group.”
Breytenbach said club assistants would maintain a strict record of player statisitics and vital signs to keep abreast of fitness levels and progress made.
“On this record, I want your weight, pulse and blood pressure to be recorded,” he said.
“Why do we want that? Because your heart is the monitor of your body function. Your resting heart rate will either tell you if you are overtraining, undertraining or not well.
“For example, if your heart rate drops, we will know you are overtraining. Your blood pressure is a normal indicator of your physical condition.
“From now on when you come to the fitness training days, I want to know your weight, your BP and your pulse.
“You need a resting pulse rate in the morning when you wake up –a pharmacy can help you with this too.
“This is going to give us a record of where you guys are in terms of fitness levels.”
Breytenbach, whose talk seemed to get even tougher, said these measurements and readings would be an important yardstick for the team
selection process. “When you pass the fitness test on Monday, the selectors will choose the team to play on Saturday on a Wednesday, that will get signed off by the president.
“You see the run-on shirt of Ndlambe Tigers is not a cheap one. You have got to earn it!
“I’m not crazy,” Breytenbach said to the players. “I am not going to stand here on the corner of the road saying to players: ‘Here’s a Tigers rugby shirt, you can play in Alicedale on Saturday and so on no, no, no every Wednesday I will know who is eligible to play on a Saturday, signed off by the club president.
“The journey will be a hard one it’s not easy to get fit but the benefits will be there for all to see.
“I invite you to enjoy this journey with management.
“You must understand one thing, if you want to play for the Tigers team, you will have to pass the fitness test.
“You must dream about that jersey
and it must be an honour,” he said. Tigers coach Abe Hendricks nodded his head in approval, saying fitness was important if the club and team wanted to progress.
“If you look at professional teams it is very important that players must be fit. Fitness is the thing that carries you through.
“Look at how we played last year we started off nicely but then there was a dip.
“I understand there was a dip because we struggled with practise facilities but now the executive have done their best to get us some equipment; there’s improvement in the training field so it will go better this year.”
Breytenbach said Rennie’s training manual of 264 pages was approved and distributed by Sedru to all clubs about three seasons ago.
He said Ndlambe Tigers had received approval from Rennie to use the programme and he [Rennie] would review its implementation in four weeks time.
“It’s not easy we know but all we want is for our club and players to start adopting a professional approach to the sport. The training programme is a Sedru resolution and I will be implementing and coordinating it with management.
“We of course appreciate any feedback from our players as to what is working and what may not be working,” said Breytenbach.
Discipline among some clubs was found wanting last season with certain referees being manhandled and abused by players and spectators.
“To me the referee is the guy in charge we have to accept we all are human and make mistakes. On the day you have to accept it and move on,” said Breytenbach.
Tiger’s executive member Asanda Gidana said the club had held a teambuilding session with players after the season ended last year, where they were given the opportunity to bring their concerns to the table.
“We allowed them to open up, rather than have management imposing on them. They brought forward some ideas and discussed issues they thought were possibly affecting club progress.
“The issue of discipline and time management came out strongly in those meetings. Management had their own meeting and discussed how they could lead effectively from the top.
“We have decided that this year is a year of implementation of all the proposals put forward.”
Rennie said he was excited that his training programme was being used.
“It was during Covid that I came up with this training regime for players geared to towards training on your own with a low-cost approach.
“Coaches and players are free to adapt the training regimen as it is not set in stone. I would only be happy to get feedback from the clubs using the programme, to see where we might want to improve on it, if needs be.”
Rennie said teams such as Makhanda-based Lily White, and Swallows, who went through the Sedru 1st league unbeaten last season, had used it with much success.
TK Mtiki was introduced as Ndlambe Tigers’ fitness coach who will help Breytenbach oversee the players’ fitness and conditioning this season.