USA Eagle Naya Tapper– Photo Credit: https://www.world.rugby/
You often hear “speed kills,” if you caught any of the PR7s this summer, you definitely saw that in action. In the high school game, I often see students doing a lot of strength training or building endurance on long runs. Rugby is a game of stops and starts, and therefore, not only is increasing your overall speed important, the key is to work on your explosiveness and power and move quickly from point A to point B.
Obviously, there are a few moments when you might be asked to run 50, 60, 70+ meters for a try, but typically, most runs are short; within 5-10 meters through a gap before you offload to a teammate. With this in mind, check out some of my favorite videos to inspire you to do exercises on your own to build up your speed.