The NSW Waratahs are hoping the greater focus on strength over fitness in pre-season can help them match it with the best in Super Rugby Pacific
Teams and players ‘bulking up’ is the classic pre-season trope, up there with an individual ‘training the house down’ and coming back ‘in the best shape ever’.
Catch every game of Super Rugby Pacific LIVE on Stan Sport. Start your Free Sport Trial Now
But for the Waratahs, it comes out of necessity according to forwards coach Pauli Taumoepeau, eager to see how it translates in Saturday's trial against the Queensland Reds in Narrabri.
“The Kiwi teams,” he said when asked about the reason for the greater emphasis.
“I felt like we are competing against the Australian sides at the start and from a personal view, because I run water I’m on ground level so that first game against the New Zealand teams against the Chiefs in Super Round, we missed 0 tackles but we’d leaked 30 points or so and that was just brutal force and they keep making ad-line.
“That happened almost every week bar the Crusaders. The Blues last round (of 2022), exact same thing happened with Luke Romano getting a 3-metre run-up and just using brute strength.
“That was a good indicator for us that we needed to bulk up. It’s changed the focus around our pre-season and I definitely see those dividends around our scrum and maul.”
The Waratahs’ new head of Performance Nick Lumley has headed up this drive, having joined the club at the start of last year from Scotland.
This has seen the likes of Will Harris put on in excess of 8kgs of muscle to try and combat what the top teams will throw at them.
However, the club and Taumoepeau know this can come at a cost, looking to maintain their up-tempo brand of Rugby.
“I definitely know we can’t go too far one way or the other. I think we were probably too fitness-focused because we are a high-passing team,” he explained.
“We know we’re not naturally big so we have to move teams around but we probably went too far that way. We’re just trying to find that balance to be competitive around and through the field.
“…You’ve got to be careful how and what we plan around the gym. There’s no point going in and then planning a 10km run afterwards which is counterproductive.
“I think we’ve done a really good job of it. I think optically the boys look different and I’m seeing the difference around the collision, it’s just now can we do that in consecutive carries and when it matters most.
“Our school of thought is we’ll play ourselves into fitness rather than planning around it being all ready for round one.”
