In the first part of a series looking into the NSW Waratahs, we talk to the team’s Head of Athletic Performance, Tom Carter about the pre-season training program they have been following in preparation for Super Rugby Pacific 2025.
A day in the life of a NSW Waratahs player is a busy one during pre-season training for Super Rugby Pacific 2025 that starts on 14 February with a Round 1 home clash against the Highlanders at Allianz Stadium at Moore Park in Sydney.
Players are accountable for every hour of every day at the NSW Waratahs base at Daceyville, Sydney.
From when they check in at 7.15am to leave late afternoon, the day is broken down into specific blocks of time that include health and medical check-ups, unit and full team meetings to discuss the day’s training, general tactics and philosophy of play; individual, group and all-in on-field sessions; as well as massage and recovery.
The weekly training schedule is mapped in detail. Led by NSW Waratahs Head Coach Dan McKellar, it includes input from his Assistant Coaches and High Performance staff. It is released to players and staff before the week starts on Monday by Tom Carter. As Head of Athletic Performance, one of his many responsibilities is to keep it running on time, and everyone involved in it too.
“We work out what physical qualities we want to maximize in a session and integrate that into football and then give the boys the best opportunity to get better at footy, physically improve, and then improve their resilience and robustness,” Carter said.
“It is about tolerating more work and intensity of work and staying on the paddock.
"It involves hours of meetings and data, understanding how the coaches want to play, the strengths of our group and how we see ourselves improving and winning games. It involves all the coaches, 'S and C' [strength and conditioning] and athletic performance staff, and sports scientists.
“It's not just one person saying, ‘This is what I want. It's what we should do.’ We're collaborative.
"Dan does a great job of facilitating that and driving what he wants to do ultimately. He shapes the week and what we're trying to achieve, but it's very much a collaborative process. You have a draft, but then it evolves as the input comes in.
“We always assess where the players are at. What are their fitness levels? Are they improving? Are they not improving? How do we shape them to make sure we keep getting adaptation, physically and skill wise. Are they technically getting better?
"Are they tactically getting better? How are they managing the loads? How are they physically and mentally? How is their body recovering?
"A lot goes into the planning. Then there is the outcome … Are they getting closer to a performance that will help us win games?
One of Carter’s key jobs on a training day is to keep an eye on the watch. Coaches do lose track of time too.
“You have key metrics around GPS or game intensity, work-to-rest ratio, those type of things that are unique to our environment,” Carter said.
“It's important we have good discipline with our time on the field. We want to play to win, but we want to play a certain way. So, we need to train a certain way to do that.
“Big for us as a group is being as efficient as we can with age and training. When you change a training stimulus you can be susceptible to over-exposing them to things.
“It's important that we're keeping on track of that. We're improving, learning, and growing, and we're excited by that. But at times … well, change takes time.”
To highlight a typical training day, Carter cites Thursday 19 December 2024, the second last of pre-season training before the NSW Waratahs’ Christmas break (20 December-6 January.) He explains its breakdown and the purpose of each session.
“A physios’ subjective and objective check for soreness, wellness and musculoskeletal health for data we present in the coaches meeting.”
"We assess the ins and outs of who's training, how the training day will looks like, if there any modifications to players, or risks. Are there any flags to cover off? It is to ensure we've got clarity with messaging and communication.”
“Players eat breakfast for 45 minutes, or so they hope. They'll have breakfast, while a number of them also use this time to get strapped for training.”
“Backs and forwards split into two groups and assemble in separate rooms where they focus on the specifics of the day in their micro units.”
“The coaches lay out key messages or themes for the day and review the previous day’s training and preview the day’s upcoming session.”
“Forwards and backs split into groups for drills hand-to-eye coordination exercises, then undergo strapping.”
“Players focus before they go on the field, make sure they are ready for training. A warm-up to ensure they’re switched on mentally and prepared.”
“With today being a faster day, this is about speed with a 10-minute speed block. We divide it into a component of ‘Max voltage acceleration.’
“Players split into units - forwards and backs. Different in physical qualities, this is about ensuring the backs run fast, repetitively and focus on skills. For the forwards it’s set piece … scrummaging, mauling and kick-off receipt.”
“Max output. Intense and specific to components of our game. Important players feel they can express their power and speed.”
“Extras for conditioning or honing skill sets. Want players to be accountable for performance and identify areas in the game they need to work on.”
“A key part of our processes focuses on improving the professionalism of players and their understanding about fuelling their body. It is not about eating any food but being adequately fuelled to produce output on the field and recover.
"At this time of year [summer], with Sydney's heat it is crucial. They can cool down, make sure they replace lost fluid and nutrition at our Daceyville training facility.”
“Players split into forwards and backs and alternate two components - one in the gym, the other on the field for one hour. This day, the gym session starts with a lower-body weights session for the forwards. The backs do skills.
“They then swap over, with the backs doing gym for an hour while forwards work their skills - individual, positional and unit specific skills.
"Senior Strength and Conditioning Coach Tim Mosey is great here.
"We target speed and power to ensure we're good at the collision and have resilience and robustness needed to be in this area of the game.”
“Another important part of preparation. We need to ensure players leave the day feeling like they've recovered well.
"We have a nutritionist. But we continually upskill them on the importance of recovering before they leave.
"They are in our facility for fifteen percent of their lives. Being able to control the eighty-five per cent of that time away from here – sleep, hydration, and nutrition - is imperative. That is the difference between ‘good’ and the ‘great’ in sport.
"But understanding the importance of health, that their body is their number one asset, and that they'll play better rugby.
"In a physically better space, they're able to stay injury-free and complete more training.”
“We review the day, what went well, what didn't. We plan the next day, around who could be in or out, or if there any modifications or things we learned that day.
"Are there any load prescriptions - or any changes – that we need to implement to make sure our planned periodisation and our model are well on course? “
ends ./.
