Wallabies use latest technology in their training sessions to get an edge - Rugby World Cup News
The Australian Rugby Union (ARU) and Research In Motion (RIM) announced the appointment of RIM as an official partner of the Qantas Wallabies and ARU in March. The partnership with the mobile technology leader is now bearing fruit as attempts to improve the game using different applications created by RIM for their mobile platform, Blackberry, are now live in training sessions.
Technology is incorporated into the training sessions to enhance player’s performance in the game and rule out the possibility of flaws by correcting them immediately on the practice field. According to the Australian Managing Director of RIM, Adele Beachley, this association will bear fruitful results for the Australian squad. He stated, “Both RIM and ARU will work together to use existing applications like BlackBerry Messenger (BBM) and BlackBerry Chalk plus develop mobile communication tools and applications for fans, players and management.”
The move is to ensure that every second is utilised to help improve the game and maxise the potential of the squad with plans drafted on Blackberry smart phones using a wide array of applications and tools. This should help reduce time wasted on viewing video just ahead of the RWC, which is scheduled to kick off in September.
The new technology is expected to enhance the Wallabies’ performance by recording and reviewing the training sessions on the spot. During the training session, “a set-piece action and forwards” is recorded then immediately reviewed before concluding the training session.
An example of the technology in use is by Patricio Noriega, the Australian scrum coach, who recorded the entire training session at Coogee Oval on his Blackberry play book. He can then use the tools to send the game analysis footages to players, which will be connected to their Playbooks, where plans, updates and follow-ups will be maintained by the team.
Coach Dean’s inclination for advanced technology is apparent from the fact that he was the first coach to hire an IT analyst, Andrew Sullivan, in 2000 for Crusaders. According to Dean, “To be able to do something on a training field then review it two seconds later, and possibly address an area of need, immediately is so much more effective in the past where you may have done things but not fully comprehended them until you'd reviewed footage later that day or the next day.”
The technology is better than the options employed earlier because coaches and players can quickly watch an action replay within a short time span from actually doing the event. Correcting any mistakes right away is better than waiting until the next day to correct mistakes. Previously, review attempts were so time consuming that the chances of improvement in the game were almost none.
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