Wanting to play rugby in spring. Can you halp me out.?

Question

I have never played rugby before but i watch it on tv sometimes and our school is going to get make a team.I have been thinking about joining but i dont know what position i would possibly play.I am 5 feet 11 inches. 140 pounds. Im pretty fast but i dont have the endurance to run the ball the whole game.I can tackle very well and i am pretty muscular. what position should i look into playing. By the way im 15 and a freshmen. Thanks

Answer 1

Hey congrats on wanting to play rugby!

By your description, you seem like the perfect Lock or Flanker. (locks are #s 4,5 and flankers are 6,7) Both are forwards.

Since I am not a forward myself, I can't give you too much info on it. But, I do know the basics. Both of those positions are forwards. that means that you must learn to get real low when driving forward. an easy way to practice this is have a couple friends stand infront of you. You then bend over and make like pushing a car (or something heavy). Your back should be flat enough to put a glass of water on it and not fall off. Drive with your legs.

It is good that you realize your endurance limits, because you will be running around to 80 minutes on a 100m x 70m field. To help, you should run at least 3 times aweek, but never every day. Start off by running 20 minutes for a week or so. When you feel like you can run a little more, step it up to 30 minutes. Eventualy you will be running abour 60 - 70 minutes.

You should also keep up your speed work. When you start running around 30-40 minutes aday, throw in some sprints. 100m and 200m will be just fine. Start off with 3 or 4 sprints, and every week or so add a couple until you can run a set of 6 or 8 sprints.

Or, you can ask someone in cross country about their workouts. I myself run cross country in the fall and then when rugby comes around, running for 80 minutes is no sweat.

In either case remember a few things...

... Listen to your body, if its screaming, take care of it

... Do not run 7 days a week. at least take sundays off. and if you need a break after a few weeks, take it.

... When running for endurance, you should not be huffing and puffing. You should be able to talk to a friend while running. Once you start huffing and puffing, you are now working ANAREOBIC endurance (speed work).

... Get a friend (one who knows rugby if possible, but if they dont, no problem!) and pass a ball around. get used to the feel. Kick it around and learn how a rugby ball acts compaired to footballs.

... If you know a person who plays a flanker or lock position, get to know them and have them show you the ropes.

Also... after thought.  You also fit the profile for a Wing. They are the fastest players on the team and are positioned on each end of your line (left and right). There are a lot of technical skills to know, but you will learn them if chosen to play a Wing.

well, Thats all the info I got for ya.

Good luck!

Answer 2

Here you go mate!  This website should help you out.

...Good day!

Answer 3

Don't worry about what position you play. That's limiting and defeating. Learn how to play rugby. The skills that you learn -- tackle low, use your core to push, get low, keep your legs moving, two hands on the ball, point when you pass -- these things are universal. A good coach will focus on these things first and worry about positional nuisances later.

Go out and play. Have fun. The fitness, the teamwork, the sense of belonging to something greater than yourself (mano in Maori) are things that will last you a lifetime.

Answer 4

start running now long runs and short  sprints need to really stay at this.