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Robin Heymann

So 15 of the 16 teams that turned out at the last weekend’s Dubai Sevens have hauled their weary bodies onto a flight from Dubai to George, South Africa, for the next instalment of the 2009/10 IRB Sevens Series.

Those of you who have played Sevens before will realise the post-trauma effects that a tournament can have on your body. So on the international stage when the physicality, intensity, adrenalin, mental stresses are tenfold, how do they recover and perform to an optimum level a week later, as is the case on the IRB circuit with two legs back to back throughout the eight tournament series?

A week isn’t always the case for some squads - a team finishing at 10pm on Saturday night could be on the pitch very early on the following Friday morning. With the recovery needed from the first tournament, the travelling and the jetlag, it all eats into crucial time for the coaches during the intervening legs.

If there is one side on the circuit that seems to have the respect from their competitors for their preparation and attention to detail however, it’s Dubai semi-finalists England.

Finely tuned with a reputation of pushing the boundaries in their training methodologies, England are near the top of the pile in this regard. Catching a few beers with some of the Arabian Gulf (the one team not heading to George) players on Saturday night, it was interesting to hear the respect other teams have for the English system.

Coach Ben Ryan realises the importance of preparing his side for the stresses of the second week and this has seen him install a highly professional team around him to monitor fitness levels, led by England Physiotherapist and Conditioner, Brett Davison. One of the key areas Ryan feels England need to improve on from last year is that magic word in Sevens, consistency.

“If you look at the first tournament from each back-to back block of events, from last season we were number one as we hit three out of four finals and won two of them. It was the second tournament and second week which hurt us often. We need that consistency,” said Ryan.

“If you look at the other teams and, probably with the exception of South Africa, everyone else stutters a little bit. It’s what we are all about for this year - I don’t want us to be that one hit wonder.”

Room for improvement

Ryan’s right. South Africa seemed to possess a little more in the tank then the others at the second of the back-to-backs; winning in George, Adelaide and reaching the final in Edinburgh. Compare this to England, who despite recovering well to win the plate, had an injury crisis in Adelaide and blew up in Edinburgh after their brilliant London win.

“Scotland was a classic example of this. It’s was a big lesson for us and that’s what we have done off the field with our sports science and all our recovery protocols. We’ve reduced it to make changes so we can be fit and healthy and give it everything in that second week,” added the England coach.

Where players might get relatively ‘beasted’ in the build up to the first leg, the pace is rather more sedate in preparation for the second with the focus being about staying fresh. Technical things might be worked on or things that need to be tuned up from Dubai, such as re-starts and kicking, and with the bleep tests out the window it’s all about getting those carbohydrates on board as well as obviously staying hydrated.

Brett Davison is hugely respected by the England coaching panel and seems to have built an affinity with the players too. In the months in between the next brace of legs, Davison will conduct fitness testing to make sure the squad is up to pace while they have been away with clubs on the 15-a-side grind. Davison is a South African whose CV includes time with the Boks Sevens and currently combining England duties with a physio position at Wasps.

“I love working for Wasps but it’s great spending time away with the England Sevens, it beats the cold and wet and having to go up to the likes of Newcastle on weekends!” said Davison.

The GPS Systems that are linked up to the players has become the cornerstone of what Davison does and means he can track the distances they can cover over the course of their time away. This could be crucial in resting players and not running them into the ground.

“We’ve had the guys on GPS for some time now and that can be really important when we look at the back to back legs as we obviously know the distances they have clocked.”

When all the adding up is done the results are startling with England, Davison claiming in the build up to Dubai his side had covered up to 70km at top speeds.

Competition begins with preparation

Davison also tells me of the difficulties he faces in the World Sevens arena. Such is the competiveness and quality of the top team’s preparation now, it’s a constant battle to remain on top and keep improving levels.

Also unlike the South Africans, where Paul Treu doesn’t have to answer to any Super 14 franchises, Davison has to stay in contact with the Premiership and Championship medical teams to review the players. The methods that the England Sevens team are using have caused a stir amongst the full national 15-a-side team whose medical team will use similar techniques to Davison and co.

“Some of the clubs don’t enjoy the fact that players can lose a fair amount of weight when playing Sevens - sometimes even 3kg in a match. We’ve really worked on the power aspect too, and if players lose a bit of weight they often go back just as strong, dynamic and more powerful.”

Age is another factor. Ben Gollings is considered the fittest man in the squad with the England players referring to what a ‘monster’ he is in the testing. So does playing international Sevens for an extended period of time build a bank of fitness for the shortened code that sets you apart from youngsters new to the sport?

“Ben’s a bit of a freak, just a superb athlete. There are guys who naturally find it easier than others to cope that’s for sure. I’m not sure age has much to do with it really, it could just be genetics and some adapt more easily than others” added Davison.

It will be fascinating to see which side recovers the best in time for George this weekend and in fact for the rest of the season. Who’s got their methods right or are we over analysing it?

Although England put the emphasis on the physical side of things it was interesting last week to see Paul Treu discuss the psychological side of picking yourself up for the second week. It’s obvious there is balance that is required in this regard and if last year is anything to go by, Treu has the right idea when he claims a clear and revitalised mind is the key for toughing it out in the second week. Let’s see who has the staying power this weekend.