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Preseason Day 1: The Boys Are Back!

23rd June 2016 By Munster Rugby

Preseason Day 1: The Boys Are Back!

Now that was a fast off-season! Fresh from a four week break, the first group of returning players checked in at UL this morning for Day 1 of preseason. Take a behind-the-scenes look as the players pick up their new kit, undertake testing and screening, and work up their first sweat of the new season.

Thomond Park was the first port of call for players as they picked up their 2016/17 adidas Munster Rugby kit.  While fans will have to wait a little while longer to get their hands on the new Munster range exclusively at Life Style Sports, the squad supply of kit was delivered two weeks in advance of pre-season, after which it was sorted and distributed to players and team management.
 
Players and management are each allocated a squad number which is then printed on their kitbags.  A list of squad numbers and corresponding sizes is completed and the bags are filled accordingly, so when then player arrives, all he has to do is wheel the bag away.
 
Hooker Mike Sherry took us through his new kit… 


Players spent this morning in the Physical Education and Sport Sciences building in UL where they underwent testing and screening before a jam-packed afternoon that consisted of education modules, gym sessions, on-field conditioning and a 1k test.


S&C Coach Aidan O’Connell (pictured below) takes us through Day 1 of preseason. 

“This really is a great time of the season, the slate is wiped clean for everybody, no team has been picked and everyone is full of enthusiasm for what lies ahead.
 
“It really is a massive year.  Our internationals are trying to become Lions, our regulars on the first team are trying to become internationals and the guys on development and academy contracts are trying to push for first team places.  Everyone is buzzing and excited for the season ahead.”
 
Testing & Screening
“There were three aspects to this morning’s screening.  Firstly we looked at movement and assessed players’ flexibility and stability.  Secondly, we tested body fat and body composition, and thirdly, we conducted HIA tests to get a player’s concussion baseline for the season.  Should a player get a concussion in-season, they are compared to the baseline score that we took today.”

Education
“Here we educated players on the ‘whys’ behind our pre-season plan.  Aled Walters (Head of Fitness) explained all the aspects of training, from movement training in the morning, to conditioning, to strength.  He explained the main reasons behind doing what we do, which are to build up players’ robustness and improve their physical condition so they can add value to the coaches’ game plan.”
 
PJ Wilson (S&C Coach) also spoke about our mobility programme which will take 30-40 minutes every morning.  It blows off the cobwebs and preps players for training, plus it trains them to get their bodies into better positions on the pitch and produce more power.”
 
Gym Sessions
“Today we took training markers from the players to see where they are in comparison to four weeks ago, plus we took a good look at our new guys like Sam Arnold to see how they move inside the gym.
 
“Today was not about max lifts, it was about getting a training benchmark off of which we can get their percentages and prescribe their training programmes.”
 
1k Test
“The main reason we do a 1k test is to give us a snapshot of a player’s general fitness for this time of the year.  It’s a test we have been doing for many years so we have good data on it and we can compare guys to last year and the year before.  Before guys left for the off-season they were given specific targets to hit in this test, and if they fail to meet the target, we adjust their programme accordingly.
 
“In many ways this test symbolises the start of preseason.  Once the gun goes off at the start of the test, guys know they are fully back!”

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