Can Strength Training Help You Dominate In Rugby Sevens?

Rugby sevens is an intense, fast-paced contact sport played from grass roots to elite international levels. Predominantly a summer sport, tournaments require players to be able to perform in multiple matches each day. 

As you might guess, this means that their strength and conditioning needs to be in top condition to be able to repeatedly sprint and dominate the contact. 

 

What kind of physicality do rugby sevens players need?

Although there are similarities to elite rugby union 15s backs in terms of physical prowess, sevens players have to level up to compete on the international stage. 

 

Speed

One of the main skills of a rugby sevens player is raw speed. With only seven players on each team covering a full-size rugby union pitch, there is a lot of ground to cover in attack and defence. 

Sevens players are often accomplished sprinters with immense power in their glutes, hamstrings and quads. Some of this speed is built by actually sprinting, and some is built in the gym.

 

Agility

To evade defenders and change direction at high speed, players must be incredibly agile. This means generating huge forces from the lower body while maintaining balance and pace. 

A combination of training drills, plyometrics and strength work is used to condition the body to perform. 

 

Strength

Tackling, rucking and scrumming – the contact areas – all require strength and power to do well. One of the unique aspects of rugby sevens is a one-person lift. 

At kick-offs and restarts, the team receiving the ball will often have a player lift a teammate overhead by the shorts. The tactic aims to be able to catch a high ball earlier, and not only demands impeccable timing, it also calls for a lot of upper-body strength. 

With male elite sevens players often weighing in at 85 to 95kg, being able to lift heavy shoulder presses and overheads is essential. 

 

Size

Although rugby sevens players are designed for speed, they also need to have muscle mass. Unlike rugby union 15s, fewer players on the pitch means that your teammates may not always make it to a breakdown to back you up. 

If you have to win a contest for the ball by yourself, size really helps! While building size involves looking at nutrition and hitting the protein shakes, hypertrophy strength training helps create lean muscle mass in the gym.

However, sevens players need to balance size with speed and maintain a lean physique so they don’t lose pace and agility. 

 

What does a rugby sevens strength programme look like?

Elite sevens players take their gym time very seriously. To prepare themselves for the 13 international tournaments around the world that form part of the HSBC SVNS Series, players complete no less than four gym-based strength sessions a week. 

There are also many regional and domestic tournaments that amateur teams compete in, and the strength and conditioning requirements are the same. 

Much of the sprinting and skills drills will be done on a pitch with the team, but it is the hard work in the gym that gives a player the edge. 

Some key exercises you might find in a sevens strength and conditioning programme:

 

Back squat

A compound movement that works the lower body, the back squat is a staple in many gym programmes. It builds up strength and size in the quads and glutes, which are needed for pushing through rucks and scrums, decelerating and rapid changes of direction. 

Using a lifting rack, load an Olympic bar with plates, then hold the bar so it rests on the traps and shoulders. Lift the bar slightly off the rack and step back so you have space. Lower yourself by bending the hips and knees before returning to standing. 

Foot positioning, loaded weight, depth, speed and reps can be changed according to the programme and individual player’s development – the variations are broad. 

 

Power clean

A lift that requires considerable technical skill but delivers excellent results is the power clean. Seen in Olympic lifting competitions, it involves many different muscle groups and coordination to do it correctly. 

Unlike the back squat, a power clean is always a fast movement, involving moving an Olympic barbell from the floor to in front of your collarbone. 

 

Bench press

A gym favourite that is perfect for developing strength in the chest and arms can be completed with either a barbell with a rack or a pair of adjustable dumbbells. 

With your back on a weight bench, push the barbell or dumbbells from chest height to full arm extension, then return. As with the back squat, different variations can be done with changes to tempo and reps. 

Upper body strength is essential in tackling, handing off defenders and that one-person lift tactic. 

 

Row

Perfect for super setting with a bench press, a row exercise can take many different forms. Rows build back, shoulder and arm strength and the basic idea is to pull a weight from full arm extension to your chest and return it. 

It can be done supported by an elevated bench or as a bent-over row by hinging at the hips, stabilising the core and pulling a barbell up from the ground. It can also be adapted into an explosive lift if done at pace.

 

Pull up

A pull-up is exactly what the name suggests. It involves hanging from a bar by your hands, pulling your entire bodyweight up to lift your chin above it.

Pull-ups, rows and bench press all develop shoulder stability and strength, which is essential on the pitch. 

 

Single-leg Romanian deadlifts

Ideal for strengthening hamstrings, a Romanian single-leg deadlift will help develop speed and power in the posterior chain for maximum effort sprints. 

Using a barbell and standing up straight, lower the bar toward the floor by bending at the hips. Stay balanced on one leg and let the other leg swing backwards as the torso goes forward, then return to standing. 

 

Core strength

A strong core holds the torso straight in contact situations and allows for better transfer of power and body mechanics. A plank is a classic exercise to work on isometric strength, but it is also worth including twist exercises for obliques that can add power to long passes. 

 

Why does explosive power matter for sevens players?

In season and out of season reps and sets can differ greatly. Pre-season training will often focus on hypertrophy and slow-tempo lifts to build a foundation of muscle mass. Mid-season will involve fewer reps and sets, focusing more on explosive power. 

This explosive power is how players accelerate to max speed, change direction with a step and break through defenders. This power, along with pure strength, is a vital part of being able to dominate in competition on the pitch.