The Border U18 rugby squad are on track to be the best when the annual Craven Week is held in East London from July 12-18.
Head coach Brent Janse van Vuuren has brought in outside professionals to ensure squad players are afforded every opportunity to prepare in the same manner as those from bigger unions.
“The players within the conditioning squad, all of whom represented Border in 2008, have been hard at work in the gym since November last year,” he said.
Van Vuuren added the support of the Border Rugby Football Union (BRFU) and sponsor, Amazing Vouchers, has been of enormous benefit.
“Sponsor owner Garth Venter has rugby at heart and has regularly gone the extra mile in being of assistance to the team and their preparations.”
Squad members were tested with the assistance of their school coaches to ascertain the level of conditioning of each player prior to the commencement of the December school holidays in 2008.
All players were then given different programmes to work through during the December holiday.
In additional, specific fitness norms are in place for each player to achieve according to the position they play.
A dietician has also been brought in to work with the players as it is imperative they are aware of the appropriate nutrition required.
To this end all players have been provided with a diet specific to their needs whether that be fat loss, muscle gain or weight maintenance or a combination thereof.
It doesn’t stop there as since the start of the new year, the squad has met with the biokineticist and been taken through the second phase of their conditioning programme to ensure they apply the correct technique and form to all the exercises within their programme.
All players within the squad have recently had strength tests conducted on them and will shortly undergo field tests.
During Craven Week the team will be accompanied by a physiotherapist.
“All in all the process of preparation is in motion and it is up to the players to put in the effort in order to show the appropriate improvement required,” Janse van Vuuren said.
He added that being part of the conditioning squad did not guarantee selection into the Border team as there are a number of players who have not represented Border who stand a good chance.
“There are a number of players not in the current conditioning squad who have already been earmarked to represent Border in 2009 and their performance for their schools will be monitored closely,” he added.
