Training, a war game for the Beserkers

IN 1989, Buck Shelford’s World Cup-winning All Blacks rolled into town and our rugby lives changed forever.

A crowd of over 400, many of them coaches, gathered in Woodleigh Park to watch the New Zealanders train and were astounded by what they witnessed.

Players split into groups on four corners and embarked on a bewildering series of crossover drills. It was a blur of sound and movement, not a ball was put down, not a pass went astray. Training would never be the same again.

Previously, training generally consisted of laps, lineouts and scrums for the forwards and drills for the backs and then there would be a 'match'. Thankfully, most coaches came to realise that simply 'beating guys around the field', as Mick Doyle used to say, was not as beneficial as skill work and now fitness is catered for separately.

One thing has remained constant however. The purpose of training has always been to prepare the team for matches and there has to be a physical element to it no pain, no gain.

In college, we had a drill which the players unaffectionately referred to as 'cowabunga'.

Basically, the coach would pick two teams, place them in a confined space, and lob in a ball. Bloody mayhem would then ensue.

Crude, maybe, but very effective.

If you emerged unscathed you were unlikely to be thrown by anything that took place on Saturday.

In Dolphin, a few years back, we had a drill which gives me sleepless nights to this day.

Groups would form on the four corners and operate in pairs. The four front men would back out slowly, with a ball, until all four backsides met in the middle.

Then, on a whistle, their respective partners would charge out, drive in on the ball, and push both parties through to the other side.

Terrifying. That particular exercise was dubbed the 'Kinsale roundabout' after the chaotic traffic 'facilitator' on the outskirts of Cork city.

However, scary and all as it was, once you emerged at the other side you felt that bit more of a man and in a way, readied you for the real warfare on match day.

Of course, the training 'match' still exists. But, I think these present a special problem for coaches. On the one hand, you want to simulate the real thing as accurately as possible but there is always the risk of injury to factor in.

It is a great chance for the seconds players to prove a point but equally, it is an ideal opportunity for players with grudges to work off their grievances. And there is always that one guy, 'the Beserker', who never makes the team and generally goes un-noticed about his business, but who comes alive for the training matches.

His eyes glaze over, his breathing becomes ragged and his elbows and knees become razor sharp weapons. These affairs are notoriously difficult to referee and our 'Beserker' friend revels in the darkness and the lawlessness this is the man you must watch out for if you want to avoid pain and/or injury.

Overall, training has come a long way. Flip-charts, clip boards, tackle suits and multi-coloured cones combine to produce snappier, more focussed sessions. Sometimes, they are even enjoyable (I love running through those ladders and hurdling those cute little fences).

It can still be hard to drag yourself out to the club on cold, miserable Tuesday nights but at least when you get there, these days, you know it is time well spent.