Rugby is a sport that requires a lot of strength, so it’s beneficial for many players to put on as much muscle mass as possible in order to avoid being outmatched by opponents.
As you probably know if you’ve seen any rugby game, the sport is incredibly physical and intense, and those who participate must have both great endurance and great strength in order to excel at it. They dive and tackle without wearing a helmet.
Players who can charge through their opponents with force will have an advantage, which often means that bigger is better when it comes to success in this sport.
So, why are rugby players so big?
Rugby players are typically bigger than athletes in other sports because they need to be. The game of rugby involves many types of physical contact, and the players who are able to endure this contact the best are usually of a larger size.
Positional Requirements:
Different positions in rugby have distinct physical demands, which influence the size and body composition of players. There are three positions that tend to be heavier and larger than others: lock forwards, number eights, and wingers. In each of these cases, there is a mix of strength and stamina involved in order to excel at the position.
Here are a few examples:
- Props: These players are usually the heaviest and strongest on the team. They need to provide stability and power in scrums, requiring substantial size and strength.
- Locks: Similar to props, locks are involved in scrums and lineouts, and they often possess significant size and strength to excel in these aspects.
- Back Row: Flankers and number 8s need a blend of strength, speed, and agility. While they are generally powerful, their size can vary depending on their playing style.
- Backs: The size of backs can vary more widely, as they require different skill sets like speed, agility, and evasiveness. However, even backs often have a good level of muscle mass to withstand the physicality of the game.
Need more power on the field:
The reason is simple: size equals power on the field. To be an effective rugby player, you need to be able to get over the gain line and exert pressure on your opponent. If you think about it, it’s not really surprising that a game that sees two packs of players battering each other at full speed requires its participants to be big and strong.
But being big isn’t enough. Rugby demands a complete package – someone who has all-around fitness and athleticism as well as brute force in spades.
It is not just wall-to-wall weightlifters out there on a Saturday afternoon; the modern rugby player needs to be strong but also agile, fast, fit, and have great endurance too.
Advantages of being bigger:
In rugby, size is also an advantage in terms of supporting teammates while they’re carrying the ball. In this case, bigger players can provide something that smaller players can’t—a kind of buffer or shield for a smaller player who has possession of the ball as he runs toward his opponent’s goal line.
The reason why so many top rugby players are so big is that they play on hard pitches covered by grass or artificial turf which means there is no need for padding or helmets. Instead, they wear tight-fitting shorts made of lightweight material and shirts made of polyester or cotton that can be stretched.
When playing at the school level or college level, rugby players may also wear protective headgear but this is not compulsory.
Rugby players are big because that helps them succeed on the field. Being bigger gives an advantage over smaller players. Bigger guys can more easily move the ball around and protect their teammates, and they’re also more likely to get selected for the national team.
What body type is best for rugby?
Rugby players need to be fast—they need to be able to sprint for long distances and speedily change directions. That’s why you’ll often see rugby players with lean, muscular physiques as opposed to bulky bodybuilder builds.
Their legs should be powerful because they’re the source of their explosive running speed and ability to jump over other players when catching the ball. It’s common for short, stocky rugby players to have incredibly strong calves and thighs.
Rugby is a high-contact sport. Players are required by the nature of the game itself to tackle opposing players and carry heavy weights while running full speed. They also need core strength in order to move quickly on the field without losing balance or coordination.
A rugby player needs a physique that can withstand these strenuous physical requirements, which is why they tend not to look like marathon runners or ballerinas (body types common among athletes in some other sports).
Is a rugby player bigger than an American Football player?
In American football, you generally have the largest and heaviest athletes of all major sports. Rugby is a lot like American football in that it’s also a contact sport, but players don’t use padding or helmets, although a mouthguard is recommended.
There are many factors that could contribute to why rugby players are smaller than NFL players, but there’s also more to it than just size.
For one thing, rugby tackles are slightly different than in American football as you need to tackle with your arms wrapped around the ball carrier. This requires more upper body strength and core power, which tends not to go hand-in-hand with having huge muscles.
Moreover, rugby players need good endurance since they play 80 minutes with very little stoppage time (compared to 60 minutes in an NFL game).
Because of this difference in requirements for playing the game, rugby players tend to be more leanly built than their NFL counterparts.
They’re a long way from the massive humans who play American football or are bodybuilders; although trained enough for their sport that they may look bigger than most people out there, they’re not necessarily built beyond what they need for what they do.
However, while muscularity isn’t necessarily a factor in being a good rugby player or even making up for a lack of skill, some studies suggest that building muscle mass can lead to longer careers and reduced injury risk.
So it’s important even if it won’t make you faster on the field or help you run further without tiring yourself out.
The biggest man in the world of rugby:
In professional rugby, the bigger you are the more likely you are to land on top of your opponent. That’s why some of the greatest players in the world are also among its biggest. Here’s a list of some of them.
- Kane Douglas is 2.01 meters tall (6 feet 7 inches), and weighs 118kg (260 pounds). He plays for Leinster Rugby, a club based in Dublin, Ireland.
- Charlie Faumuina is 1.92m tall (6 feet 4 inches) and weighs 126kg (278 pounds). He plays for Auckland Blues, a professional New Zealand rugby union team that competes in Super Rugby League.
- Gareth Delve is 1.9m tall (6 feet 3inch) and weighs 116kg (256 pounds). He plays for Melbourne Rebels, an Australian professional rugby union team based out of Melbourne’s Olympic Park Stadium
A study, published in the BMJ Open Sport & Exercise Medicine, revealed that the mean body mass of international players increased from 84.8kg in 1995 to 105.4kg in 2015 resulting an increase of 24.3 percent!
How do rugby players get big?
The first thing that you need to do is to eat lots of protein. Protein is the building block of muscle, and lots of it needs to be consumed in order for your body to build muscle. The best sources are lean meats and fish, especially tuna, salmon, and shrimp (which contain omega-3 fatty acids). You’ll also want to get plenty of healthy fats from foods like nuts, avocados, olive oil, and coconut oil.
In terms of exercise, rugby players lift weights three or four times a week. They lift heavy weights with low reps—the goal is not hypertrophy (bulkiness), but strength development and power.
At the same time that they are lifting weights, they are also doing cardio training: sprints on the track, running up hills or stairs, jumping rope, or pedaling an exercise bike as fast as possible for several minutes at a time.
These activities mimic what happens during a game and help develop endurance while increasing metabolism so that they can burn fat more easily between workouts and matches.
Sleep is important because our brains are still growing during sleep – when we sleep our brain releases growth hormones which help us grow bigger muscles! This means if you don’t get enough sleep each night then it will take longer for your muscles to recover after training sessions than someone who does get enough sleep
If you’re training hard but not getting any taller it’s likely because your diet isn’t providing all nutrients needed for proper development.
So make sure there’s nothing missing from yours by eating plenty of fruits vegetables whole grains legumes nuts seeds good oils like avocado butter ghee lard tallow grass-fed beef tallow fish salmon tuna mackerel herring anchovies clams oysters crab lobster mussels scallops seaweed kelp spirulina chlorella broccoli rutabaga turnips radishes kale cabbage lettuce carrots.
Can fat guys play rugby?
Anyone who can run has good endurance and is prepared to follow a structured training program is able to play Rugby. The ideal body type for Rugby Union forwards, the guys who are in the scrums, rucks, and mauls, is somewhat different than for backs.
Forwards tend to be larger in size compared with backs because they must have a large body mass to win ball possession from the scrum or drive their opponents back during a maul.
However, if you are carrying excess fat then you will be unable to carry out these moves effectively as it will slow you down. If you are overweight then it is best to improve your fitness before playing any sport.
Rugby Union and League positions require speed, strength, and endurance so if you can combine these attributes into your physique then it doesn’t matter whether you are big or small in stature – there will always be a position available for YOU!
In summary: fat guys CAN play rugby as long as they have speed, strength, and endurance but they also need to ensure that they get enough ball possession and try-scoring opportunities!