Super Rugby Travel Leaves Players Up in the Air

As we enter the fifth week of Super Rugby we find ourselves packing our bags again and heading to the airport for another leg of the competition. We have already racked up 22,653 kilometers flying distance, and it is only week five. The checklist is slowly ticked off, boots and joggers, training gear, mouth guard followed by casual gear and toiletries. Most importantly will be the packing of supplement supplies and sources of entertainment to help the time pass quickly.

Last week we arrive at the airport for our third trip to the east coast so far this season. It will be a 10-day trip involving the Waratahs in Sydney before going straight to Melbourne for the Rebels. We hit the airport and after checking in 35 people and all the equipment the group fractures. Those lucky enough to be gold or platinum frequent flyers enter the Qantas lounge, while often the younger players will plead their case to be assisted in or be left in the food court awaiting boarding.

Once boarded the pecking order is again on full display. From Nathan Sharpe being almost guaranteed an exit row or first-class upgrade, to the younger players just trying not to get a seat next to one of the coaching staff so that they don’t have to talk training and rugby the entire journey. The least desirable seats are between the props, for obvious reasons. It is funny to hear the sighs as Pek Cowan, Salesi Maafu or Kieran Longbottom walk down the aisle and pull out their ticket to show who they are seated next too. The challenge to make the flight tolerable is always a struggle for the big lads.

The flight crew will then spend copious time trying to get all of the players off their electronic devices, with people madly making their last tweets, texts, emails and music downloads before take-off.

Living in Perth we are extremely isolated, so when we board a plane it is for at least four or five hours. We are yet to go international this season but the frequent flier miles are already piling up. Each player keeps themselves amused for the flight in their own way. There are Apple products flying all around the cabin, iPhone games are always up to date, glossy magazines and novels being read. Game footage is often reviewed and watched but generally computer batteries don’t last the journey. Study and articles are written before players revert back to the latest movies available on the in-flight system. Rugby players will watch anything, as we have long since exhausted the top picks before the movie list is refreshed. Chick flicks, docos, rom-coms: nothing is safe.

Flights to games are always more enjoyable than the return trip, as players are usually in a world of pain. I am only not in pain for five weeks a year (my annual break in between seasons). The rest of the time I’m always managing some level of pain and soreness that is rugby or training related. Such is the life of a professional rugby player. Players on the flights home will be a grouchy bunch of lads, uncomfortable as they attempt to ice or repair the injuries received the night before, with the flight crew doing multiple trips with ice buckets, and the physio and doctor strapping or wrapping what ever they can. This is when the flight becomes painful, stuck in the seat, stiff and sore with only an aisle to walk up and down to relive the pain.

It is often interesting to see the different stages that players go through, and how they deal with this difficulties of the isolation that is part of being involved with the Western Force. The veterans, or the few remaining inaugural players, do it with ease as it has become their norm. It is often the younger players or less frequent travellers who feel uncomfortable and struggle with the distance. They seem to take longer to recover just from the flight, not the game itself. Long travel days combined with different time zones are a challenge of Super Rugby that you need to accept and learn to deal with quickly to ensure that you are good to go for training the afternoon or day after flying.

Travel is never an acceptable excuse for poor match-day performance, but it is a factor to manage for injury and fatigue. Prolonged travel is a fact of our competition. I believe that extra effort must be invested in the management of recovery, as often the travel and time spent in the air do contribute to injuries and issues with player wellbeing.

The competition medical stuff must continue their research into the field of recovery before and after travel. My hope is that they are working with all of the teams based here in the west to share knowledge of what is working for their players. We face the same issues as teams that have been in Perth far longer than the Force, such as the West Coast Eagles, who joined their national competition in 1986. Although our competition is an international competition with long-haul flights, the techniques would be worth investigating. When we landed in Melbourne the Force have already spent 33 hours in the sky, and who knows how many more in commutes and airport time so far this season. It is a factor of our working life and an area that needs to be best managed to keep players fresh and ready to work when they hit the ground.

http://www.theroar.com.au/2012/03/23/hodgson-super-rugby-travel-leaves-players-up-in-the-air/

 

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