I TRAINED WITH GLOUCESTER RUGBY AND NOW I KNOW WHAT ALL BLACKS LEGEND DAN CARTER MEANT

When you watch rugby on TV you're impressed, when you see them live you're even more taken a back, but to train with them was a whole different level.

The physicality, the strength and the endurance is something you can't really prepare yourself for - and it is how easy they make things look that really blows you away. I spent the day at Gloucester's home Kingsholm, where the first team went through a normal training session.

For obvious reasons my involvement was limited to drills that don't feature any contact, but I observed them go through their paces. With games coming thick and fast, full contact training is limited, which is standard across most clubs. Nevertheless, even a touch session left you questioning what touch actually is.

I play amateur rugby, but watching professionals in the Gallagher Premiership go through their paces really does make you understand how effortless they make difficult things look. The handling skills, how quickly they make decisions under pressure and the sheer size of them really can't be overstated.

This season Gallagher has given away more than 6,600 free tickets to the Gallagher Rugby Premiership as part of their Right Here for Rugby campaign.

In the afternoon, after they'd ran through their weekend prep, three of the players came to put us through our paces and talk us through the drills they do to remain in peak physical condition. The bronco is a pre-season test that is renowned throughout rugby.

Dan Carter, the All Black legend, and arguably the greatest rugby player of all-time, said in an Instagram video that he "avoided broncos at all cost" such are the depths you have to dig - and I couldn't agree more.

A bronco involves starting on the try line and running out to the 20m line and back, 40m and back, 60m and back - repeat five times. New Zealander Beauden Barrett famously posted a time of 4 minutes and 12 seconds shortly after the Covid lockdown. Ireland's Hugo Keenan is thought to have gone a second quicker.

Gloucester's Strength & Conditioning coach laid out certain expected times depending on positions. Scrum-halves, wingers and fullbacks are expected to be the quickest - something around the 4 minute 20 second mark. Forwards maybe taking up to 30 seconds longer.

After completing one, to say I wanted to give up during and throw up afterwards is an understatement. I'd done broncos before, but doing so in front of England and Scotland internationals gave me extra motivation, but it didn't hurt any less!

Players will go through that in pre-season, but that'll be that for the year. I was told that they "make the hardest week a pre-season week and then you tapper off during the season, you'll sit just below the threshold." Training weeks are then altered depending on their opposition - some of whom bring a serious physical presence with others choosing to spread the ball more.

After some serious recovery time we stepped into the gym. Gloucester winger Ollie Thorley talked me through a counter movement jump - basically jumping from a standing start where the emphasis is on the explosive power you can gain from a bend at the hips.

When I mentioned earlier about how they make the mega look effortless, well this was another instance. I was able to jump just over 30cm from the floor. Thorley then gave me a demo and was in the high 50cms. To sum it up, I thought I'd come up with a good effort and when I watched the pro do his thing, I couldn't fathom how he'd almost doubled me, but that's why they do what they do.

To find out more about Gallagher's role as the title Partner of Premiership Rugby head to https://www.ajg.com/uk/gallagher-premiership-rugby/. The Premiership final will take place at Twickenham on June 8th with tickets still available.

2024-05-08T12:38:45Z dg43tfdfdgfd