England Rugby prepare for South Africa with epic Tug of War

England Men’s Rugby Union team take on the Red Bull Pro Stress Test as part of their training camp in Jersey, UK, October 26, 2021

Red Bull and England Rugby reveal ‘The Stress Test’, a short film documenting a unique and gruelling training session to help the team prepare for its rematch against world champions South Africa. The climax of the beasting involved all 28 players having a ‘Tug of War’ with an 8.5 tonne Dakar competitor, a legend of the sport capable of 1,150 brake horsepower.

The pressures of any elite sport aren’t experienced by many, let alone those associated with a playing at the very top level. After coming agonisingly close to tasting victory back in 2019, Eddie Jones’ men reported that the intensity was at a level incomparable to Test Series. To imitate such levels of stress – both physically and mentally – England Rugby has been working closely with Red Bull to prepare their players for the pressures and anxieties that come at the very highest level of the game.

Created to push Eddie Jones’ full squad physically and mentally, the unique session was devised ahead of the Autumn Internationals, during England’s training camp in Jersey. Designed through collaboration with the Head of Strength and Conditioning coach, Jon Clarke, the England squad battled against a vehicle supplied by Red Bull – weighing the equivalent to two adult elephants – testing both their problem solving skills and teamwork.

Designed to race overmountainous dunes and cavanous ravines during the gruelling two week Dakar championship, the Russian-born rally raid competitors – piloted by 2015 champion Airat Mardeev – was on hand to provide an unprecedented climax to lung bursting work out – a man vs. machine ‘Tug of War’.

 

Following the session, Mardeev said:

 

“It was a pleasure to be involved in this unique session. As a team, we’re always looking at ways we can innovate our training environment to stay ahead of the competition. Looking ahead to the 2021 Dakar, this will be no different. To work with Red Bull and England Rugby in this capacity was really interesting. Being prepared mentally is as important as training physically, so I have no doubt that training sessions like these will provide a positive benefit on the pitch.”

 

Red Bull Stress Test x Jon Clarke, Head of Strength and Conditioning for England Rugby Union

 

What is the purpose of the Stress Test session with Red Bull?

We’re always looking for different ways of getting the boys to work together, particularly in the new group. New boys are coming to the squad, some older boys have dropped out and therefore we have a new squad – so what we need to do is bring them together quite quickly. We know on the field that they’re going to have to problem solve and work together whilst having good work ethic and effort, so this day is to set up to compliment all of this. Anything where we can tie it to the rugby, then we love it, and this is perfect for that.

 

What is the structure of the session?

The structure of the session is basic, the players will meet at the other end of the beach. They’re going to be in four teams and have got to get a 150kg tyre up and down the manmade pitch on the beach. On each lap, there will be a different way of transporting the tyre – for example, they’ll have to carry it, flip it and drag it. However, the tyre isn’t as accessible as they think it is to start with, as it will be chained up with a code to unlock with a hidden clue.

 

Did they players have any idea of what they were walking into?

No, the boys had no idea what was happening. They knew it was a Red Bull day and that it was going to be a bit of fun whilst being hard work as well. We told them to keep an open mind and deal with what you find. We always tell them “just adapt on the run, adapt to the situation and make the best of the situation that comes to you.”

 

What were your highlights of the challenge?

I think it was just watching the boys’ problem solve initially. We had to give them a few little pointers here and there, but we just let them work out the problems like they must on the pitch. They’ve got to be able to adapt and solve problems, even more so on the fatigue. It was just an unbelievable experience put on by Red Bull.

 

What have the players taken from this session?

One of the things we try and install in the lads is they compete to the end, and no matter what, regardless of the outcome or the result, we want to see them compete hard. And I think that was evident today, with the truck, first pulling it easy and then when the driver put it into reverse, the boys never gave up – so a big tick to the boys. We wanted a physical challenge, a mental challenge and something that brings them together and I think they got all three. It was a tough, tough challenge to drag that tyre up and down in different ways, whilst the mental side of it to keep going and come together as a team. It was brilliant at the end!

 

Is dealing with stress, pressure and anxiety the next key area of improvement?

You can view stress positively or negatively, but we try to coax the boys to view stress as a good thing and meet it head on, because that’s what they have to do on the pitch. If you succumb to the stress of the game, then we’re in a bit of trouble. So, we encourage the boys to actually endure the stress and to lean into it rather than away from it.

 

How do you help players cope with major setbacks?

I think when dealing with setbacks, a lot of it is down to the individual. Some boys need to talk about it, some boys want to put it to the back of their mind and others want to get back out onto the field. And that’s probably where we try and go with it, let’s get back on the field, train, get another game under your belt. It’s a process and it’s individual to each player.

 

How do you see games such as the Autumn Internationals?

The Autumn Internationals are massive for us. We’ve had a summer tour against tier 2 opposition and then coming to the autumn we’re playing three big teams, Tonga, Australia and South Africa. So, it’s a standalone tournament and very important in terms of our preparation, whilst being vital towards us looking ahead to the World Cup in two years’ time.

 

How does the Red Bull Stress Test relate to the players’ usual training routines?

We are always looking for who can handle the pressure and lean into it, which was reflected during the Red Bull Stress Test. They know they’ve been tired; they know they’ve had to problem solve in this situation and this is exactly what they’re going to get in a game.

 

Watch the England Rugby squad take on the Stress Test via the Red Bull TV here: www.redbull.co.uk/pro

 

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