Rugby Union: Academy in Australia

The tuition you’ll receive

Our coaching team will analyse and develop every area of your game. The programme adopts a ‘holistic’ approach in terms of complete player development, and combines proven best practice coaching principles, education programmes, monitoring and evaluation procedures.

The coaching at the academy will focus on:

Strength, power, speed, agility and endurance development

The aim here is to transfer physical gains from gym work and training onto the field and to maximise injury prevention in collision and non-collision situations. They also include elements of ‘prehabilitation’ to address and manage any identified predisposition to injury.

Psychological skill development

Over the course of the programme players are provided with mental toughness tools to help achieve goals. Techniques will help:

• develop confidence
• identify and establish optimised performance zones
• overcome negative thinking
• relaxation
• pre-game preparation, in-game focusing and post game review

Athlete education 

Regular seminars are provided to academy players during the course of the programme:

• psychological skills for rugby
  
• nutrition
• time management
  
• team building and culture development
• recovery
• injury prevention
• leadership development
  
• tactical and decision-making development

Do you have to be a really good rugby player to attend the academy?

No. Players of all abilities can attend the rugby academy in Queensland where they’ll receive quality coaching and play matches to improve their game.

Where is the Academy located?

The academy is in the suburb of St Lucia which lies around 4km outside central Brisbane. It takes around 20 minutes to travel from the city to the academy on bus. There are regular buses between the city and St Lucia throughout the day, so it is easy to get to the academy on public transport.

How is the accommodation structured?

All players on the programme share fully furnished apartments in Brisbane’s central business district.

How many hours of training will players do each week?

Players undertake 15 hours of training each week.

What times of the day are the training sessions held?

Players train each day during the week in the morning and the evening.

Do players on the programme play matches for a club?

Yes, all players on the programme train with a club during the week and play matches in Queensland’s Premier Rugby Competition at the weekends.

Is there any support whilst I’m away?

All staff at the academy are fully trained to deal with any sporting issues that arise during the placement. Pastoral support will be available from your Sport Lived mentor in Brisbane who will be on hand to deal with any issues.

Can I extend my programme after 12/8 weeks?

Yes. If you’d like to do this please liaise with the Sport Lived staff in Brisbane.

What to expect

When you arrive at the academy a thorough assessment will be made of your strengths and weaknesses. This assessment provides the basis of your training programme at the academy. Performance objectives are set and continually reviewed as development progresses.

The academy has an in-house sports medicine facility which includes physiotherapy, massage therapists and sports physicians.

You’ll have access to superb facilities to help improve all aspects of your game.

Personal development

Playing for a local club enables participants to put academy coaching into practice in competitive fixtures. Playing and training with a club also enables you to integrate into the local community, meet new people and make new friends.

Most rugby clubs in Brisbane have 3-4 U19 teams and 4-6 senior mens’ teams. A number of the rugby clubs we have affiliations with in Brisbane have Super 14 and international players. Having the opportunity to play and train alongside individuals is another great way to develop your game.