Getting in shape for the season calls for a bit more than going for the odd run and lifting a few weights.
If you want to get the most out of your game and avoid injury, you need a physical conditioning programme that’s based around your unique requirements.
Here are some tips about how to do this from the ‘RugbySmart’ website. This is a great resource for players and coaches alike, full of pointers on how to play hard and play safe.

Want to enjoy a long playing season?
You’ll have a much greater chance if you train and play safely.
The good news is, playing safe doesn’t mean playing soft. In fact, a safe technique is usually always the most effective technique, too. We’ll look at the warm-up and cool-down. To minimise the risk of injury, it’s a good idea to warm-up before every game. And when the final whistle has blown, you should always finish up with a cool-down session.

Safe technique is good technique
Tackling is the action that results in the most injuries in rugby – but you can learn to do it more safely. 
A safe tackling technique is also the most effective technique, so check out the safe tackling pointers.

Everyone loves winning. But a ‘win at all costs’ attitude can sour the spirit of a game, and change it from something that should be fun into an unpleasant experience.

If you wear protective equipment, you can greatly reduce the odds of getting injured on the field.
Wearing protective equipment doesn’t mean you’re ‘soft’ – it’s just good common sense. Why get an injury that could force you to leave the field early, and let your team down, if you can avoid it?

There was a time when an injury received on the rugby field was seen as a badge of courage. These days, we’re much more sensible about the need to keep injuries out of the game.

Like most things in life, in sport you get out what you put in. And that goes for your nutrition too – when you’re playing and training hard, the right nutrition will give your game the edge.

If you get injured on the field, the steps you take immediately afterwards can have a big impact on how quickly and how well you recover.
Do things right and you can minimise the injury’s effect, and boost your chances of a quick recovery.