changing from the forwards to the centres

[eot345]

i was thinking that i might like to try out playing in the backs next season
i played 8 last year and im playing loosehead/hooker this year since it was the only way i could get into the team above.

next year i want to play in the centres at U17 level

im currently
5'10
12 stone (light weight for a front row i know)

although im quite slow i have okay hands. i think my main attribute is my hand off. I'm a decent takler however every so often i do get stepped.

im still growing and so by next season il probably be 13 stone and 5'11. I've done a fair amount of strength training to help bulk/strengthen up for playing front row this season so im not worried about my strength just my lack of pace. I'll probably be doing sprint training once a week in the summer how much will this help?

in conclusion should i bother trying to convert to a centre or should i just go back to playing flanker/8??

 

[Peat]

Sir,

Quite frankly I am appalled. A man so blessed as to be in the pack should not be seeking out the tawdry comforts and sins of the back line. It is my considered opinion that usually this reveals one of three things about a man. That either he is

a) So mad and deranged you wouldn't trust him with his own bank account, never mind picking his position

or

b) Ambitious and vainglorious to a dangerous degree verging on the criminal and sociopathic

or

c) So effeminate that Graham Norton would fancy his chances going three rounds with him.

I implore you to recant of this heresy and turn towards the light, the true and unselfish glory of the pack. Shun the shandies, the highlights and the garishly coloured boots of the back. Be a forward. Be a man.

...

Ok, slightly more seriously, speaking as someone who routinely swaps between forwards and backs (not my sodding idea I might add) -

Can you pass? If the answer's no, you have no business in the centres. None. I know the average winger is a sly, reptillian creature with a list of sexual deviancies to make the Marquis de Sade blush and one naturally recoils at the idea of helping him, but the game will go more smoothly if you can pass to them. I speak with the bitter experience of playing at a level where routinely the backs line is made up of the spare back-rows who've got a bit of gas/have done this sort of thing before. Passing is rarely included. THe winger will hate you.

If you're playing at centre, that get stepped every so often will become plain, mere often unless you work at your tackling and defensive alignment. Its not an easy position defensively.

Pace. You can get away without it in the backs, but it does make life a lot more difficult. I've never really done sprint training, but there's only so much once a week training can do for anyone. You can only move as fast as the muscles in your leg will carry you, so do not neglect them. I recommend squats, jumping and all other exercises designed to to increase explosive leg power.

You haven't mentioned agility. It doesn't matter that much if you're slow if you barely slow when changing direction and it doesn't matter much if you're fast if its straight lines only. Make sure you train this too.

End of the day, you do probably have the attributes to make a bosh 12. The only way to find out is to play there - drop a level or two if needs be, but weasel some games in the position and see where it goes. For the love of god talk to your coach. He's the guy who will make or break this. I reckon you'd have more fun in the forwards, but then I am a strange demented creature with a magnetic attraction to rucks.

And at the end of the day, when you make it to men's rugby, you'll find every bugger reckons he's a flanker, and every other bugger reckons he's a centre but there's few props so you'll end up with the fat boys again soon enough.

 

[eot345]

Firstly thankyou for the entertaining but also very helpfully reply my rugby career has a pattern

1. Move up to higher team as a front row
2. Get more comfortable at tha. Level and move to back row
3.repeat

I do love playing in the forwards especially 8 or loosehead but it gets a bit irritating when your playing your ass of at prop But then only carry the ball once or twice a game and even then it tends to be running into a line of opposing forwards

 

[Peat]

Well if you want to carry, thats the best place and it does sound like your biggest strength is as a ball carrier. Remember to run at space. What's your offloading like?

 

[eot345]

one of my strengths however my left to right passing is something i will have to work on.
as for weight training to get faster i do some squats and quite a bit of deadlifting (unlike everyone elso my age who just do bicep curls).

 

[Peat]

Well you know what to do.

You might care to work on your kicking, but its not something to be worried about. Will Greenwood barely kicked the thing, and most of the time a centre needs to kick its point it roughly where you want it to go and hope. The only real reason I'd recommend doing it is if you get sent back to prop, kicking props get on everyone's nerves.

Weights... you're young, don't push yourself too hard. I'm no expert, and I'm too damn lazy to look up what's written by experts, but I can't see how deadlifting helps your leg power. Weighted lunges are a fair one.

And in general, if you don't know, no sane rugby player neglects his core. It stabilises your strength, makes you far better breaking tackles and will also protect you from injury. And your current list isn't wonderful for that. But there we go, I'm **** at weights so look these things up for yourself.

 

[eot345]

Well you know what to do.

You might care to work on your kicking, but its not something to be worried about. Will Greenwood barely kicked the thing, and most of the time a centre needs to kick its point it roughly where you want it to go and hope. The only real reason I'd recommend doing it is if you get sent back to prop, kicking props get on everyone's nerves.

Weights... you're young, don't push yourself too hard. I'm no expert, and I'm too damn lazy to look up what's written by experts, but I can't see how deadlifting helps your leg power. Weighted lunges are a fair one.

And in general, if you don't know, no sane rugby player neglects his core. It stabilises your strength, makes you far better breaking tackles and will also protect you from injury. And your current list isn't wonderful for that. But there we go, I'm **** at weights so look these things up for yourself.

you try standing up holding 130 kgs and saying it doesnt work your core

Im sorry but i think the deadlift is the best exercise a rugby player can do since it works your legs (when you straighten them whilst holding the bar) it also works your core extreamly well probably second only to squats. Deadlifts also work ur whole back expecialy your traps which are essential for scrummaging at prop

 

[eot345]

i agree though it would be funny if i moved back to prop and was able to kick

 

[durbutter]

Weights at U17?

Am I the only one who thinks that's a bit mad?

I've been playing front row for 4 years and only very rarely do weights. then again, i play a shite standard and am happy out with it.

 

[Peat]

you try standing up holding 130 kgs and saying it doesnt work your core

Im sorry but i think the deadlift is the best exercise a rugby player can do since it works your legs (when you straighten them whilst holding the bar) it also works your core extreamly well probably second only to squats. Deadlifts also work ur whole back expecialy your traps which are essential for scrummaging at prop

Fair enough - but look at other exercises, look at things that work your core in isolation and so on. All weights work your core really, but you can't go wrong looking at the specialist stuff.

 

[TRF_Olyy]

Deadlifts do work your core, but you're a fool if you lift and don't do extra for your core,
It's the most important muscle group to work, for anyone who trains.
Leg lifts (hanging and lying), planks, bicycle crunches etc.etc.

 

[lynam1104]

Weights at U17?

Am I the only one who thinks that's a bit mad?

I've been playing front row for 4 years and only very rarely do weights. then again, i play a shite standard and am happy out with it.

I started to do weights and work out at 13 my coach recommended it. he was a bit of nutter tho.

 

[eot345]

Weights at U17?

Am I the only one who thinks that's a bit mad?

I've been playing front row for 4 years and only very rarely do weights. then again, i play a shite standard and am happy out with it.

im actually at U16 level some schools in england for example wellington college encourage weights from an even lower age.

anyway goota make up for may lack of co-ordination some how

 

[veux]

one of my strengths however my left to right passing is something i will have to work on.
as for weight training to get faster i do some squats and quite a bit of deadlifting (unlike everyone elso my age who just do bicep curls).

The best way to get faster is to sprint, lol. Not do weights. A combination of the two will probably yield optimum results. Most people have weak hamstrings, so do things that make your hamstrings stronger. Box squats, floor GHRs, powercleans, Good Mornings, deadlifts. Explosive work is also good, box jumps + other things.

Weights wise google WS4SB3, look at the program, and follow it as if your life depended on it. If you haven't heard of any of the exercises, utube them.

 

[veux]

Weights at U17?

Am I the only one who thinks that's a bit mad?

I've been playing front row for 4 years and only very rarely do weights. then again, i play a shite standard and am happy out with it.

Thing is it really hurts when you prop against someone who's as good as you technique wise, and lifts weights to a good standard. Luckily most gym bunnies lifft to compensate for poor scrummaging form.

 

[durbutter]

Thing is it really hurts when you prop against someone who's as good as you technique wise, and lifts weights to a good standard. Luckily most gym bunnies lifft to compensate for poor scrummaging form.

Era thats no fear in my league. I'm be scrummaging 20 stone 40 year olds who can barely bend over!

 

[eot345]

Deadlifts do work your core, but you're a fool if you lift and don't do extra for your core,
It's the most important muscle group to work, for anyone who trains.
Leg lifts (hanging and lying), planks, bicycle crunches etc.etc.

i do weighted planks every so often

 

[eot345]

Thing is it really hurts when you prop against someone who's as good as you technique wise, and lifts weights to a good standard. Luckily most gym bunnies lifft to compensate for poor scrummaging form.

i actually found weights helped my scrummaging since it allowed me better posture and more flexibility and soi am better able to get under my opposite man

 

[TyphoonsRugby]

Going by this your better off sticking to the forward pack bud.

 

[cardassian]

Why you'd want to play anywhere other than prop beats me.
Prop is by far the coolest position in the game as scrums are where it's at (we all know this deep in our hearts).
Also if you're playing U16s you've got a lot of growing left in you so will probably be rather large when fully grown.
Stick with the forwards I reckon.