RugbyRebels

I was looking at lists of teams playing in RWC 1987 and was surprised that some truly formidable back row players in particular Wayne Shelford only weighed 14 and a half Stone (93kg) - Peter Winterbottom and John Jeffrey weighed about the same. Given it’s rare to find even a test or club open side under 16 stone these days it makes you think how conditioning has changed in the past 30 odd years and why players have got so heavy and to what end?

its hard not to look beyond the advent of professionalism

it has provided players the opportunity to devote time to increasing their physicality
as well as increased scientific knowledge regarding nutrition and recovery
At the same time it has meant that for the players employers it has become vital to be able to compete or risk going to the wall so there is increased pressure through coaches and peer pressure to bulk up in an attempt to keep pace with everyone else

In a word, professionalism. In 1987, even top internationals were doing this as a hobby.

Puja

I think also the de-stigmatization and normality of weight and resistance training has had a massive effect. You could now go into any decent gym in the country and find a individual with a physique more suited to high level rugby than that of the majority of rugby players in 1987. Weight training used to be something reserved to a weird few in dingy, cobweb-filled cold gyms, whereas now there are massive chains throughout the country which exposes people a lot more people.

I'd suggest that there a lot players as far down as level 5 or 6 of the rugby ladder that bodies wouldn't look out of place in the 1987 world cup.

padprop wrote:I'd suggest that there a lot players as far down as level 5 or 6 of the rugby ladder that bodies wouldn't look out of place in the 1987 world cup.

I'm in the 2s side of a team whose 1sts are in the bottom of London SE and we've got players that wouldn't look out of place and a few who'd look grossly overmuscled.

"Supplements" also play their part.

I stopped playing in 1987 and weighed in at about 13 1/2 stones which was about the average for a humble level first team back row forward. I’m just happy that I played when I did as gym gorillas were few and far between in those years. The good ol’ days, eh!

Apart from conditioning, the frame size of the more recent generations is relatively huge - and that is consistent with the 'developed' nations.Whether this is processed food, antibiotics or growth hormones in the food chain or other lifestyle factors, no idea.
It manifests in other sports too..Heights commonplace for goalies/centre backs/fast bowlers back in the day would now derive 'titch' status it seems.
This chap came on Eamonn Andrews once and was bigger than all his folk!..pretty normal for the day in many parts. (his stated weight as 17 yr. old pro is startling)

Galfon wrote:Apart from conditioning, the frame size of the more recent generations is relatively huge - and that is consistent with the 'developed' nations.Whether this is processed food, antibiotics or growth hormones in the food chain or other lifestyle factors, no idea.
It manifests in other sports too..Heights commonplace for goalies/centre backs/fast bowlers back in the day would now derive 'titch' status it seems.
This chap came on Eamonn Andrews once and was bigger than all his folk!..pretty normal for the day in many parts. (his stated weight as 17 yr. old pro is startling)

Why is it startling?

Stom wrote: Why is it startling?

Because when he said 9 st. 11', I went
due to being startled.
I played wing in a league for a while at U16 level (slightly later era) and was a few stone above this.Mind you I had extra height too.I was startled at Lingard's wt. In the W Cup too.

Georgie Best.

I had a pair of his plastic slip on shoes when I was about 9 or 10.

"......I spent thousands of dollars on booze and beautiful women......the rest of it I just frittered away."

".....so I was in Las Vegas in the Presidential Suite of a top hotel. In my room were 2 or 3 empty bottles of champagne, thousands of dollars in cash spread all over the bed and the room and there was a naked Miss World in my bed. In comes the room service guy who was clearly Irish. - "Oh George....where did it all go wrong?" he asked!

I heard the last story as The Holiday Inn in Birmingham...(not much difference..!)
Strangely, placed an old faded Typhoo Tea Ltd 10 × 8 photo of the genius on the mantlepiece a week ago..found it in an old box of mine..to please Mrs G who was familiar with him round these parts towards the end of his glory days.Few tales for another day.The Typhoo blurb says 'he already has 13 full NI international caps to his credit'..!!

Somehow had a massive session with him in 93 or 94 and he was a heck of a lot more than 9st then. Nearly lost my job as a result, mind, but have felt guilty ever since.

Being heavy as a footballer doesn't really help you though does it. I think bale got worse when he tried to match ronaldo with all that gym stuff he has slightly less top end pace.