Sports science pumping rugby strength and speed

The UCT rugby club, specifically its first team, is building closer ties with the many specialists at the Sports Science Institute of South Africa (SSISA). This year, for example, the club had Dr Michele Boddington record many of its matches for video analysis. Now there are other developments. Last week, the players, among them Paul Waldburger (above), gave up holiday time to take part in a gruelling battery of tests at the SSISA in Newlands. Under the martinet eye of biokineticist Julian Calefato, the players huffed and puffed their way through time-trials, push-ups, bench presses and all manner of exercises to gauge their off-season fitness levels. They were then put on a programme that they have to stick to over coming months, and just before the start of the 2005 season they'll repeat the tests. "What we want to see then is an improvement in strength and an improvement in speed," says Calefato. Fans and management may also want to see a few more wins.