Rugby World Cup: part old-school, part science helps Wallabies stay injury-free ahead of tournament

A COMBINATION of science and old-school instinct has helped Wallabies keep their players healthy and free of injury heading into the Rugby World Cup.

CARDIFF, WALES - SEPTEMBER 05: Leigh Halfpenny of Wales is stretchered off the field after suffering a leg injury during the International Match between Wales and Italy at Millennium Stadium on September 5, 2015 in Cardiff, Wales. (Photo by Dan Mullan/Getty Images)

A COMBINATION of science and old-school instinct has helped Wallabies keep their players healthy and free of injury heading into the Rugby World Cup, according to Stephen Larkham.

With just over a week until the tournament begins, Australia are sitting pretty on the injury front as other major nations at the World Cup sweat on the fitness of star players, or in the case of Wales, mourn the loss of them.

Leigh Halfpenny and Rhys Webb were this week ruled out of the tournament due to serious injuries picked up against Italy in Cardiff at the weekend.

Welsh coach Warren Gatland defended himself from critics on Wednesday who slammed his decision to play Halfpenny in the game, given he had heavy strapping on his knee. Gatland said the strapping was for reassurance and the injury was unrelated.

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Wales sharpshooter Leigh Halfpenny will miss the World Cup.

Larkham said Wales losing their no. 1 goalkicker was “a bonus” for Australia’s pool chances, but asked whether injuries were a matter of luck that coaches had to pray didn’t hit them, the Wallabies assistant said: “Is it luck or is it good management?”

“Generally contact injuries are down to misfortune but if you look at World Cups, generally teams who keep their key players on the park do better — although I guess New Zealand was a bit of an anomaly last time,” Larkham said.

Whether Larkham was also having a dig at Gatland is unclear but he said avoiding injuries has been a major priority for the Wallabies staff this year.

Depth and general good health in the playing ranks has given them the luxury of applying a physical edge at training.

“We haven’t held back with our training philosophy, we have been pushing them to try and get the most out of them,” he said.

“But we also don’t want to break them unnecessarily, so (avoiding) the soft tissue injuries is high on our priority list. Impact injuries you need a bit of luck there, but good management plays a role too.”

Data collected from strength and conditioning staff helps monitor training loads and prepare for future sessions.

“But we do that in consultation with a gut feel from Michael (Cheika),” Larkham said.

“The art of coaching is certainly that. It is not a science, it’s an art so there is fair bit of feel in there as well.”

The Wallabies have been put through a gruelling training regimen since coming together in July, which Larkham and players likened to a pre-season. It has seen players looking tired in their last two games, and though there has been more hard graft in the USA this week, a lightening of the load is also taking place.

“This week is another pre-season week. We will make sure our loads are right, we are not going to burn the guys out. We want to ease off a little though, it will be more individual prep this week,” Larkham said.

“Then when we get to England it will be more traditional Test match prep.”

Originally published as Rugby World Cup: part old-school, part science helps Wallabies stay injury-free ahead of tournament