Transitioning from Stellenbosch’s wet and cold conditions to the stifling heat in Italy, where the World Rugby U20 Championship kicks off on Saturday, meant the Junior Springbok medical and conditioning staff had to think outside the box regarding the team’s preparation for the annual event.
The squad left Cape Town on Tuesday morning, where the winter conditions were cool and overcast, and arrived at their Italian base just outside Verona with high temperatures, deep in the 30 degrees Celsius, and very humid conditions.
With the summer heat set to add to the challenge for the participating teams in Italy, the Junior Bok medical and conditioning staff, under the guidance of team doctor Clement Plaatjies, devised plans months in advance to help raise awareness of this big change in weather conditions and how best to acclimatise to the stifling local conditions.
According to long-serving Dr Plaatjies, their plan to inform players, raise awareness, and implement a strategy to prepare the SA U20 squad started at the beginning of the year when the training group was based in Stellenbosch, where, coincidentally, the summer heat was also a big feature.
“We mitigated injury niggles post-flight and during travel with our strategic medical interventions that we installed long ago while the players were in camp in Stellenbosch, with a lot of preparation work going into that,” said Dr Plaatjies.
The distance between South Africa and Italy, via a stopover in Istanbul, meant a day and a half’s travel for the group, ending with a bus trip to their base on the outskirts of Verona after the team had touched down in Venice from Turkey.
“We encouraged movement on the plane, and the players were very compliant with the mobility drills we gave them, and that helps with the overall recovery,” said Dr Plaatjies.
“Furthermore, we also ensured awareness of injuries and illness by way of clear communication, where I shared a lot of relevant information with the group via WhatsApp before, during, and after travelling.”
Fortunately for the group, there is no time difference between South Africa and Italy. However, the medical and conditioning staff advised the players to try and get as much sleep as possible on their flight to Italy.
The heat obviously also meant that hydration would play a big role during their stay. To combat any negative effects, the medical team ensured the implementation of a carefully worked-out plan to keep the group sufficiently hydrated.
Dr Plaatjies said: “We installed an injury prevention and hydration protocol weeks before we travelled to Italy because we knew it was going to be hot and humid, and that’s exactly what we are experiencing right now. So, the benefit was that the players knew beforehand what to expect on their arrival here.”
The whole group are encouraged to have sufficient water and other fluid intakes, and during water breaks in training, the players are using towels soaked in ice water in an effort to stay cool, as well as water sprays.
According to the team doctor, their tactical approach, which started five months ago, will help the players settle in quickly and adjust to the summer conditions.
“I’d say we’ve had excellent medical preparation with the knowledge we’ve accumulated over the last couple of years of playing in this competition,” he said. “I am sure there will be a couple more learnings from playing in these conditions in this year’s tournament.”
The Junior Boks play Australia in their Pool A opening match on Sunday in Calvisano. The team returned to the training field on Thursday, and the match-day squad to play against the young Wallabies will be named on Friday afternoon.