In-season

The in-season or competitive phase of a rugby season is when the schedule of competitive matches starts and this phase can vary in length due to the different league structures. This phase of training is geared towards organising training to enable the players to perform at their best in competitive games (Bompa and Haff, 2009). Within the competitive phase the aim is to improve sports specific fitness or at least maintain the gains made in fitness during the preseason (Bompa and Haff, 2009). The competitive season is generally dominated by tactical and technical training time and so the time dedicated to physical fitness development may be limited. It is still important to have physical fitness and conditioning sessions during the competitive phase so the players do not become deconditioned. During the in-season phase the volume of physical training will generally be low and the intensity will be high to help the athletes meet the high intensity demands of the game. The addition of competitive games to the weekly schedule means that there is also an important focus on recovery which again limits opportunities for physical training.