Sign In / Register
On a muggy summer’s evening last week, the Mahurangi Rugby Football Club (RFC) premiers’ preseason continued with an intense training session on their home turf at the Warkworth Showgrounds.
The majority of the players from the prems’ successful North Harbour club rugby 2024 campaign, in which they made the semi-final (MM, Nov 25), were on the paddock.
Preseason training usually starts in February, but kicked off on January 13 this year. Mahurangi manager Mike Rodden says it’s never started this early before.
“But we want to get these boys fit. We’ve got some big units out there and they just need to be doing the work. We’re also training for the sevens, so it’s just getting everyone else along as well.”
Rodden says a personal trainer comes in for an hour-and-a-half on Wednesdays who puts them through their paces with the Bronco Test, a high-intensity aerobic assessment where you sprint to and from markers placed at 20m, 40m and 60m.
“When the boys have finished the bronco, they’re absolutely shattered, especially when it’s hot and humid like it is tonight. We’ve had players vomiting because they’re still getting back into it after eating too much over Christmas.
“Then they’ll train for another hour-and-a-half after that.”
The intensity of the training, as well as the early start to the preseason, reflects the club’s desire to improve on last year’s success.
“The coaches put so much self-belief into these players (in 2024). It was like, boys you’re good rugby players. Back yourselves and trust yourselves. So we had a squad that believed in each other and believed in themselves and, yeah, made the semis.
“Finishing top four last season was a great result. The aim now is to go one better and make the final,” he says.
The Mahurangi premiers first preseason game is at the Warkworth Showgrounds against Wellsford on February 28 – aka the Battle of the Dome.
