Treu ropes in sports science expert

The global rugby showpiece starts on today in the famous desert city of the United Arab Emirates, a sevens rugby venue that has proved a happy hunting ground the Springbok Sevens in the past.

During the team's preparation in Cape Town and Stellenbosch, Treu again called on the expertise and advice of Dr. Ross Tucker to assist him in the overall preparation for the World Cup.

According to Treu he first roped in Tucker's expertise before the start of the IRB World Sevens Series tournament in Dubai last year, which the South Africans won. Tucker was also involved with the team in George last December, where they won for the first time after ten years of trying.

Tucker feel as passionate about the potential of the Springbok Sevens as he values the influence and application of sports science and management. The SA Sevens team, according to him, has the potential to set the benchmark for the preparation of elite sports teams thanks to Treu's ability to weave in value from a range of experts.

“The top teams are very close to each other and the best teams are really separated by those who not only prepare for every scenario, but also those who are able to stay focused and mentally prepared.

“However, that mental focus and belief is not simply a switch you click so that the ‘mental light bulb' goes on. It is something you work on and develop through scientific preparation, training and the application of the scientific process.

“Sevens rugby has grown at a fantastic pace over the past few years and the teams, much like in the bigger code and indeed other sports, are now so good at preparing for and analyzing the opposition. Therefore, if a team wants to succeed, he must be able to withstand the mental fatigue that comes with the intensity of playing so many pressure games in such a short space of time.

“One must remember that the margins between victory and defeat are so small that if you leave anything out of the preparation, you start that the match at a disadvantage. Ninety-nine percent of winning happens behind the scene, off camera, and in my opinion the Springbok Sevens are closer to achieving that 99% than most teams,” explains Tucker.

According to him, the embrace of the scientific process is the key difference. “Unfortunately, we in South Africa have this narrow view of sports science. We tend to think of it as a VO 2 max test, some supplements and sports injuries. That's part of it, but it's the system of thinking, the process by which you gain knowledge and the constant evaluation of information that we overlook.

“In this sense Paul is probably more of sports scientists because he asks the tough questions, forms a hypothesis and develops a better understanding of the game. That, to me, is science.

“My role is to basically give direction of how sports science and management can help Paul and his team to achieve the goals they have set for themselves and to critically evaluate the team's processes. A lot of the work has to do with mental preparedness as well, the ability to be alert through what is a highly pressurized sevens rugby match,” said Tucker.

According to Treu, himself and the players benefited a lot from the advice and involvement of Tucker and he hopes to involve him again in the future.

“Ross is a dynamic person and he has the ability to bring out the best in people by applying simple but powerful and proven tactics. Myself and the team as learnt a lot from him,” said Treu.

South Africa is currently joint leaders with England on the IRB Series log and the team is regarded as one of the favourites to lift the Sevens Rugby World Cup.

Profile of Dr. Ross Tucker:

He is currently a consultant with the UCT Sports Science, the Sports Science Institute of South Africa and Discovery health. He graduated with a PhD in exercise physiology under Prof Tim Noakes at the University of Cape Town. His thesis looked at fatigue and role of the brain in exercise performance. While doing his PhD, he also completed a post-graduate diploma in sports management with at the UCT Faculty of Commerce.