FONR Trust

Newport RFC strength and conditioning coach James Knight thanked FoNR for the valuable sponsorship and outlines why it is so important. ‘A dedicated approach to planning and nutrition provides a holistic approach to optimising fitness status for competitive rugby. It is well accepted that nutrition plays a vital role in rugby performance and that a player’s requirements are different to that of non rugby players. Players need to focus on foods with a low glycaemic index prior to training and games, e.g. porridge and high glycaemic foods post match e.g. bananas and honey sandwiches. On match day I would advise the players to eat a main meal at least three hours prior to kick off, focussing on carbohydrate rich foods with a small amount of protein. Snacks are a great way to top up the players fuel stores and I would advise players to have a small snack one and a half hours prior to lick off. This is one area where the ‘Friends’ sponsorship will be very useful. We supply the players with fresh fruit such as bananas, alongside water and sports drinks. Hydration is vital as it helps prime the stomach and assists with fluid emptying. Around 400-500 ml of fluid should be consumed immediately before the game. During the match we use every opportunity to drink fluids to avoid dehydration. Post match recovery is also just as important. Immediate replacement of fluids and electrolyte losses is enforced. Players will start with water and isotonic drinks such as Powerade and Lucozade and follow up with bananas, Jaffa Cakes and sandwiches with protein fillings. I will advise the player for every 1 kg of body weight lost he will need to consume 500 ml of fluids to avoid muscle loss.’ Please consider joining Friends of Newport Rugby so that we can continue to provide support for the team in this practical way.