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Watch: Ireland's fastest rugby players have been revealed
Rugby is a game of attrition in the northern hemisphere, played throughout the winter and hence doesn’t always lend itself to the pure speedsters seen in other sports.
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With obvious exceptions when it comes to the back three, these positions often focusing on dynamism instead of sheer bulk.
Munster’s Head of Fitness Aled Davis spoke in relation to the competition within the Munster squad surrounding the 40-metre dash.
“In the past, we may have considered speed over 40 metres an important metric but we would rarely set that up in training due to the [potential injury] risks involved,” said Davis.
“We now prioritise accelerations and deceleration over that straight, 40 metre burst.”
“It would probably surprise you to see who our quickest players are, in those short bursts.”
“There are a few backline players in the top five [for speed] but a couple of forwards.”
“Whereas runners need steady speed over certain distances, rugby players focus on being efficient and effective over those first couple of strides.”
With that in mind, here are Irish Rugby’s fastest players:
- Barry Daly (Leinster) – 10.5 metres per second.
- Rory Scholes (Connacht) – 10.0 m.p.s
- Jacob Stockdale (Ulster) – 9.97 m.p.s
- Simon Zebo (Munster) – 9.85 m.p.s
Simon Zebo, currently sidelined with a rib injury comes in fourth, with Ulster’s Jacob Stockdale currently in action on the wing against Connacht in third.
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The number two spot goes to Rory Scholes, previously of both Ulster and Edinburgh
Leaving first place to Barry Daly who burst onto the scene this season having scored a hat-trick in Leinster’s defeat to the Cheetahs.
Daly starts tomorrow’s local derby against old rival Munster, showing the faith Leo Cullen has in the 25-year-old.
10.5 metres per second is an extremely impressive stat once put in the context that in Usain Bolt’s fastest ever 100 metres, his average speed was 10.44.
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Clearly an exciting prospect for Irish rugby and Leinster, as the below clips demonstrate.
Credit: Leinster Rugby TV
