Rugby Academy New Zealand

Real Sport Experience’s International Rugby Academy provides all aspiring players the opportunity to travel and develop their game in New Zealand - a country that has continually taken rugby to new levels. It offers unrivalled facilities and training from some of the best coaches available.

The Academy is the only one of its kind, offering programmes of 1 to 6 months. This allows everyone to have the opportunity to advance their game, depending how much time they have. This programme is ideally suited to rugby enthusiasts looking to develop the physical and technical aspects of their game, with the ambition to progress in their individual rugby ambitions.

Participant Requirements
This programme requires all participants to be active, so academy students need to ensure they feel fit and able to join a programme of this nature.

Programme Age Limit
Minimum age 18 (17 year olds are accepted with a letter of consent from a parent/guardian), maximum age decided upon potential participant’s health.

Rugby Academy Programme
Our Academy Programme is designed for players of all levels, as long as you have the same work ethic – dedication, ambition and an open mind to innovative training techniques. Past academy students have gone on to Club, County and International level, so their track record for success is proven.

The academy receives players from all over the world, as well as having an in-take of 30 Maori students per year.

This mixture of cultures, training and first class facilities, enable you to become a better player and much more knowledgeable about the global aspects of this great game. The academy’s training programme focuses on the following areas:

The structure of the programme allows you to develop the physical, mental and technical aspects of the game at the same time. This gives you a balanced and thorough development as a player.

As well as Full-Time professional coaches, the Academy also has visiting mentors. These have included former All Blacks, New Zealand Maoris and Super 14 players. These mentors can give advice regarding your technique and ball skills, to find ways you can improve and apply these in a game environment.

Training Structure
The focus of the training is twofold – training each player on their responsibilities as part of a team and also teaching each player the finer details of their position. These can be split into defence and attack. For example:

	Individual	Team
Defence	Tackling techniques	Positioning and defence strategies
Attack	Ball skills and retention in the tackle	Lines and angles of running

1) Techniques
The academy uses the latest techniques in rugby coaching, combined with innovative skill development training, to develop each player in the following areas:

2) Individual Positional Training
This aspect of the programme is broken down to appropriate playing positions, to give you optimum training in your personal game. The academy has both forwards and backs coaches, to give you specific training for the technical aspects of your position. The positional training covers:

Forwards	Backs
- Scrums - Lineouts - Ruck - Maul - Pick and Go	- Understanding attacking options in zones - Reading oppositions attack & defence - Counter attacking options - Defensive position & options

3) Individual ball skills

4) Personal Physical Testing

Accommodation and Meals
All accommodation is with a local host-family. This is to enhance your true New Zealand experience and to learn more about the Kiwi culture. The host family will provide you with an evening meal, and the Academy will supply you with breakfast and lunch.

If you are interested in booking or require further information, contact a Real Sport Adviser at: nz@realgap.co.uk or call on 01892 516164