Develop core control

Focus on developing your stability with core conditioning, functional strength and intramuscular coordination. That doesn’t mean heavy lifting or high-volume weight training, but how much force you can produce from an unstable platform.

The guys that can bench press the most don’t necessarily feel like the strongest guys on the rugby pitch. When you’re lying on a bench you have a solid platform to press against and can put out a huge amount of force.

If you stand up, the amount of force you can produce in a pushing movement will be dramatically less, especially if you haven’t worked on the stability and control throughout your body.