In episode 24 of the For Fit Sake podcast Ciarán and Rory sit down to chat with Irish 7’s player Terry Kennedy. Terry’s recent accolades with Ireland include,

Winning the European Grand Prix,Finishing 3rd in the London 7’s, beating England in the 3rd place play off..Winning the Moscow 7’s, as well as being the top try scorer of the tournament with 9 tries.competed in the 7’s world cup in San Francisco.

With 7’s rugby still being in its infancy in Ireland, Terry is one of the rising stars promoting the game nationwide and popularising it among younger athletes.

Show Notes.

3 mins 50 seconds- biggest difference between 7’s and 15’s.

Having the aerobic fitness in 7’s.In 7’s you’re constantly involved vs when playing on the wing in 15’s you might be limited in certain games.Training- The amount of running load is the biggest difference. Building fitness through drills in 7’s, trying to train your skills under fatigue.When going from one drill to the next it’s important to keep the intensity up and replicate match pace as often as possible.If you don’t work hard in 7’s its more noticeable than in 15’s.

8 mins 45 seconds- What are some of the skills you look for in the best teams in the world? The likes of Fiji, New Zealand and South Africa.

Fiji like to throw the ball around, they would be difficult to copy as there wouldn’t be as much structure in their attack.South Africa are obviously very physical and have incredible work rate. They work hard for each other and hunt in packs when in defence.We’ve had the former South African Strength and Conditioning coach who has been working hard with us to get the conditioning right.

10 minutes-what has the conditioning coach brought into the training sessions.

Work rate in defence, when you make a tackle trying to get back to your feet as quickly as possible and making sure you’ve 7 players on their feet.

11 minutes 35 seconds - what would an in-season week and a pre-season week of training and conditioning be like?

15 minutes 15 seconds- Recovery

In between matches, trying to stay off your feet. Trying to refuel your carbohydrate stores and having a protein source too. If there is time between games then a meal will be provided.

18 mins 30 seconds- Travelling with 7’s tournaments.

Experiencing different countries and cultures by playing 7’s, places like Uruguay, Chile, San Francisco, Dubai, Hong Kong.

20 minutes 41 seconds- What’s your favourite tournament to play in?

Hong Kong 7’s is the best. It’s a carnival atmosphere, everyone’s on the beer from about 8 in the morning and in fancy dress.

21 minutes 40 seconds- Best opponent you’ve ever played against?

One of the Fijian’s.

22 minutes 42 seconds- Best person to play with?

Couldn’t pick out one

22 minutes 52 seconds-Best try you’ve ever scored?

Twickenham, try vs Fiji.

23 minutes 35 seconds- World Cup memories.

Playing in a baseball stadium in San Francisco.Plenty of sunshine, good atmosphere, really enjoyable.

25 minutes 50 seconds- How do you stay in good condition throughout the year?

It’s a 12 month calendar.There’s always a tournament to be played, if not playing 7’s then there’s 15’s to look at too, there’s always something to be doing.

27 mins 44 seconds- the rugby 7’s quiz.

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