The modern-day game requires rugby players to be at their peak in all areas including nutrition and Manu Samoa is already one step ahead eleven days from their first Rugby World Cup match. 

Manu Samoa’s Strength and Conditioning Coach, Aitutagata Dave Edgar said the dietary intake for the players has to be right to build stamina so they can last throughout the 2023 RWC campaign.

He said it is important that the players have the correct levels of protein and carbohydrates as part of their regimented diet plan.

"So what we need to do is have good where we ensure we try to have good clean protein and carbohydrates so protein, meat, chicken and fish, carbs, pets, the rice, limited amounts of breeds and different things to ensure that we've got the energy to train as well as protein to ensure that we can have protein synthesis and muscle synthesis for the repair of muscle and also muscle growth,” said Aitutagata. 

“A key area that we've implemented here is snack stations, immediately post-training so as soon as they walk off the field in conjunction with protein shakes, to ensure that we have sufficient energy to train sufficient protein to recover and then also we're able to bounce back for the next day's training.”

Science is very much part of the team’s preparation for their group matches, and while the coaching panel not only has a dietary plan, the players are also monitored. Aitutagata said right from the start of the campaign, the skinfolds of the players are measured and recorded.

“From the skinfold, we predict what the targets are and we know historically what a good body composition is, in simple terms, what are your millimetres of skinfold fit in comparison to your body weight, so we have protocols that will work off in plain and simple,” said the Strength and Conditioning Coach. “If you meet your targets, this is how we monitor if you're not meeting your targets. 

"Essentially, if you're too fat, you're put on more of a restricted diet or given extra to burn that fat to be an ideal condition for your body type. But for your position on the field. As a base, we've moved on from the days of identifying a specific body weight for a specific position.

“We move towards if you're heavier, you know, Pacific Islanders can be slightly heavier than your sort of ‘palagi’ rugby player, we go off the lean muscle mass so he's a winger and does not have to be pinned to a specific body weight.

“They can be 110 kgs to 115 kgs. But as long as there's lean muscle mass, it's not fitness as lean muscle mass. They meet different targets, they're moving better on the field, the faster they're actually more of a beneficial and destructive player for us on the field.”

Manu Samoa has now moved to Montpellier in France. This will be the final week of rigorous training before the team focuses on recovery and getting match fit.

Samoa is in Pool D of the RWC with Argentina, England, Japan and Chile. They play their first game on Saturday 16 September 2023 (17 September 2 am Apia time).