More than 100,000 people descended on The Sevens Stadium in the shadow of Dubai last weekend to watch Fiji clinch the 2015 Dubai Rugby Sevens title.
What many of those who attended won’t know is that a UAE-based personal trainer and his expertise in strength and conditioning and nutrition played a huge part in their triumph.
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Fiji broke New Zealand’s four-year stranglehold on the World Rugby Sevens Series to win it for just the second time in its 16-year existence last year, and one Kiwi is aiming to keep Fiji at the top heading into a big year for sevens rugby with its inaugural run in the Olympic Games in Rio on the horizon.
Jeremy Manning has worked with Fiji on a part-time basis at each of the last three Dubai Rugby Sevens as a skills coach.
In addition to offering his rugby expertise as a former professional player, Manning is also bringing his background in health and fitness to the table.
Amazing way to end @Dubai7s with this talented group learning from the best @chriscracknell @benjaminryan #blessed pic.twitter.com/S8YnZpegsU
— J (@kiwibatler) December 6, 2015
“I have a title as specific skills coach but I assist with all types of training, whether it’s to do with defending and attacking or on the strength and conditioning, nutritional side of things. It’s all across the board really and whatever Ben (Ryan, Fiji head coach) needs me to do,” said Manning a few days after helping Fiji to an emphatic 28-17 win against England in the Dubai Cup final of the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series.
From his native New Zealand to winning the Heineken Cup with Irish powerhouse Munster and now the Middle East, life has taken Manning across the globe.
Having coached Abu Dhabi Harlequins to UAE Premiership and Dubai Rugby Sevens success during his two-year tenure before stepping aside in the summer, the next stop along the way for the 30-year-old could be Brazil next summer.
After helping them win the inaugural round of the 2015-16 World Rugby Sevens Series in Dubai, Manning is fueling Fiji’s ambitions to win a gold medal as sevens makes its Olympics debut at Rio 2016.
Since stepping down at Harlequins, his involvement with the Pacific Islanders has stepped up and he is now a big part of the background team.
It sounds like a dream role and the beginning of a new chapter for Manning, but it’s not all fun in the sun for the former Munster man.
CHAMPIONS! Congratulations @benjaminryan and @fijirugby – the first title of the season at the #Dubai7s! #HSBC7s pic.twitter.com/1L6hOhFOIG
— World Rugby Sevens (@WorldRugby7s) December 5, 2015
“It’s about getting the balance of what they’re eating and what they should be eating right,” said Manning.
It’s about control throughout the tournament and even more importantly before the tournament.
“During the tournament you have to keep an eye on what some of the boys eat.
“Some of the bigger boys need to consume more carbohydrates than the smaller guys.
“The boys can pretty much eat anything they want between games because it’s all about carb loading to get enough energy throughout the game.
“On the nutritional side of things we really look at what they’re eating before the tournament, making sure it’s the right mix leading up to it.”
These are pretty-exciting times for sevens rugby. The game has developed hugely in recent years, with many teams becoming professional and players now centrally contracted to the game much like their counterparts in the 15-a-side format.
Its exposure is only growing in an Olympic year so with his background as a professional, it’s easy to see why Manning has been brought on board.
He’s had his hands full, preparing and advising players on their diets and eating regimes as well as on the playing side.
“Throughout the week they would have had a pretty heavy load of training, two or three sessions a day, so with the expansion of energy it’s high calorie impact as well as high protein, to help in the recovery phase,” said Manning.
“After training the boys always have protein supplements on hand just to get the system in the recovery phase. You’ve got three games per day so recovery’s probably the most vital part throughout the tournament.
“Leading up towards the tournament and getting a little bit closer we try to add more carbohydrates, to make sure we’re loading up the systems before the tournament.”
Leading into Dubai, to keep them going for the two days of the tournament, Manning instructed the Fijian players to eat high carb foods like pasta, rice, potatoes and chicken.
During the rest of the week leading up to a tournament, carb intake will be kept to a minimum because they should have a full tank.
“Games are tough even though they’re only 14 minutes long,” said Manning.
“There’s a lot of ground to cover and you’re tracking some fast paces, so you’re going to burn a lot of calories throughout.”
Manning sounds strict but he has built up a good rapport with the players and they even get a treat the night before the tournament, a token for all their hard work in the build-up.
“The night before the boys get an evening of eating chocolate to keep morale up and recognise all the hard work they’ve done,” he said.
“During the tournament, between games, you don’t have massive amounts of time so it’s trying to get fast moving carbohydrates through their system and recovery drinks and ice baths straight after games.
“Between games, the boys normally snack on muffins and coffee or tea, as well as fruit.”
An added bonus is the day after the tournament, depending on how well they’ve performed, they’re allowed to eat whatever they want. So, seeing as Fiji got their World Series title defence off to a perfect start, what was the food of choice last Sunday after victory?
A huge thank you to @Dubai7s putting on another great show. Vinaka and Moce! @HSBC_Sport #HSBC7s #Dubai7s #rugby pic.twitter.com/mFSe5xF41v
— Ben Ryan Fiji 7’s (@benjaminryan) December 7, 2015
“There were buckets of KFC going around,” said Manning.
“To be fair the Fijian boys are very strict throughout the week, they won’t go off plan, so it’s a bit of a treat for them to eat whatever they feel like really.”
As the Fijians head to Cape Town for the second leg of the World Series this weekend, is he worried the players will slack off without Sergeant Major Manning around?
“Maybe a little bit, but a lot of the boys were asking if I was going to be flying out with them, which shows they’re enjoying having me around,” he said.
Although he isn’t aware of how the Fijians have done things in the past, Manning believes things have got pretty serious since Englishman Ryan took over in 2013.
“Ben’s really turned things around and I think it goes to show that if you get the nutritional side of things right you will get more out of your players throughout the tournament because they have all the right stores of protein and carbs in their system,” he said.
“You can tell if you’ve got it right depending on moods and energy throughout the few days. The boys are a little bit fresher.
“Sometimes it’s trial and error, everybody’s different so you have to keep an eye on a few boys to see whether they’re getting the right types of food and if not you change it a little bit and eventually you’ll get it right.”
