They refer to this as supersizing of sportsmen as rugby players since the sport turning professional in 1995 the average players weight is up 12kg's with a height increase of 5cm.
Yesterday I was reading an article about the heaviest and biggest players in rugby which somehow certain playing positions are getting bigger and bigger each decade. This apparently is happening in most sports as human are getting bigger.
When I played back in the 1980's and 1990's there were a few freaky exceptions who I played against with one being Rudi "vleis" Visagie which stands for meat weighing in at 132Kg's and stood 1.98m tall. This guy was a man mountain considering he was taller than me by 3cm, but much wider as I was only 120kg's. He was the biggest player I have competed against as my opposing number. He was good at what he did as he was a Springbok player back then and would fit right in todays game.
When I played a player would weigh between 100 and 125kg's on average and the trend was to use steroids to find a size advantage. Think of Jonah Lomu and the difference his size made which was a freak all down to substance abuse. Rudi however was steroid free and what made him a special freak back then and what made him unique against all the other players.
The largest player in World Rugby today is a French player by the name of
Walid Maamry weighing in at 374.79 lb/170 kg. Not only is he a big boy, but he is also 2.0m tall. His physique also looks substance free as he doesn't have much muscle definition and looks natural. Size isn't everything as technique can out play a giant, but having the size and weight mixed with technique brings a whole new ball game. Walid I think will survive the rigors of rugby as his body is used to the weight he is carrying and is not new weight bought on by using substances.
The odd one out on the right is like having 3 players in one. He looks like a baby elephant in comparison to the other players.
Players this size are used to anchor the scrum as guaranteeing set piece play is half way to winning the game. The tight 5 is where the power comes from up front and these are the biggest players on the field.
I have never forgotten William "The Fridge" Perry who was a defensive player in the NFL. Perry was 382 lbs or 173kg's which is very similar ot our French baby elephant. Perry only comes in at number 5 in the NFL all time biggest players as there was one player Aaron Gibson who came in at 410lbs or 185Kg's. He didn't last however as he only played 34 matches at the top level as again size is not everything.
My thought is does a player who is weighing 170kg have a long career in a contact sport as staying fit will be a challenge. There is a big difference playing 80 minutes in a competitive game against someone who comes on for a set time like in the NFL. I think Walid has a chance however as it looks like this is all natural and not from steroids as his frame is big and not fake looking like many others we see.
Schoolboys bringing in the next generation are weighing in at 110-120kg's now which is not all normal as the majority is down to substance abuse due to wanting to turn pro. Maybe we will see 130-140kg's players more often in the future but one thing is for sure their careers will no be that long as this is not natural growth.