Nutrition for Rugby

By David Starr

This evidence-based guide examines the nutritional demands of rugby union, rugby league, rugby sevens, and wheelchair rugby. It connects sports nutrition, exercise physiology, and performance practice while distinguishing established science from transferred evidence and practitioner experience. Recommendations are evaluated according to both scientific strength and their applicability to rugby.

The book covers energy availability and Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport, carbohydrate periodisation, protein and recovery, hydration and thermoregulation, micronutrients, body composition, and supplements. Dedicated chapters address female players, youth and academy athletes, injury and concussion, travel, immune health, and gastrointestinal function. Code-specific sections translate these principles into positional nutrition, match-day fuelling, tournament recovery, and heat management. Particular attention is given to wheelchair rugby and the implications of spinal cord injury for energy expenditure, thermoregulation, hydration, and bladder and bowel management.

A food-first approach is combined with guidance on anti-doping safety, behaviour change, meal planning, and translating nutrient targets into practical foods and portions. The book also identifies important evidence gaps in women's rugby, Para sport, youth rugby, and community-level participation.

Written for sports nutritionists, dietitians, researchers, students, coaches, support staff, and players, it provides a structured framework for applying current sports nutrition science across rugby codes, populations, and competitive settings.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 3032459044
• ISBN13: 9783032459046
• Release Date: January 2027
• Publisher: Springer