Bulls box clever with former world champion to get players in shape

The Bulls strength and conditioning team at Loftus has turned to boxing as a tool to help injured players during rehabilitation, with the help of former double world champion Sebastiaan Rothmann.

Rothmann, the former WBU and IBO cruiserweight champion, is using his extensive boxing experience to unlock a new trend in rehabilitation at the top level of the game.

“Sebastiaan works well with our strength and conditioning team and the players,” said Bulls strength and conditioning coach André Volsteedt.

“Boxing is a nice add-on, not only for the final phase of rehabilitation of players coming back from injury but also for their general conditioning. Players feel it helps a lot with their speed and explosiveness while also ticking the cardiovascular box, especially with players coming back from lower limb injuries.

“Sebastiaan is professional in that the players are taken through a comprehensive programme where he works out individually with each one. The Bulls are taught the correct boxing skills from somebody who still trains some of the top boxers in SA,” said Volsteedt. 

Rothmann started working with rugby players in 1998 when he helped players such as Wynand Olivier, Pierre Spies and Francois Hougaard.

“In boxing, you’re always working on getting the body in the strongest possible position to execute and it’s the same in rugby, because reaction time is important in both sports,” said Rothmann.

“In rugby it’s that ability to get back into action as soon as you’ve been tackled or have tackled another player. And in boxing, concentration and focus when tired is vital, otherwise you’re going to get punched.

“We work on developing that with the rugby players, that ability to stay focused in the last few minutes of a physically demanding match when most mistakes can occur. There is a lot of lateral movement in boxing, whereas rugby is a more linear sport. So boxing helps to bring a more rounded condition to the player.”

Bulls flyhalf Johan Goosen is working with Rothmann as he returns from a knee injury sustained on the team’s UK tour in the United Rugby Championship last year.

“It’s been great in terms of the cardio element during my rehabilitation because you can’t always push as hard as you want in a pool. But I’ve seen it improve my general conditioning.

“I used to have pain in my shoulders from old injuries and since I started boxing with Sebastiaan that’s gone away. I love the speed it’s brought me, I’ve done a lot of rehab in my career, and rehab is generally a mental battle,” said Goosen. “Boxing makes you mentally tough while taking your mind away from your current situation.”