Giants of modern rugby outstripping 70s generation

Current All Black winger Julian Savea stands 1.92m tall. Photo / Brett Phibbs

Bigger is better - particularly if you're an All Black of this generation and not one from the 1970s.

A CNN study shows the All Blacks of today would tower over - and out-bulk - their amateur predecessors.

While probably not surprising to rugby followers, the research that looked at the height and weight of three New Zealand backs at 10-year intervals over 40 years, shows All Blacks today are on average 10cm taller and 14kg heavier than those who played the game in the 1970s.

And while the sample of a wing, a centre and a fullback is small, it provides a snapshot of how rugby physiques have evolved in the professional era.

Professor Jean-Francois Toussaint of the French Institute of Sport told CNN the change over the last 20 years had been dramatic.

"The increase in both forwards and backs has been around 4 to 5cm over the past 20 years and an increase in 12kg," he said. "It has been a large change."

Current All Black winger Julian Savea stands 1.92m and weighs 107kg, making him 5cm taller and 7kg heavier than Tana Umaga.

Savea also towers over the star All Black winger of the 1970s, Bryan Williams, who in his playing days weighed about 84kg and stood 1.79m.

But Williams told the Herald the best All Black team of the 70s would "run rings around" the current side before adding: "my tongue's in my cheek".

Williams said training, conditioning and dietary approaches had advanced considerably since his era when a "beer, steak and chips" was almost the norm and players had fulltime jobs. "We used to train a lot and we would do our club trainings on Tuesdays and Thursdays and I'd do extra trainings," he said.

"But we didn't do half enough weights and the scientific approach to training was pretty much hit or miss."

He believed future All Blacks could get even bigger and faster although Professor Toussaint told CNN athletes could plateau in terms of physical growth in coming years.

"I'm sure they can, you only need to look at how world records get broken at the Olympics all the time," said Williams.

Dr Helen Eyles of the University of Auckland's National Institute for Health Innovation said rugby had evolved to a point where different body types were required for best performance.

"Of course professionals have more time to train and training techniques and nutrition have evolved - they will play a part too," she said.

Dr Eyles said New Zealanders were getting heavier "but this is predominantly an increase in body fat, not muscle".

Research of more than 2700 rugby players at the 1987 to 2007 World Cups, led by Professor Toussaint's colleague, Adrien Sedeaud, revealed that while greater collective experience was important the best-performing teams had the tallest backs and the heaviest forwards.

For Wynne Gray's rundown of the 100 Greatest All Blacks ever, go here.