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| You are in: Health24 : Fitness : Rugby Player Profiles : Centres |
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Centres: De Wet Barry, Gcobani Bobo, Marius Joubert, Wayne Julies
Required skills: Centres are typically fast, powerful and technically adept. They create the try-scoring opportunities for the wings with fast running and skilful handling, but should also be good at tackling and defence.
Required fitness levels: Centres must run the 10 metres in at least 1.65 seconds, and the 40 metres in 5.10 seconds. They should be able to handle 130 kg in the bench press and 160 kg in the squat, and manage a vertical jump of 68 cm. Centres are permitted a maximum of 9% body fat.
Injuries to watch out for: Backs are vulnerable to leg injuries as a result of running, swerving and side-stepping at speed, particularly torn tendons and ligaments of the ankle and knee. One particularly common knee injury, such as that suffered by Gcobani Bobo, is to the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL). The ACL, situated behind the kneecap, stabilises the knee joint and connects the thigh and lower leg bones. The ACL can be sprained or ruptured if the knee gets a direct blow during a tackle or if the lower leg rotates excessively. Injuries from being tackled hard at speed include fractures and sometimes concussion. Neck, shoulder, back and trunk injuries may also occur.
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De Wet Barry
De Wet is a formidable defender and a hard, straight running centre who has been a key member of the Springbok squad in 2004. | | Gcobani Bobo
South Africa's first Rastafarian professional rugby player has earned a reputation over the past two seasons as a creative inside centre and physical defender. | | Marius Joubert
Joubert, who has been compared to the great Danie Gerber, is a classic centre in many respects: he is very quick, with good hands, although quite big for this position. | | Wayne Julies
Julies replaced De Wet Barry at midfield for the Test against Scotland on 27 November. | | Jaque Fourie
Fourie, who can play fullback, wing, centre or flyhalf, is a versatile all-rounder with good speed, strength, agility and ball-handling skills. |
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