As the domestic Super League season draws to a close, England’s rugby players are now switching their focus to the three-match Ashes affair which is back after a 20-plus-year-break. To keep playing on, they’ll need to rehab injuries and build back better in order to withstand the brutality that is yet to come.
With this in mind, M&F made the journey to the Wigan Warriors training facility in Greater Manchester where several England players call home, so that we could learn more about their quest for international success beginning in late October and culminating on November 8, 2025. Since 1908, England and Australia have done battle on the rugby pitch in a series of games that leads to one team’s eventual dominance and bragging rights to hold the “Ashes Cup.” Much like with the Cricket series of the same name, owning the Ashes signifies the symbolic death of the losing team, but while the competitive rivalry between England and Australia hasn’t wavered in more than one hundred years, the methods of training certainly have.
The first thing to understand about Rugby League is that there really is nowhere to hide on the field.
Whatever your position, you must be strong and fast, fierce and flexible, and the sport is growing on the global stage too. Wigan Warriors and the Warrington Wolves recently went head-to-head in the first ever Super League fixture on American soil with a game at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, drawing a crowd of more than 50,000 people in the process. Many football fans stateside are catching on to Rugby League for its continuous flow and quick resumption of play, leading to a rapidly rising fan base.
Rugby League Players Balance Effort With Nutrition to Maximize Performance
The players begin their training day at 8.30 a.m. for breakfast and, with an epic session ahead, make sure to load up with plenty of carbs and protein. We’re talking about a good old-fashioned English breakfast here with sausages, eggs, bacon, and beans on toast. After a short break, the team then limbers up with fun and games like some casual cricket before heading into the state-of-the art gym at Wigan Warriors for a workout.
Strength and conditioning sessions are overseen by coach Chris Baron and his team, who provide the athletes with individual programs based on their current state of health. A quick look around the gym floor shows that some players are focusing more on rehab and mobility, while others are going all out with some seriously intense lifting.
After the Super League season ends, players must maintain their fitness and deal with wear and tear in order to make the cut with England as the international games march on.
“You obviously want to get the load right in the gym, but it’s balanced right, with the stuff we do in the field,” explains Junior Nsemba, the 21-year-old forward for Wigan Warriors and team England, who must balance being strong with not carrying too much bulk.
The gym session itself consists of compound exercises like heavy barbell bench presses or seated dumbbell shoulder presses, designed to test several muscle groups in order to replicate the demands of gameplay. Every exercise must be functional. To that end, no stone is left unturned: From weighted pullups, plyometric chest-to-bar muscle-ups, or landmine rows, every movement is about building an all-round athlete for Rugby League. Nsemba shares that if he does put on too much unwanted fat, he’ll likely be given more running to do when they practice out on the field.
Counting calories certainly seems like the easier option here then! “We’ve got all the coaches, the nutritionists and physios…So, we’ve got all the help we need,” adds Nsemba, who won a player of the year award for the 2024 season. “I actually struggled on what to eat before a game,” he reveals of early teething problems, but notes that he was soon supported with a meal plan. “It’s really benefiting me,” he confirms. “So, I feel like my fitness has grown over the season.”
The subject of nutrition is certainly one of the areas where Rugby has progressed the most in the last twenty years. “I’d say nutrition is probably more important than the training,” explains Ethan Harvard, the 24-year-old Prop on the front line of all the ferocity. “The quality of what you’re eating, and the amount is very important,” he adds. “Putting good nutrients back in, after a tough session, is very important and it’s what keeps you on the field for longer.”
Harvard made his debut with England in 2023 and plays a crucial role in both defense and attack. Rugby league players can burn 1,000 calories in an 80-minute game at this level, so eating right is an essential part of a player’s strategy.
Wrestling is the Ultimate Body Weight Exercise for Rugby
While gym workouts and practicing drills on the field seem like fairly obvious ways to train, the coaches here test the players with a variety of other disciplines, too. Reaction times are improved by sending speeding tennis balls for players to catch at random. Then there’s the ultimate body weight challenge: mat wrestling.
“The boys have to be strong physically in the gym, but they have to also be able to transfer that into handling bodies, which is what they need wrestling practice for,” explains Sean O’Loughlin, the former Englander, and Wigan Warriors Captain, who is now serving as an assistant coach.
As I bravely (or foolishly) try to take possession of the ball in the wrestling class, I’m appropriately humbled and squashed like a bug. But despite my age and inadequacy, I instantly feel like I’m part of a team that wants to be at the very top of their game. England regular, Luke Thompson is an imposing force on the field, but behind closed doors he’s a motivator, advising me to support myself better with a well-placed knee before attempting a landmine press while in the gym.
Opposite me at this point is Brad O’Neill, the 23-year-old player who made his debut for England as a hooker in 2024. I offer my own words of support as he undertakes a heavy bench press.
“We’ve all got a good connection inside the club and outside the club,” explains Nsemba of the infectious camaraderie. The work ethic displayed at Wigan Warriors is not lost on Dean Lester, who serves as Academy Welfare & Wellbeing Manager, as well as being an S&C Coach at the club. “It’s incredible,” he observes. “We’re really just trying to build our capacity for the demands of the game.” Still, the warmth and fuzziness invested in praising teammates is always fleeting when you are preparing yourself to battle violent giants on the rugby pitch. “We’ve got to put it to them, and then recover on the back of it, and be ready to do it again the next week,” explains Ethan Harvard of the job at hand. As they grab meal two before heading outside for more hours of practice on the field, I leave Wigan with incredible respect for these worthy Warriors.
Rivalries will be reignited when England take on Australia in the ABK Beer Rugby League Ashes this autumn. The two nations will meet in a three-match test series, over 20 years in the making, and with the second and third test now completely sold out, Wembley Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 25 is your last opportunity to watch this fierce rivalry live.
Book your Wembley tickets here.
To follow the England Rugby League team on Instagram, click here.
