Jamie Heaslip reveals the devastating physical toll of Champions Cup rugby

Preparation, determination, rest and recuperation.

That was the message that an old GAA coach of ours tried to instill into our puny 14-year-old minds many many years ago. We may have take on board two of those lessons at some stage, but recovery was an alien word for many sportspeople up until very recently. But now professional and amateur athletes know what you do after a game is almost as important as what happens on the pitch. So we were especially taken by an interview with Jamie Heaslip in the match programme for Saturday's Champions Cup clash with Toulon on Saturday. The former Leinster captain explained the devastating weight loss that he suffers after playing a game, and also how scientific the recovery process is for the players at in the province. He describes his match day experience from last week's loss in France to the same opposition

The recovery starts the minute you leave that pitch. Dan Davey our performance nutritionist and Dan Tobin our head of fitness are into us already.

Heaslip details how the players are given recovery drinks to aid in the healing process after a grueling 80 minute slog

"...the right mix of nutrients, carbs proteins, fats. The other Dan is onto us getting us weighed and making sure we are all following the recovery protocols."

Losing weight is not uncommon in sport, especially considering the huge amount of energy expended in rugby and football. However, Healsip explains that in last week's loss to Toulon, he lost almost a stone

"...after the game last Sunday I had lost four and a half kilos. This is mostly water but that's a good indication of where you need to be at and what you need to be recharging and refueling. "Then  it's ice baths and the compression garments. Food. Home and trying to get a good night's sleep which is easier said than done."

Healisp clearly thinks losing almost 10 pounds is a normal part of his life now after a game, and it may explain the monster portions of food players generally have  at lunch and dinner as they consume between 4-5000 calories every day.