A week in the life of a Lions rugby player

From intense training schedules, game day meal preparation, and even managing to squeeze in a game of golf, Lions forward and Ultimate Rugby Championship captain Francke Horn spoke to Newsday about a week in the life of a South African professional rugby player.

Horn was born in 1999 and grew up in the small town of Bredasdorp, located in the Western Cape, which has a population of under 20,000 people.

“We’ve always been a big sporting family and played all the sports you can imagine at school. Obviously, rugby, but also golf, tennis, and cricket,” he said.

“My dad was a rugby player. He played for Boland and Western Province for a bit. So, I think that’s where most of my rugby influence came from.”

He attended a private farm school with only 93 learners from grades one to seven. He says there were only six kids in his grade seven class: four boys and two girls.

When it came to putting a team together to play under-13 rugby, Horn says that all the grade sevens and sixes would play, with a few grade fives being called up to complete the team.

“In primary school, I played a bit of centre, full back, and even fly half. Then, in grade five, I moved to number eight, and have been playing in the position since,” he said.

After completing primary school, he attended Paarl Boys’ High School, just over two hours away from his hometown, where he says he began to take rugby more seriously.

When Horn reached the under-17 level, he was included in the Western Province Craven Week side, which is the top achievement at the provincial level.

He was also included in the SA schools side, which is when he realised that he could continue playing rugby as a profession and pursue it after school. Horn was picked for both sides again at the under-18 level.

After school, he played for Western Province at the under-19 and under-20 levels. However, in his second year out of school, Horn decided to make the switch and head north to join the Lions in Johannesburg.

“I wanted something new, and at the time, there were a lot of loose forwards still at Western Province who were a few years older than me and breaking through into the team,” he said.

“The Lions had wanted me when I left school, but it didn’t feel like the right move at the time. Two years later, it just felt like the right move for me, and I’ve been very happy since then. I mean, I’m still here and until 2028.”

Horn advises young rugby players looking to follow a similar path to stay focused on doing what they love and enjoy the sport for what it is, before the added pressure of playing professionally.

“Then, when you get any opportunities, make use of them. Lastly, I’d say work hard. If you’re not ready to train nearly every day and make that a lifestyle, then you should reconsider playing professionally,” Horn says.

A week in the life

Horn says that the Lions team trains four days a week, plays a match on Saturdays, and gets two days off.

During the week, players must be at the training facilities by 7 a.m. and leave between 3 p.m. and 4 p.m.

Mondays are focused on recovering from the match played over the weekend. “If you have any niggles or injuries, you will see the masseuse as well as the physio to get the treatment you need,” Horn said.

Players will also have a mobility session where they stretch and get rid of stiffness in their muscles from the weekend.

This is followed by a team game review session where coaches and players analyse what they can improve on from the match over the weekend.

After reviewing the game, players have a gym session to get their blood flowing and break a sweat, which is followed by another strategy session to preview upcoming opponents.

For the opponent preview, the backline and forwards are split up and then reconvene afterwards to discuss the team’s plan for the week.

Players then prepare for a field session to conclude the day.

“Tuesday is usually our big field session for the week. So we’ll have early morning prep,  where we train the smaller muscles to make sure that they are strong,” Horn said.

“Then we’ll have our team meeting to discuss further what we want to do throughout the day, and then review Monday’s training.”

Once the players and coaching staff have prepared for the day, they have a 2-hour training on the field, followed by a 90-minute break, where they get the chance to have lunch and go and see the masseuse.

Horn explains that the club provides players with one meal per day, either breakfast or lunch, which is prescribed by the dietician based on the team’s activities for the day.

Players also have regular consultations with the dietician to ensure they are getting all the necessary nutrients in their diet.

After lunch, the players have one final gym session in the afternoon before heading home.

Horn says that, seeing as matches are played on a Saturday, players get Wednesday off.

“Wednesday is for you to take some time off to make sure you get away from the game a bit,” he said.

“I’m a big golfer, so that’s what I do. There is a nice group of us that go and play golf.”

Thursdays tend to be shorter than others “to keep the guys fresh,” according to Horn. Players start with a prehabilitation session in the morning, which is followed by a gym session focusing on explosiveness.

Afterwards, they have a team meeting followed by strapping for about an hour and a half. Horn says Thursdays end between 1 p.m. and 2 p.m.

Fridays are even shorter, concluding at 12 p.m.

“You come in at 8 a.m., do the final preparation in the team meeting and on the field and then you have the whole Friday afternoon and Saturday morning to prepare for the game,” Horn says.

As for his go-to game day meal, the Lions forward says that he’ll have a pasta meal on Friday evening to get in the necessary carbohydrates, followed by eggs and bacon on Saturday morning.

The club provides players with another meal before the match, which Horn says typically consists of sweet potatoes and chicken, along with the option of peanut butter sandwiches to supplement the meal.

Apart from playing golf in his spare time, Horn said that he is also doing a Bachelor of Accounting degree through the University of South Africa (UNISA), which he says will be completed by the end of the year.