What's happened to running?

Rugby teams and/or players for that matter don't seem to go on road runs like they used to.

Why has it fallen out of favour?

On the Clint Eastwood produced movie, Invictus, it was interesting to see the Springbok side going for regular team runs and perhaps it was no coincidence they eventually won the World Cup.

There seems to be trend for high intensity type training, rigorous gym sessions, multi skilled training sessions etc to sharpen skills and build muscle but at what cost? These sessions are often divisive because each player has to train according to their specialist role in the team but the opportunity cost is that they don't get to train together.

Good old fashion road running for example helps build stamina and endurance. It helps you focus and the onus falls back on the players to pace themselves like you would in a game. Doing it with your team mates can help build morale also that is sometimes lacking in other training methods.