Name - Nicki Drinkwater
Age - 29
Position - Outside Centre
Country - England

Since appearing in the England back line in 2001 ex-heptathlete Nicki gained 27 caps the last of which came in the 2004 Churchill Cup against the world champion New Zealand Black Ferns. Currently on a year's sabbatical after getting married, Nicki is also part of the Deep Heat/Rugby World Fit Camps coaching staff.

Q - How did you get into rugby?

Until I went to University I didn't know the first thing about rugby and I'd never watched a match. At a heptathlete, athletics was my sport but at Uni I decided to give a few other sports a go just for fun. I chose rugby because it had the best social life and although I didn't know the rules I liked the idea of trying a contact sport because as an athlete I thought it would suit me.

Q - How did you get to international level?

We were lucky to have some really good coaches at Birmingham Uni and after a season they suggested I try out for England Students who I went on to represent for two years. After taking a short break I joined Richmond WRFC on the advice of a friend and after regional and later divisional trials I played for the South of England in the old divisional system. I was picked for England Emerging a year later and after one season I was called up to England A to play on the wing. At the start of the '99/00 season I was invited to play in a trial match before the England team was selected. I was pretty surprised when the team was read out in the starting line up for the first game of the season (against Spain in a Six Nations warm up match in January '00) especially as I was selected at my favourite outside centre position rather than on the wing where I'd been playing for England A.

Q - What coaching and fitness advice do you receive?

As an England squad member you benefit from National Lottery funding which means you get regular training programmes throughout the season, regular fitness testing and a personal trainer to oversee some of your sessions. As an ex-international athlete I'm lucky that I've gained loads of experience from training and competing in an event that demands all round fitness (heptathlon involves seven track and field disciplines from long jump to shot put and 100m hurdles to 800m), but I work with my trainer to agree a programme that works for me and is specific to rugby. As a squad we frequently spend weekends in training camps which focus on rugby skills, both team, unit and individual. We also have club coaching sessions twice a week throughout the season which also develop rugby specific skills.

Q - What training routine do you follow?

At the moment although I've taken a six month break from international rugby until I get married in April my training programme hasn't really changed. It's split into phases depending on the time of year. Training during the off season (summer) is aimed at improving basic aerobic fitness, speed endurance and strength. This involves fartlek runs and track speed endurance sessions to build fuel mix conditioning and a mixture of circuits and Olympic lift weight sessions for variety. As the season approaches (pre-season phase) training becomes more rugby specific with higher intensity interval running sessions and some faster more power orientated strength sessions, together with speed agility work. During the international season the focus is on quality and not quantity and the number of sessions is decreased to aid recovery and ensure that the whole body (and just as importantly the mind) is fresh and rested for each game.

Q - What's your top training tip?