Top Recommendation: REIZE Energy!
Rugby is a team sport that has several forms to it. Some examples are tag rugby, beach rugby, and wheelchair rugby.
It’s a type of sport that requires you to run a lot and is physically and emotionally demanding.
As such, athletes or professional rugby players require the use of energy drinks to keep them strong and performing at their best.
With that in mind, let me introduce to you the best energy drinks for rugby.
Let’s get started!
How can you get energy during a rugby match?
Aside from energy drinks, you can get energy during a rugby match by consuming the following beverages:
- sports drinks
- water
- tea
- fresh juice
But personally, I would say that an energy drink works best because it works quickly and contains a consistent level of caffeine and other ingredients, so you can always be sure of how much of everything you’re getting.
| Before a Match | During a Match | After a Match |
| water | water | water |
| sports drinks | sports drinks | sports drinks |
| energy drinks | fresh juice | protein shakes |
| tea or coffee | energy drinks | |
| fresh juice |
Obviously, a balanced and healthy diet is essential to having enough energy on the field, whether it’s for training or it’s on game day.
What should I drink before a rugby match?
You should drink enough water, but not so much that you’re at risk of getting a stitch, feeling uncomfortable, or at risk of not being able to make it to halftime because you need to pee 10 times.
If you decide to have some pre-match caffeine, it’s a good idea to have it about 30-45 minutes before the match starts because it generally takes about 45 minutes for caffeine to be fully diluted into your bloodstream.
However, I don’t recommend that you have much caffeine. I think a small to moderate amount is sensible. For one, you don’t want to be at risk of a caffeine overdose in the middle of a match.
Still, even if you don’t have a crazy amount you can still feel nauseous or experience hot flushes. Not exactly ideal if the game is tight and your team is relying on you.
Also, I find that too much caffeine often leaves me unable to think straight or concentrate. Again, not ideal during an important match.
However, a small amount of caffeine before your match will have you feeling focused and have you performing at your best.
What is the best energy booster for rugby?
Aside from energy drinks, rugby players use supplements to obtain the energy that they need to fuel that physical game.
These include:
- creatine monohydrate
- ZMA
- beta-alanine
- BCAA
- vitamin D
- vitamin K
How does caffeine increase performance in rugby?
Before we go into increasing your performance, let’s debunk the common myths about what caffeine does to your body.
Dehydration
Caffeine will not dehydrate your body. In fact, quite the opposite. It provides a hydrating effect to your body similar to water.
This study shows that if you consume caffeine in moderation, it will not dehydrate you.
“Our data shows no significant differences in the hydrating properties of coffee or water across a wide range of hydration assessment indices. No significant differences were observed between conditions in any of the haematological markers.”
Sophie C. Killer, Andrew K. Blannin, Asker E. Jeukendrup
This is great for you if you love coffee or in my case, energy drinks!
Caffeine doesn’t change your heart functions.
This was more shocking when I stumbled upon research done by the AHA.
They questioned nearly 1,400 adults about their caffeine intake and proceeded to track them for nearly a year.
Lo and behold, studies showed that participants who consumed caffeine did not have any heart function changes compared to those who did not.
So if that’s been on your mind for a while, rest easy.
Caffeine is ONLY bad for you.
That’s really not true because caffeine has a lot of good uses too. While an excessive amount of caffeine intake can cause many problems, drinking caffeine in moderation has a lot of positive effects.
Caffeine is good for boosting your workout and giving you the ‘kick’ that you need.
And if you are scared that it might affect your metabolism, rest assured, that drinking caffeine in moderation will do the exact opposite.
So to say that energy drinks are bad because of the caffeine in them is just nonsense.
So how would caffeine increase my rugby performance?
Cognitive Function
Caffeine increases your alertness and helps your cognitive function even if you are tired.
Research has shown that caffeine helps improve memory even when facing fatigue which is important when it’s late in the game and you have to be quick in making crucial decisions.
Reduced Fatigue
The ability to continue maintaining focus and work through pain is such an important key to any rugby match.
Caffeine will reduce fatigue during the match to give you an idea that you are not as tired or as in as much pain due to muscle soreness.
In a lot of ways, it shifts the feeling of tiredness and soreness to later on once the match is over and you are given a chance to properly rest and relax.
Enhance Training
A good training session leads to a good match. And a good match leads to a win!
Caffeine, especially in energy drinks works even during training. On long training sessions that span anywhere between 3 to 5 hours, a good dose of caffeine is needed to keep you going.
Not to mention that if you have a game after the training session and your body is working overtime it can help to negate the effects of fatigue.
So get to those energy drinks and cheers!
What to look for in an energy drink?
I would suggest looking for these things when choosing an energy drink for rugby:
Caffeine
As mentioned above, the caffeine content is important for any energy drink.
The key is to drink caffeine in moderation so that you don’t overdo it, but still get enough to meet your needs.
In my opinion, between 50 to 100mg of caffeine per serving is the perfect amount.
I find more than 100mg of caffeine to be a bit overpowering, sometimes leaving me feeling uncomfortable and unable to think straight or focus.
If you’re not sure how much is too much, the FDA suggests a maximum of 400mg of caffeine a day for healthy adults.
Sugar
Sugar is great for energy and helps to add that little extra energy you need to go the extra mile.
The AHA strictly recommends a maximum sugar intake of 24g and 36g per day for women and men, respectively. That’s to ensure everyone stays well within the safe limit of added sugar intake per day.
Staying within the limit of sugar consumption is vital to avoid side effects such as weight gain, diabetes and cardiovascular diseases.
Check out my recommendations for sugar-free energy drinks in this article.
Price
The cost of buying energy drinks varies. Obviously, the price depends on the brand and where you buy it.
There are plenty of good value and affordable energy drinks if you know where to look.
If you’re in Australia, you can check my guide to buying energy drinks online here.
As such, I recommend investing in REIZE which is only around $1 per sachet and ships straight to your doorstep.
Good deal, innit?
Best Energy Drink for Rugby
Bing
Bing energy drink contains 120mg of caffeine and 9g of sugar per 12fl. oz can, which is less than the average energy drink.
This is great for people who want a little more caffeine and sugar when playing Rugby.
It also has a certain berry-flavored taste to it, which is great as an added side.
My main concern with Bing is that it’s usually not the most affordable energy drink.
V Energy Drink
V Energy Drink has 29.2g of sugar and 85mg of caffeine. Both are a little bit on the higher side but not absurdly.
I would say that it’s still pretty reasonable as an energy drink and would most definitely get you through your rugby practice or match.
V Energy Drink is also vegan-friendly so everyone on your team can drink it.
You can buy V Energy Drink from almost any supermarket or convenience store in the country. V is readily available almost anywhere you look.
Red Bull Energy
Going back to the classics, Red Bull is always a good choice for an energy drink for rugby.
Containing 80g of caffeine per 8.4 fl. oz (250ml) and 27g of sugar, it has a little bit more sugar than the other brands recommended, so decide for yourself if you’re okay with that.
Red Bull also has sugar-free versions if you would prefer to completely avoid the sugar, which I think isn’t a bad idea.
REIZE (10 out of 10)
I personally recommend REIZE if you’re looking for an energy booster to help you perform better during a rugby match.
REIZE is infused with 50mg of caffeine, 11 calories, and energy-boosting properties such as ginseng, taurine, and B vitamins.
Not only that, but it’s also sugar-free and they’re easy to make whenever you fancy a quick boost. Just mix with water, soda, tea, or any beverage you like!
The best part of REIZE?
You can have this delicious energy drink refreshment shipped to your home for around $1 per drink.
Try REIZE today and you might also find that it quickly becomes your go-to energy drink for rugby.