Italy have formed a strong relationship with the head chef at their hotel - Photo: Yuki Ogawa

For every rugby player what you eat during a global tournament, such as the IRB TOSHIBA Junior World Championship 2009, is of the utmost importance.

Not only do they need to maintain their peak physical condition, food is also important for making you feel at home and relaxed.

If the destination of that tournament happens to be 6,000km away from home and with a completely different culture, not to mention cuisine, as it is for some teams at this year’s Junior World Championship in Japan, then the transition can be increasingly difficult.

However the Italian team have found that the hospitality they receive at their base, the Plaza Hotel Osaka, has been of a particularly high standard.

“To be honest we didn’t expect this but here we have a very good relationship with the hotel staff. We have no problems with asking for what we need and they are flexible to modify things,” said Italy’s physiotherapist Marco Zaccagna. 

“That is very beneficial in maintaining good conditions especially on a long trip like this. It helps in taking our stress away.

“We sent them our standard menu from Italy because, for us, keeping a Mediterranean diet is very important while being abroad. They are always available to listen to our requests, and what we ask for is always given.”

Protein and carbohydrates are key

The hotel normally serves tofu, salmon, salads and meat on their menu, but pasta can be prepared on the spot if the players would prefer something simpler. All of the food, though, has to be checked before the players can eat it.

“We check the foods and if there is something which is not good for players, I ask the chef to change it,” explained Zaccagna.

“Proteins and carbohydrates are the key nutrition for any athlete. In Italy, we take carbohydrates from pasta and bread, and protein from meat. Here, they serve lots of fish and that is also very good for getting protein.”

The players, however, are not allowed butter, mayonnaise, cream, tomato sauce or any fried foods. Instead a high quality virgin olive oil and parmigiano (cheese) are provided for them.

The team management must also check the quantities of food that the players eat – no more than two bread rolls are allowed to avoid excess calories – and also their weight. There is a weight check sheet on the wall at the entrance to their dining room, where all players and coaches note their weight every day.

Weigh in

“Every morning we have a scale and check the weight to know if the balance of liquid and solids are good. We must especially pay attention to how much weight the players lose after the match,” added the physiotherapist.

Nobuo Ohira, the chef at the team hotel, specialises in French cuisine and this has certainly proved beneficial for both parties involved – despite a few lessons being learnt over the first few days.

“For me, it is not difficult to prepare Italian dishes, but once we started serving, we realised that there were many do’s and don’ts. At the beginning, I liked to serve them sophisticated cuisine with sauce, but then realised that they prefer something simple, like a grilled fish with salt and olive oils or just roasted chicken.”

On the day of the match, about four hours before kick-off, players eat a specially prepared meal by Ohira, which is rich in protein and carbohydrate, usually consisting of pasta, roasted chicken, boiled potatoes and vegetables.

However, despite having a strict diet to stick to, the head chef has been trying to introduce some local specialties, such as Taco-yaki, a savoury dish with octopus, to the Italians.

“They’ve been here for more than 10 days already and must be getting tired of the same tastes. They have little chance to go out and taste the local specialities, so instead we let them have some experiences of typical Japanese cuisine here. We try our best because we want them to win,” exclaimed Ohira.