The altitude discussion: Real or hyped up?

OPINION: The altitude topic has been thrown around a lot this week with some (read one particular rugby writer in New Zealand) saying the altitude is not an ally of the Springboks, while others still maintain it is a very real thing.

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If Ellis Park last year taught us something, altitude is not an advantage for the Boks now. Overseas-based players not used to it & many of them. If the Wallabies are fit, they can run them off the park in Pretoria (if they execute). Must play fast. Gas them in last 20.

— Ben Smith (@bensmithrugby) June 30, 2023

Ahead of the Test between the Springboks and Australia in Loftus on Saturday, we unpack the altitude discussion, look at what the experts say and hear what former rugby players have experienced in Pretoria.

The first step is to find out exactly what the altitude in Pretoria is, and then what the effects are on rugby players.

It lies at an altitude of about 1,339 m (4,393 ft) above sea level, in a warm, sheltered, fertile valley, surrounded by the hills of the Magaliesberg range.

The Australian rugby team arrived in Pretoria last weekend, giving them exactly a week to acclimatise on the Highveld.

Eddie Jones, coach of the Wallabies, has downplayed the significance of the altitude factor in Pretoria, potentially avoiding giving his players an excuse for any potential failure. He called Loftus the Springboks’ ‘spiritual home’.

Australian lock Justin Harrison, who played Test rugby between 2002 and 2004, does not agree, saying the altitude is a real and debilitating factor.

He told Stan Sport’s Rugby Heaven that he found it difficult to breathe throughout his time there, comparing it to being an asthmatic ant carrying a heavy load.

May that be the reason the Australians have not been able to win a Test match in Pretoria since 1963?

The Journal of Sports Science and Medicine published a study in 2015 which investigated the effects of altitude on rugby performance on Super 12 teams based at sea level.

The study found that while playing at altitude (1271-1753m), the teams were more likely to miss tackles (mean ± 90% confidence interval, 1.4 ± 1.7) as well as score less points in the first half of the match when compared to matches played at sea level.

The study also found that during the second half the teams also made less gain line breaks (-4.0 ± 2.7) than matches played at sea level.

Many of the Wallabies have never been to South Africa before, let alone played a Test match in Pretoria, making it one of the most difficult Tests in the world. The Springboks vs Wallabies match will be live and ad-free on Stan Sport.

Wales international Jonathan Thomas lined up against the Springboks at Loftus Versfeld under Mike Ruddock in 2004 and was back there four years later with Warren Gatland, with the other Test in that summer of 2008 also being played high up, at the Free State Stadium in Bloemfontein.

The 67-times capped ex-Ospreys forward has a clear recollection of just what it means to play at altitude.

“The hardest part is the start of the game and the first 20 minutes. Your mouth feels incredibly dry. I was an asthmatic as a kid, where you get that tight chest. I sort of grew out of that. But that’s the only way I can describe it. It’s that kind of feeling where you get a really, really dry mouth and this sort of tight chest where you almost feel like you can’t get enough air in,” he told Wales Online.

“Then, as you go through the game, your body seems to adapt. I think a lot of it is mindset. It’s like anything. It will be tough, but it’s the start that’s the hardest part, the first 20 minutes.”

Scarlets winger Mark Jones started both Tests in South Africa in 2008 and remembers the draining effect of playing at altitude.

“It feels like you have just got heavy legs. You know some days when you go for a walk and you just feel lethargic and your legs feel heavy? It just gives you that feeling.

“You just don’t feel sharp, you feel like your reaction times are down and obviously you are gasping for air because it’s thinner. As a winger, that’s a horrible feeling because you want to feel fast and sharp. That was the thing that hit me.

“You will chase a kick and for the next 30 seconds your recovery time is just exaggerated. It’s not too dissimilar to going for a run after having a cold. You don’t quite feel at it. So the altitude will be a big factor for the Wales players next week, I would imagine.”