The old saying about armies marching on their stomachs comes to mind a lot when listening to Chris Edwards, Performance Nutritionist with the men’s national squad, who has given an insight into what it actually takes to feed modern rugby players.
When you wonder how hard it must be to keep a squad sufficiently fed, and with the right foods, the cheerful response is that you’re dealing with “thirty-plus food critics”.
Depending on position and goals, a men’s player calorie intake ranges from 3,500 up to a massive 5,000 calories a day.
Fuelling the engine room 🏴⛽️
Behind the scenes with Daf Jenkins to see what it takes to fuel a 6’7” international second row through a training day. 🥩🔥
#CymruAmByth https://t.co/QpKpTSTo5m
— Welsh Rugby Union 🏴 (@WelshRugbyUnion) November 5, 2026
“Out of every sport, rugby players are putting away more calories than anyone else,” says Edwards, “Compared with other sports, football players cover large distances with repeated high intensity efforts, so their carbohydrate needs tend to be considerably higher.
“Rugby players, by contrast, are generally bigger and carry more muscle mass, because the priority is being as physically robust as possible to cope with repeated collisions, while still being fuelled well enough to perform across the full 80 minutes.”
Meeting those massive calorie and protein targets requires serious kitchen preparation:
- The Omelette Station: Morning omelette stations routinely serve 4 to 5 eggs per player, bulking them out with protein, carbs, and fats to supplement the eggs.
- Chicken Consumption: Players eat at least two chicken breasts per serving – often totalling four or more chicken breasts a day when both lunch and dinner are chicken-focused.
Edwards notes that today’s players are far more interested in nutritional details than many realise. “In the Welsh team, Liam Belcher is very particular with what he eats – he’s counting everything,” Edwards reveals.
“And the first player that comes to mind as one of the biggest eaters is Dafydd Jenkins. He puts a lot of effort into his nutrition, and if you see him eating, his plate is gigantic.”