#608: Performance Nutrition in Elite Rugby – James Morehen, PhD
Elite rugby performance nutrition isn't just about fueling for the 80-minute game—it's about treating the entire competition day as a sustained endurance event, from the moment athletes wake up to the final whistle. Dr. James Moraghan, England Rugby’s head nutritionist, reveals that the real challenge lies in overcoming athletes' instinct to eat lightly before games to avoid feeling heavy, despite needing 6–8 grams of carbohydrates per kilogram of body weight the day before and 120 grams during play. He explains how he uses a combination of high-carb meals, smoothies, and liquid fuels to ensure athletes are fully topped off, while also addressing the psychological and physiological cost of pre-game nerves and adrenaline. What makes his approach unique is not just the science, but the philosophy: he doesn’t prescribe diets—he teaches athletes the 'why' behind every choice, turning them into informed, self-sustaining performers. His career path, built on volunteering at local clubs and creating a global network for practitioners, proves that success in elite sport nutrition isn’t about luck—it’s about relentless initiative and building trust through education.
Treat the entire competition day as an endurance event—fueling starts the moment you wake up, not at kickoff.
Athletes need 6–8 grams of carbs per kg of body weight the day before a game, not just during it.
Liquid fuels (smoothies, gels, jellies) are often preferred over solid food on game day to avoid GI distress and feeling heavy.
Teach athletes the 'why' behind nutrition choices—education builds long-term consistency better than prescriptions.
Volunteering at local clubs, even without pay, is one of the most effective ways to gain real-world experience and build a career in elite sport.
…and 3 more takeaways available in PodZeus
Introduction to the Podcast and Guest
Danny Lennon introduces the episode and welcomes Dr. James Moraghan, head nutritionist for England Rugby and a leading expert in applied sports nutrition, with a background in elite rugby league and football, and a PhD from Liverpool John Moores University.
Career Path to Elite Sport Nutrition
“Don't just sit at home and mope around and just be like, oh, there's nothing out there. Like sometimes you've got to pick up the phone. Sometimes you've got to speak to people and create these opportunities and make them happen.”
The Teaching Mindset in Performance Nutrition
“I'd like you to do this because of this and this is how it works. And I quite often say to the lads at like the dinner table or grabbing a coffee, I'm like, just give me 30 seconds. I'm going to give you just a sprinkling of science so you understand why you're taking the creatine...”
Unique Demands of Rugby Nutrition
“You've got 15 men on one side, 15 men on the other side. And they are essentially trying to hurt and damage the other player by tackling them at high end collisions. And the net result of that is that you get a lot of what I call impact induced muscle damage.”
Measuring Body Composition in Elite Athletes
Moraghan critiques traditional body composition tools like DEXA and skinfolds, advocating for BIA machines validated against MRI and the use of 'functional mass'—a metric based on performance data rather than arbitrary body fat percentages.
“don't sit in your office and mope around and just be like, oh, there's nothing out there. Like sometimes you've got to pick up the phone. Sometimes you've got to speak to people and create these opportunities and make them happen because there's not many...”
“So what you then find in the sport of rugby is that you've got 15 men on one side, 15 men on the other side. And they are essentially trying to hurt and damage the other player by tackling them at high end collisions. And the net result of that is that you get a lot of what I call or what the literature would say is it impact induced muscle damage.”
“So don't just treat it as... 80 minutes of rugby or 90 minutes of football or 36 minutes in there, in the boxing fight. We need to fuel properly for this.”
Host
Guest
Dr. James Moraghan
person
England Rugby
organization
Bristol Bears
organization
Liverpool John Moores University
organization
St Helens Rugby League Club
organization
Performance Nutrition Network
organization
Sigma Nutrition Radio
media
Danny Lennon
person
Chris Eubank Jr.
person
David Price
person
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