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USC scientist prepares Kiwis for Bledisloe Cup
University of the Sunshine Coast sport scientist Dr Mark Sayers certainly will have his loyalties tested when the Wallabies take on the All Blacks at the MCG on Saturday night.
The USC senior lecturer in biomechanics who has worked with the Wallabies in the past, will put national pride on hold as he helps prepare the Kiwis for the annual trans-Tasman battle.
Dr Sayers is part of the All Blacks management team. He has been employed to use his scientific skills to have the New Zealand players at their peak for the Rugby World Cup in France in September.
The sought-after sports biomechanist has had a stellar career in rugby circles, including working for three different international teams as well as with the ACT Brumbies when they became the Super 12 Rugby champions.
Dr Sayers was a member of the ACT Brumbies coaching staff from 1999-2003. During this time, he also worked as a biomechanist for the All Blacks from 2000-2001, for the Wallabies from 2001-2002 and for the Italian Rugby team at the 2003 Rugby World Cup.
He has been the All Blacks biomechanist and New Zealand Rugby Union (NZRU) national resource coach since 2004.
All the money Dr Sayers receives for his NZRU work has been used to establish a USC research scholarship, which is aimed at furthering research on the biomechanics of rugby.
Currently the scholarship recipient is PhD student Keane Wheeler. Keane plays rugby union for the Sunshine Coast Stingrays team in the Queensland Premier Rugby competition.