Altitude factor still an imponderable for visitors

ALTITUDE. WITH each passing day, it has become the buzz word of the week, and the effects it may have on the Lions over the next two Saturdays, but primarily today, have become something almost monstrous or over-rated, depending on who you listen to.

From wet and windy conditions in Cape Town this week, the Lions will have to play at 1,400 metres above sea level today in what are expected to be dry if chilly conditions. Clearly, travelling up on the evening before a match is not ideal. That is why most Test squads travel on the Thursday before a Saturday game in the Six Nations.

But, necessity being the mother of invention, expert medical opinion – combined with the needs of Ian McGeechan and his coaching staff – decreed that this was deemed the best option to the Lions, even if it is clearly not ideal.

That much was admitted by the former Irish team doctor, Gary O’Driscoll. Although he joined Arsenal midway through this year’s Grand Slam, he had been assigned to the Lions’ medical team from some way back. Yesterday, expert information was desired from someone who obviously paid more attention at school to the issue than the travelling media.

Explaining the effects of playing at altitude, O’Driscoll said: “In simple terms, what happens is as you move higher from sea level the pressure of the air becomes less and therefore the availability of oxygen to the body diminishes.

“Whereas at ground level you have about 20/21 per cent of oxygen available to you, as you move up and up and up, it goes down to 19/18/17 per cent, and the higher you go, the less oxygen becomes available.”

And at Loftus Versfeld tomorrow? “We have it being down to about 18 per cent, and that’s what we’ve been preparing for, 18.5 to 18.8 per cent, and we’ve been setting our machines to try and replicate that.”

This can affect different players in different ways.

“There are a huge amount of potential and possible effects, and they vary massively from each individual player. But shortness of breath, fatigue, sleep disturbance, dehydration, dizziness – all of those would be the significant ones for a player.

“They will not manifest themselves within 24 hours and then if they do manifest themselves after 36-48 hours, the longer you’re there for, the more quickly you’ll acclimatise. In an ideal world you’d probably need two weeks to fully acclimatise.”

The heat and lack of oxygen will, O’Driscoll admits, make use of the bench even more significant and that some players will be watched more closely than others – although not necessarily the bigger ones.

“We did think that the bigger guys, the guys carrying more weight around, would be the ones more affected. In fact, it’s not been the case at all. It’s more the physiology, the way your red blood cells are made, how each blood cell carries, so it’s not dependent upon your weight or your position.”

Indeed, Ronan O’Gara freely admitted to feeling the effects after the opening match in Rustenburg, six days after arrival in Johannesburg.

“I felt like an imbecile in that first match. I certainly underestimated the effects of altitude. The mind was telling me one thing, but the body wouldn’t get in position to do it.”

Lions players spoke of the burning sensation in their throats, which is commonplace, and Martyn Williams admitted he felt there was no energy in his legs.

Even so, one senses the Springbok camp may be deliberately exaggerating its effects to deepen the mental doubts in Lions’ minds.

For example, Springboks captain, John Smit, jokingly commented this week: The Lions will discover the difference when their chests start burning.”

The recalled Schalk Burger, who faces the same ordeal when his Western province or Stomers side travel to the high veldt, gave one of his trademark big smiles when saying: “We usually come up the day before a game and just try to cope with it. It’s not easy and you definitely feel it, especially towards the end of a game. You don’t get that burning at the coast.”

There was talk of the Lions going to Spain to train in altitude chambers, and they have been wearing masks in the gym to simulate the effects of altitude. This has been in the planning for some time. “I think the first time altitude was mentioned to me was two years ago,” admitted O’Driscoll.

Nevertheless, after five successive games at sea level, you wonder if it was a tough decision to stay in Cape Town this week rather than return to the high veldt after last Saturday’s game.

“There’s no absolute black and white answer,” says Dr O’Driscoll. “It was something that we discussed in terms of the physical management, the medical managements, the logistics of moving such a huge squad and it was a decision not just based solely on medical grounds, it was based upon the management and Ian’s opinions as well.

“It wasn’t a straightforward one. It was a decision we took over a long period of time, taking everything into account. I think if the Lions had the opportunity to pick where they played their games and when they played their games, they’d have done it differently.”

According to Dr O’Driscoll, the best option remaining was to travel up to Pretoria this evening, “You minimise the short-term effects. Players can suffer from certain effects, such as dehydration, fatigue, sleep disturbances, dizziness, shortness of breath, but those only come on within 36 hours. So, within 24 (hours) it’s not expected to be a problem.”