KooGa Rugby Boots

Rugby boot stud guide


There are two distinct types of rugby boots - those designed for hard ground, and those meant for soft ground. It's vitally important that you wear boots that are appropriate to the conditions, both for the sake of safety and to help you on the field rather than hold you back.

Soft ground boots

As the name implies, these are designed for soft playing conditions, and are characterised by screw-in studs. Because the studs are interchangeable you can select a length to suit the conditions - longer studs are appropriate on wet or very soft grounds, shorter ones for slightly firmer surfaces.

Soft ground boots come in either 6-stud or 8-stud designs, and which you choose probably depends on what position you play. Eight-stud designs generally give you more traction as you have more points of contact with the ground, but you also have to work that little bit harder to pull them back up out of the ground. For this reason they're best suited to players where speed is not the primary concern, ie the pack and tight five in particular.

By contrast, six-stud boots are more appropriate for backs where traction is less of a problem but speed is all important.

Firm ground boots

Firm ground boots have a larger number (typically around 12) of plastic or rubber studs which are molded into the bottom of the boot. Because they are meant for firm grounds they are not as long, and there are more of them to provide more points of contact and thus provide more dispersion for the pressure points on the bottom of your feet.

Choosing the right boots for the conditions is vital. Try wearing hard-ground boots on a boggy pitch and you'll find yourself watching most of the action from ground-level. On the other hand wearing soft-ground boots on a firm outfield will be very uncomfortable, and you could even snap the studs. So if you can afford it, get yourself a pair of each, which you can select on match-day depending on the conditions. Alternatively get the type of boots you're likely to wear the most and take your chances on those days when they don't suit the conditions!