Bronco test calculator
Enter your 1.2 km Bronco time to see your average speed, your splits, and how far you sit from the published averages for rugby backs and forwards.
Time
5:10
Average speed
13.9 km/h
Per 240 m rep
1:02
3.87 m/s across the 1,200 m, turns included.
Even-pace splits: the clock as each rep finishes
| Rep | Distance | Your time |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 240 m | 1:02 |
| 2 | 480 m | 2:04 |
| 3 | 720 m | 3:06 |
| 4 | 960 m | 4:08 |
| 5 | 1200 m | 5:10 |
Against published times
| Group | Mean | You |
|---|---|---|
| BacksSuper Rugby, men (303 players, ten years) · Weakley et al., 2026 | 4:57 | 13 s slower |
| BacksSuper Rugby, women (159 players, ten years) · Weakley et al., 2026 | 5:52 | 42 s faster |
| BacksProfessional union, men (133 players, New Zealand teams) · Sella et al., 2021 | 4:54 | 16 s slower |
| BacksProfessional sevens, men (23 players) · Sella et al., 2021 | 4:49 | 21 s slower |
| Inside backsYoung elite union, men aged about 19 (47 players) · Deuchrass et al., 2019 | 4:44 | 26 s slower |
| Outside backsYoung elite union, men aged about 19 (47 players) · Deuchrass et al., 2019 | 4:57 | 13 s slower |
| BacksBritish university high-performance union (47 players) · Smith, 2023 | 4:45 | 25 s slower |
| Under 15 backsPortuguese federation youth players, 2025 season · Pinto et al., 2026 | 5:23 | 13 s faster |
| Under 16 backsPortuguese federation youth players, 2025 season · Pinto et al., 2026 | 5:11 | 1 s faster |
| Under 17 backsPortuguese federation youth players, 2025 season · Pinto et al., 2026 | 5:10 | level |
Each row is the average of a tested group, not a pass mark. Sources are listed below.
How to run the Bronco
- Mark a start line and cones at 20 m, 40 m and 60 m.
- Run to the 20 m cone and back, the 40 m cone and back, then the 60 m cone and back. That is one repetition, 240 m.
- Do 5 repetitions without stopping, as fast as you can: 1,200 m and 29 turns.
- Your score is the total time.
Published Bronco times
Group averages from the research, each read from the source it cites. They are averages of tested squads, not standards anyone has to meet.
Super Rugby, men (303 players, ten years)
| All players | 5:11 |
| Backs | 4:57 |
| Forwards | 5:21 |
Weakley et al., 2026
Super Rugby, women (159 players, ten years)
| All players | 6:19 |
| Backs | 5:52 |
| Forwards | 6:38 |
Weakley et al., 2026
Professional union, men (133 players, New Zealand teams)
| Backs | 4:54 |
| Forwards | 5:11 |
Sella et al., 2021
Professional sevens, men (23 players)
| Backs | 4:49 |
| Forwards | 4:51 |
Sella et al., 2021
Young elite union, men aged about 19 (47 players)
| Inside backs | 4:44 |
| Outside backs | 4:57 |
| Loose forwards | 5:01 |
| Tight forwards | 5:17 |
Deuchrass et al., 2019
British university high-performance union (47 players)
| All players | 5:04 |
| Backs | 4:45 |
| Forwards | 5:19 |
Smith, 2023
Portuguese federation youth players, 2025 season
| Under 15 backs | 5:23 |
| Under 15 forwards | 6:08 |
| Under 16 backs | 5:11 |
| Under 16 forwards | 5:39 |
| Under 17 backs | 5:10 |
| Under 17 forwards | 5:40 |
Pinto et al., 2026
Train for a faster Bronco
PRE SZN Running is twelve weeks of sprint work, shuttle runs and speed endurance for field-sport athletes, three sessions a week. The app runs it on your Apple Watch and tracks sprint distance and high-speed running alongside your lifting.
Training for rugby? See how PRE SZN approaches it.
Questions
What is a good Bronco time?
It depends on who you compare with. Across ten years of Super Rugby testing the men averaged 5:11 (backs 4:57, forwards 5:21) and the women 6:19 (backs 5:52, forwards 6:38). Professional men in New Zealand union teams averaged 4:54 for backs and 5:11 for forwards. Those are group averages for full-time players. Use the filter above to see the group nearest to you.
How far is the Bronco test?
1,200 metres. One repetition is a run to 20 m and back, 40 m and back, then 60 m and back, which is 240 m. You do 5 repetitions without stopping, turning 29 times.
Can I work out my maximal aerobic speed from a Bronco?
Not directly. Your average speed over a Bronco is slower than your maximal aerobic speed because of the 29 turns. In professional rugby league players, speed from the 1,200 m shuttle under-reported treadmill maximal aerobic speed by 0.77 m/s (Bennett et al., 2024). Some studies subtract 0.7 seconds a turn before dividing, but there is no single agreed correction, so this calculator shows average speed only.
How repeatable is the test?
In young elite union players the typical error between two tests was 2.4%, about seven seconds on a five-minute Bronco, and the time tracked Yo-Yo Intermittent Recovery Level 1 distance closely (r = −0.87; Deuchrass et al., 2019). A change smaller than that may just be the day.
How should I pace it?
The splits table shows an even pace: the clock you should see as each repetition ends. Enter a goal time and it shows the split you need at every repetition.
Sources
- Weakley et al., 2026. A 10-Year Analysis of the Bronco Fitness Test in Male and Female Super Rugby Athletes. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research 40(5).
- Sella et al., 2021. Performance in the 1.2 km shuttle run test reflects fitness capacities in rugby players. Journal of Australian Strength and Conditioning.
- Deuchrass et al., 2019. The 1.2 km shuttle run test: reliability and comparison with the Yo-Yo intermittent recovery level 1 test in young elite rugby union players. Journal of Australian Strength and Conditioning 27(4).
- Smith, 2023. Perceived Fitness is a Stronger Predictor of Maximal Aerobic Speed Than Submaximal Fitness in Rugby Union Players. Masters thesis, Durham University.
- Pinto et al., 2026. Differences between playing positions and age categories in body composition and physical performance of Portuguese youth rugby players. Motricidade 22.
- Bennett et al., 2024. Validation of field-based running tests to determine maximal aerobic speed in professional rugby league. PLoS One 19(7).