20-40-60 shuttle · rugby bronco
Bronco test: protocol, times, average speed and MAS (rugby)
The Bronco test is a 1,200 m timed shuttle run: five continuous sets of 20, 40 and 60 m out-and-backs, 240 m per set and 30 turns in total. The score is the total time, usually between 4 and 6 minutes. In a ten-year Super Rugby dataset, the average was 4:57 for male backs, 5:21 for male forwards, 5:52 for female backs and 6:38 for female forwards. There is no official pass mark.
Key facts
- Distance
- 1 200 m
- Result
- time
What the test measures
The Bronco measures the time it takes to cover 1,200 m in shuttles. It comes from rugby. Players brake, turn and restart, as they do in a match, which a track test does not ask of them. It is run with no audio, flat out from the first metre.
The result is a time. The shorter, the better.
The course
Four lines on the field: 0, 20, 40 and 60 m.
One set goes like this: out and back to the 20 m line, then out and back to 40 m, then out and back to 60 m. That is 240 m (2 × 20 + 2 × 40 + 2 × 60) and 6 turns per set.
The test chains 5 sets with no rest: 1,200 m and 30 turns. The foot must touch or cross each line before turning back.
How to run it
- Warm up for 10 to 15 minutes, with accelerations and changes of direction.
- Start on the signal behind the 0 m line, clock running.
- Five sets back to back, with no stop between them.
- Finish when the player crosses the start line at the end of the fifth set. Record the total time to the second.
- Cool down by walking.
Test one player at a time, or two on separate lanes with one timer per runner.
Reading the time
Average speed is 1,200 m divided by the time in seconds.
| Time | Average speed |
|---|---|
| 4:12 | 17.1 km/h |
| 4:30 | 16.0 km/h |
| 5:00 | 14.4 km/h |
| 5:30 | 13.1 km/h |
| 6:00 | 12.0 km/h |
This speed is an average including the turns. It is lower than the speed a player runs between lines, and it cannot be compared to a MAS from a beep test or a VAMEVAL.
Estimating MAS
Topend Sports publishes a formula, attributed to Baker and Heaney (2015), that removes a turning cost from the total time. For a player under 100 kg:
MAS (m/s) = 1,200 ÷ (time in seconds − 20.3)
Multiply by 3.6 for km/h. For a player of 100 kg or more, the source subtracts 29 seconds instead of 20.3.
| Time | Estimated MAS (under 100 kg) |
|---|---|
| 4:30 (270 s) | 17.3 km/h |
| 5:00 (300 s) | 15.4 km/h |
| 5:30 (330 s) | 13.9 km/h |
This is an estimate, not a measurement. If you need a reliable MAS to set training paces, run a beep test or a VAMEVAL.
Published times
No governing body publishes a pass mark for the Bronco. The most substantial published data are Weakley and colleagues’ ten years of Super Rugby tests (462 athletes, 1,668 observations):
| Group | Average time |
|---|---|
| Men, all positions | 5:11 |
| Men, backs | 4:57 |
| Men, forwards | 5:21 |
| Women, all positions | 6:19 |
| Women, backs | 5:52 |
| Women, forwards | 6:38 |
Backs were faster than forwards in both sexes, and front rowers were the slowest. These are averages of professional players. Use them as a reference point, not a target: they do not account for age, level or surface.
Rating tables and ranges that circulate online, including some on Topend Sports, have no primary source and run faster than these averages.
Why use this test
- It mixes speed and endurance. Neither a sprint nor a steady run replaces it.
- It is cheap: four cones, a stopwatch, a 60 m strip.
- It looks like the game: stops, restarts, changes of direction.
- It is easy to repeat across a season.
What spoils the result
- Badly measured lines: 5 cm short on each line adds up to metres over 30 turns.
- A player who does not touch the line, or barely crosses it.
- A cautious start. The test is run flat out from the first set.
- A slippery surface, or different conditions from one test to the next.
- A short warm-up, which can cost several seconds on the first set.
To compare two tests of the same player, keep the surface, the time of day and the warm-up identical.
Questions people ask about the Bronco
Frequently asked questions
How long does the Bronco test take?
Between 4 and 6 minutes for most players, with no rest between sets. The clock stops when the player crosses the start line at the end of the fifth set.
What is a good Bronco time?
It depends on sex and position. Super Rugby averages are 4:57 for male backs, 5:21 for male forwards, 5:52 for female backs and 6:38 for female forwards. These are averages of professionals, not a standard.
Does the Bronco test give MAS?
Not directly. Dividing 1,200 m by the time gives an average speed that includes 30 turns, so it is lower than true running speed. A published formula subtracts a turning cost to estimate MAS, with the margin of error of any estimate.
How is the Bronco different from the beep test?
The beep test is a graded test run to exhaustion with an audio track. The Bronco is a fixed-distance time trial with no audio, mixing 20, 40 and 60 m runs, and it looks more like match movement in rugby.
Sources
- Bronco test (1200 m shuttle), Topend Sports — protocol, MAS formula and typical times, checked 2026-10-12; the typical times have no primary source
- Baker D. G., Heaney N. J., “Normative data for maximal aerobic speed for field sport athletes: a brief review”, Journal of Australian Strength & Conditioning, 2015 — the MAS formula as cited by Topend Sports; original not consulted
- Weakley J. et al., “A 10-Year Analysis of the Bronco Fitness Test in Male and Female Super Rugby Athletes”, Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 2026 — 462 athletes, 1,668 observations; averages read from the abstract record, checked 2026-10-12; percentile thresholds not consulted