British Cycling's Peter Keen is helping England use Wattbikes to identify future international stars We're talking Wattbikes, the latest instrument in the search for excellence, on which, in just six seconds, it is possible to evaluate whether individuals generate enough power to determine if they will prosper as international rugby players. Six seconds to find out if you've got what it takes. Six seconds to discover you haven't. The Wattbike has been around for a while. Used secretly and successfully by the British cycling team in the build-up to the Beijing Olympics, it has achieved prominence since as a sophisticated training device across a range of sports, including swimming, sailing, Aussie Rules and American Football. But its latest application, one which has captured the interest of Rowntree and others in the England hierarchy, is talent identification. Stick a 14 year-old on a bike, tell him to blast away as hard as he can, and a maximum power reading will emerge which will indicate whether he has the engine to operate at the elite level. The beauty of the test is obvious. It's accessible, quick, and can't be faked, simply a question of sitting on the saddle and cranking the pedals as hard and as fast as possible. Hoy is reputed to have generated 2,200 watts by the second turn of the pedals on one test, and it is this swift, brutal transition of power, so critical for a track cyclist, which is applicable to rugby, in particular to the front five forwards, as well as rowing. Comprehensive performance statistics are sketchy, partly because the Wattbike has only recently been introduced into the rugby environment and partly because clubs and countries are unwilling to divulge information which may give others a competitive advantage, but certain snapshots have emerged. Andrew Sheridan, the former Sale prop, now with Toulon, and long regarded as the strongest man in the England squad, registered a score of 2,000. Manu Tuilagi, the freakishly explosive Leicester and England centre, hit 1,750 as a 17 year-old. Even Martin Johnson, shown the Wattbike when he was England's boss, fired the machine up to around 1,800, and he was in a suit when he took the test. Of course, there will be many who sniff disdainfully at this kind of testing, especially on kids as young as 14 and 15, arguing that it is yet another example of rugby elevating muscle over mind. And it is true that the examination takes no account of mental resolve, technique, or facility with the positional core skills which are also crucial to a successful career. But for some years now it has become increasingly apparent that elite international sport is the preserve of genetic or physiological freaks and without the ability to compete physically at the top level all the other bits and pieces are incidental. Anyone who can generate 1,500 plus watts at 14 or 15 is worth considering. This is what has grabbed the attention of Rowntree and others. If they identify tomorrow's brutes early enough - and England have greater numbers playing the sport than any other country in the world, which is another incentive - then they can sculpture and tweak the rest of the rugby package. Peter Keen, one of the drivers behind the original Wattbike when he was with British Cycling and the man who drove the government's no-compromise approach to sports funding and performance leading into the Olympics, is now working with the RFU and is anxious to build a supply chain of talent. And who knows what will emerge. A couple of years ago Jimmy Watkins, a fireman from California and cycling enthusiast, posted the best Wattbike score yet recorded, a staggering 2,372 watts. At the 2012 Olympics, despite having no funding, despite having no proper training programme, despite living 120 miles from the nearest velodrome, Watkins finished sixth in the men's sprint finals. For cycling, read rugby.