Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
SLADE’S SO COOL ON PROSPECT OF SUMMER SEASON
ANDY FARRELL claims rugby will return with a “big bang” but insists there can be no excuses when Ireland do step onto the Test stage again.
The professional game here is set to reopen with a round of PRO14 interprovincial games at the Aviva Stadium on the weekend of August 22/23.
And Ireland coach Farrell says the players have been trusted during the lockdown to maintain their fitness.
“When they’re at their clubs they go home and they look after themselves, it’s a big part of being a professional,” he said.
“It’s a big element of trust because if they didn’t do things the right way then obviously there’s ramifications for that.”
He added: “They’re used to having their own programmes and working away, coming back at a certain standard.
“There’s no excuses, that’s the motto we’re trying to use.”
Farrell is excited about the prospect of a Test resumption in October or November.
“We know when we come back people are going to be super-excited about sport being back on TV, people being able to go to grounds,” he told the IRFU website.
“So I think it’s going to come back with a big bang. I think it’s going to be really exciting times. I like to be positive in that way anyway.
“As far as the international game is concerned, there’s a lot of games that have to be played. That’s very important to a lot of unions, to keep pushing forward.
“Therefore I think the big games are going to be more than ever and that’s something that we need to 100% keep in mind and be ready for, which is exciting.”
Farrell jokes he has been using his time to working in his garden and going to the dump.
But on a serious level he has enjoyed reconnecting on a more regular basis with friends around the world and being in touch with family.
He said: “I think communication is even better at this moment. People are getting used to talking about the right thing and getting on to what really matters.”
ENGLAND centre Henry Slade has come out against rugby union becoming a summer sport at the top level.
Slade (inset) returns to training with Premiership leaders Exeter this week ahead of the planned August 15 restart.
But he is concerned that this season’s temporary shift could become a permanent one as part of efforts to align the northern and southern hemisphere seasons.
His view is that while summer rugby might work for the game’s administrators, it would not do so for the players.
Slade said: “The way the last couple of seasons have gone, the finals have been pretty late in the year. The last one was June 1.
“Those finals were up near 30 degrees, which isn’t ideal for rugby. It does encourage running rugby but for the players it is bloody tough to play in heat like that.
“I actually quite enjoy the way the season is in England at the moment because you get to experience a broad range of conditions. The weather is nice at the start, it gets colder and wetter in the middle then brightens up at the end, which is a good mixture.
“You have to adapt your game and play through different conditions, which shows you are truly a good side if you can. It shows you have an all-court game.”
Slade has no problem with a resumption of training during the
Covid-19 outbreak, even though he is a diabetic.
He added: “I messaged the doctor at the club when I heard that people with diabetes could be more at risk potentially but he told me I was absolutely fine because I was type one, young and it was well-controlled.
“I don’t think type one is any higher risk than anyone else so I’m absolutely fine to get going.
“It has been nice to have some down time mentally and let the body get over knocks and niggles but that took about three weeks and then I was ready to get back at it.
“Training will just be some running at first, which isn’t really ideal, but it’s better than nothing.”