O’driscoll: Difficult to see end
SARACENS legend Petrus du Plessis is no shrinking violet when it comes to a challenge.
The South African prop, who won three Premiership titles and two Heineken Cups with Sarries, recently began a three-month contract at Ayrshire and Arran Hospital in Scotland.
The Glasgow Warriors scrum coach first moved to England to study in 2001, and qualified as a physiotherapist before making his name in professional rugby union.
At a time of crisis though the 38-year-old has returned to the NHS ranks in the fight against Covid-19.
Father-of-three Du Plessis said: “I initially planned to be in England for only a couple of years, but I soon met with wife Lisa and then qualified as a physio before working in the NHS.
I played for
St Helens,
Orrell and
Sedgley Park, but then went full-time at Nottingham before joining Saracens in 2010.
“Brendan Venter rang me and said, ‘from 7am tomorrow morning you’re a Saracens player!’.
“I was soon playing in my first Premiership final in front of 85,000 at Twickenham. My last game for Sarries was the 2017 European Cup Final, when we beat Clermont.”
After a short stint at London Irish, Du Plessis joined Glasgow as a player-coach in 2018.
And when the rugby season was suspended in March, Du Plessis’s career came full circle.
He explained: “Through the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy, I read about physios being recruited in local areas. I applied online and
BRIAN O’DRISCOLL today relives some of European rugby’s greatest occasions – admitting it will be quite some time before there are more.
On what should have been Heineken Cup Final weekend, the Ireland and Lions’ legend will instead run the rule over 10 of the best past finals.
The hope remains that was placed in Ayrshire and Arran Hospital Trust, just south of Glasgow.
“I’m in the neurological ward and everyone – physios, doctors and nurses – is pulling together.
“My wife is a psychotherapist and psychiatric nurse and has gone back to work in mental health nursing.”
His work for the Warriors has earned Du Plessis admirers, and he added: “Glasgow’s scrum was less functional before I came, but now we’re in the top five in Europe.
“I specialise in neck strengthening and trying to reduce concussion. Some guys here will be world-class.”
Du Plessis has watched Saracens’ dramatic demise with sadness. They
September will allow a resumption of this season’s tournament, which has reached the quarter-final stage, but even if it goes ahead O’driscoll says it can be nothing like it was.
“There have been some brilliant finals down the years, incredible drama, full houses,” said O’driscoll. “The European titles I won with Leinster are right up there with my greatest career moments.
“But until a vaccine is found
Admirers
were relegated from the Premiership for repeated salary cap breaches, but Du Plessis said: “I don’t think they went out of their way to cheat the system – they were business deals that were highly scrutinised.
“Sarries love a challenge so I hope they can come straight back up.”
Du Plessis has also enjoyed various cameo roles as an actor. He said: “I’ve worked with world-class stars and was in awe at how they can be so normal but perform so differently on set.
“Rugby is similar to that – we are all generally pretty nice guys off the field, but can be b***ards on it!
“I have visited 26 countries through playing rugby and, the more opportunities you make for yourself, the further you will go in life.” for the coronavirus it’s hard to see how you’re going to have fans back in stadia.
“The game we know – with packed crowds and the closeproximity socialising that is such a part of rugby – feels like it’s a while away. It’s not going to be like we have known it.”
Rugby chiefs in England have ruled players cannot return to training for at least a fortnight, and there are fears that the Premiership will not be completed this season. “It is very concerning,” O’driscoll admitted. “The frustrating bit is the uncertainty. Not being able to find an end point and then work back from there.
“With no vaccine and being a contact sport, rugby is probably one of the last that will be able to come back.”
Join BT Sport today for a full day of classic finals from rugby’s European cup competitions, from 7am on BT Sport 3.