A future watching the other guys get stuck in… I’ll drink to that
Alistair Hargreaves on his decision to quit rugby due to fears for his health
IT would be so easy for Alistair Hargreaves to feel bitter today as he watches from the sidelines at Allianz Park. Forced to retire from the game he loves at the age of 30 after suffering five concussions in two years, the former Saracens captain and second row would be forgiven for resenting the hand he has been dealt. Not a bit of it. Just two days after announcing he had played his last game — two weeks after a head clash with Michael Rhodes in training left him feeling so unwell he was unable to leave his London home for five days — Hargreaves is optimistic about the future and grateful for the past.
‘Retiring was a really emotional decision but not a hard one,’ he told the Mail On Sunday in his first interview since announcing his retirement on Wednesday.
‘The medical advice was that they couldn’t guarantee I’d be safe in the long term. I’m 30 years old and have had a great career, loved every minute of it, but I’ve also got a lot to look forward to in life after rugby.
‘My wife and I had discussions after the last incident 11 months ago [when he was knocked out against Worcester]. We made the decision that if it happened again then the writing was on the wall as it would be moving into dangerous territory.
‘I took a knock in training and ended up feeling really bad for about four days. Typical concussion symptoms. Headaches, feeling dizzy. It was terrible. I left training knowing I’d been in my last team huddle.
‘If I carried on playing, the risk, without being overly dramatic, was there to my long-term mental health and not being there for my family.
‘The best case scenario was that I’d win a few more trophies and earn a bit more money but I just need to be really grateful about what I’ve been able to achieve and the team I’ve been involved in. It’s more than I ever could have dreamed of. The risk was outweighing the reward.’
With 11-month old son Julian and wife Carmen to consider, Hargreaves has much more important things to focus on.
Today, he will watch the team he played 79 times for after moving from Natal Sharks in 2012 with a pint of his own brand Wolfpack lager in his hand and a smile on his face. Hargreaves will watch Saracens versus Wasps as a fan. Having captained the club to the Aviva Premiership crown in 2015, when he was knocked out in the final, before being part of the squad that won domestic and European silverware last season, Hargreaves is eternally grateful to Saracens’ management — director of rugby Mark McCall in particular — for the way they handled a difficult injury.
Indeed, he cherishes his four years at the club above the four Springbok caps he won while at Natal in his mid-twenties.
In the dark old days, when concussions were routinely laughed off and symptoms ignored, Hargreaves would have played through the agonising migraines and nausea which, experts now believe, can lead to severe neurodegenerative problems in later life if ignored.
‘As a professional rugby player you get used to being in pain,’ he said. ‘Honestly, I haven’t felt normal for 12 years.
‘When it’s any other part of your body, someone will say “how’s your leg?” and you might have a dead leg but you scan it and there’s no tear and you can play on. You can play through a concussion as well. But now there’s recognition that if you do so and
you don’t rest, it can have long-term effects. I’ve seen players get knocked out, carry on playing, get a pat on the back and be told “you’ll be fine next week”. It’s definitely better now. The stigma is disappearing.
‘It’s brilliant that concussion isn’t being brushed under the carpet. This is a contact sport, it’s extremely physical and concussions happen. The key is to identify them, learn from them and make sure it’s managed better in the future.
‘It means our sport becomes safer, there’s more incentive for kids to play and for rugby to carry on being a part of so many people’s lives.’
Our recent revelations that Clermont Auvergne’s Jamie Cudmore and Sale Sharks’ Cillian Willis are suing former clubs over allegations of medical negligence have sent shockwaves through a sport which has taken significant steps to tighten up concussion protocols.
This week former Wales winger Shane Williams revealed his fears over repeated concussions he suffered, while former Ireland prop Nathan White also retired following multiple concussions. Clubs are waking up and Saracens are among the most progressive, with some players participating in a data-gathering trials concerning the issue.
Hargreaves must now concentrate on being a family man while developing the beer business he set up with team-mate Chris Wyles two years ago. He has begun by offering every one of the 10,000 fans at Allianz Park today a pint of his Wolfpack craft beer.
Hargreaves will keep in touch with the specialists who advised him to quit — including consultant neurologist Dr Richard Sylvester — but his outlook is optimistic. ‘I never trained or played with symptoms and my brain scans are clear,’ he said. ‘The symptoms have cleared and the signs are that without more head trauma it should be happy days.
‘It’s something I’ll have to keep an eye on but the fact I won’t be throwing myself head-first into 120kg units will reduce that risk.
‘I’m actually really looking forward to watching the guys with a cold beer in my hand and watching them getting battered for a change. I’ve been incredibly privileged and I’d do it all again in a heartbeat.
‘But it’s time to hang up my boots. It’s time for the next chapter of my life.’