Shane: Players must not be rushed back
Ican almost hear the twang of hamstrings as we contemplate the return to action of our professional players. Everyone is missing rugby – players, coaches and fans alike – but they must not rush into things once the government give the go-ahead for some form of return to normality.
I’ve heard it mentioned, although perhaps not loudly or often enough, that player welfare will be taken into account when the lockdown restrictions are eased.
Some have said it will take four weeks for the players to get ready to play again, others have mentioned five.
What we mustn’t do is rush back into things just for the sake of money and put the players at risk of injury. They are all doing their best to try to stay in shape at the moment, but it can’t be easy.
When they are allowed to re-group, train together again and then prepare to play, they can’t be allowed to rush things. If they do, the busiest people at every club will be in the medical and physio department.
I remember before the 2007 Rugby World Cup I was forced to train on my own all summer. I had had operations on both arms and had to try to train with two casts on. I was always a good trainer, always wanted to be the fittest and the fastest, but I found I had nobody to motivate me when I was on my own.
I didn’t know if I was doing enough, or training too much. Without your team-mates as reference points you are in danger of losing sight of yourself. A lot of it comes down to your own personality and how disciplined you are.
It can be mentally challenging when you aren’t working within a team framework, where people are urging you on, telling you off, laughing and suffering with you.
I’ve been keeping on eye on some of the players via social media to see how they’re getting on and they all seem to be putting in the effort.
But you will never know until you get back with your teammates exactly where you are at. And when that happens it is going to be really tough for the coaches to decide how much pressure to put on their players.
Yes, they will have big matches to target, but they will be dealing with some fragile players when they first regroup.
There is enough expertise though the excellent physical performance and S&C staff at all the clubs to put together appropriate programmes, but it is going to be a real challenge for everyone to be right up to speed when the games begin.
The players will need very careful management to prevent injuries. Sprinting will be one of the things many players won’t have been able to do and getting the muscles working at full speed and full capacity is going to be key.
The other thing for the coaches to consider is how the players will react to playing in empty stadia. There is a real possibility that when professional football and rugby do finally return that games will have to be played behind closed doors.
When I was playing the crowd were always a key part of the occasion and certainly had an effect on my performance. Playing behind closed doors would be bizarre, but we are living in bizarre times!
I loved playing in front of big crowds and hearing them shouting for my team or even chanting my name. It’s what gets the adrenaline flowing in every player and only being able to hear your own coaching team from the sidelines would be difficult.
All that is, of course, in the future and as much as I am missing rugby and live sport, keeping everyone safe from this terrible virus has to be our biggest concern at present. When we are allowed out again, and to throw or kick a ball about, I’ll be there.
I’ve managed to watch a few old ‘Classic Matches’ with my son, but there is nothing like the real thing.
Just watch out for those hamstings!
“We musn’t rush back into things for the sake of money and put players at risk of injury”