NZ-born Te’o goes to extra lengths to lift fitness
The pursuit of excellence drove Worcester’s Kiwi-born centre Ben Te’o to dig deep into his own pocket in November and head back to one of his old haunts at Brisbane Broncos to have a six-week course of self-funded rehab treatment costing several thousand pounds in order to be fit and in shape for the Six Nations.
Te’o, who started the first test for the Lions in New Zealand, made only a handful of appearances for the Warriors before damaging an ankle with a syndesmosis injury. Surgery was needed and a plate inserted. Te’o realised that the mental side of a recovery process is just as important as the physical aspect, so he hired two trainers and physiotherapists he knew from his four years at the Broncos to oversee his three-times-a-day rehabilitation sessions.
The 30-year-old returned in time for the short camp in Brighton on New Year’s Day and, as England wrapped up their five-day stint in the Algarve, is back in the reckoning for the match-day squad to take on Italy in Rome next Sunday despite not having played a game since mid-October.
‘‘It has all gone to plan and I feel good to go,’’ says Te’o, who was accompanied in Australia by his fiancee, with the couple expecting their first child in June.
‘‘I enlisted a highly experienced physio and trainer so the full focus was on me. Rob Godbolt is the Queensland State of Origin physio and the trainer Andrew Croll is highly regarded in the NRL.
‘‘Sometimes, when you’re rehabilitating at a club, there are other players, too, and you need to fit in. There, it was all tailored towards me. I tidied up the diet and tried to drop a few kilos.
‘‘This game’s not getting any slower and I need to keep up with the pace of the game. I cut out sugars and dropped the portion sizes. I tried some of those premade meals and they really helped.
‘‘I thought it was going to be important for me. When you get injuries there is not just the physical side but the mental side as well. To come back really, really motivated and refreshed is a big plus. It was important for me to go away. I didn’t mind paying for it because I know it is going to pay me back one day.
‘‘The RFU and the Worcester Warriors were great through the whole process. Physios, trainers, flights, food – it cost thousands but it’s been worth it.
‘‘I’ve done stuff like this before and I’ve always found it does pay me back eventually. I’m hungry to get back into it.’’
Te’o’s typical Brisbane day would see him rise at 6am, have breakfast before hooking up with the physio and trainer at one of various sites in the city. There were weights sessions later in the morning before lunch and then some conditioning work with a boxing trainer for some variety. All the while he trailed a cryotherapy ice machine with him.
‘‘That has pretty much been attached to me,’’ says Te’o. ‘‘I’ve had that thing everywhere for 12 weeks. I am just weaning off it now. I went to see a boxing trainer to get a bit of conditioning as you can only do so much on a lower limb as it would get swollen, so boxing was the only thing I could do to try to trim a bit of fat off. I’m a big fan of boxing, but I wouldn’t say I was slick on the mitts.’’
Te’o has come back a couple of kilos lighter as he believes the game is getting ever faster.
There is no denying that he wants to tilt for a starting spot.
‘‘When I was involved last year, the finisher was the role I was given so I tried to do it to the best of my ability,’’ says Te’o. ‘‘But I definitely want to challenge and try to start, so that’s one of my goals.’’
It has all gone to plan and I feel good to go. Ben Te’o
Telegraph, London