Blackadder fears more games will bring new injury crisis

BATH’S director of rugby, Todd Blackadder, is the latest prominent figure in the English game to express misgivings about plans for a longer club season from 2020. Premiership Rugby have declared that the league will run from early September until late June, meaning a significant reduction in the off-season period. Blackadder has joined other coaches and players in expressing concerns about increased work-load. ‘They need to find a way of reducing matches,’ said the former All Blacks captain. ‘We need to think about player welfare and injury rates. The game has to be properly looked at, rather than just trying to fill in weekends. ‘Instead of thinking, “How can we add more?”, we Blackadder: ‘You need to recharge your batteries’ need to think about where the game is going. Are we putting unrealistic demands on our players? I’m probably more sensitive to it in that we (Bath) have had a massive amount of injuries and we cannot keep sustaining it.’ According to Blackadder, coaches and support staff are feeling the strain, as well as players. ‘As coaches, you are on the go 24-7 every week,’ he added. ‘I’m not just thinking about the players, but also people like our medics, who are working so hard. ‘We all know the business we are in, but sometimes it would be good to have a breather. ‘We just go from one thing to the next; it is like you are stumbling along. You need to recharge your batteries. We are all emotional beings and if things aren’t going well, it can be bloody draining.’