The demands on rugby players are increasing, and the No 9s bear much of the burden in their pivotal position
Over the last couple of weeks discussions over changes to the structure of rugby – both domestically and internationally – have taken place in terms of a 13-team Premiership and World Rugby’s Nations Championship proposal. It must not be forgotten that they are taking place at the end of another long, arduous season with gruelling preparations for a World Cup just around the corner after the players’ five-week mandatory rest period.
All parties involved will talk loudly about a commitment to player welfare but the demands on modern-day players are huge and far greater than when I retired in 2015. There is no doubting the game has changed since then – it is quicker, the ball-in-play time is up and across the board players in every position are being asked to do more. If you look purely at how the workload for a scrum-half has increased in the past five seasons, however, the results are extraordinary.
Related: Danny Cipriani aims to keep climbing and lead Gloucester into final
Related: Bryan Habana: 'World Cup win for Siya Kolisi would be bigger than Mandela'
Continue reading...