Rugby is now bigger than ever – the wages, the stadia and, most of all, the bodies. But are players increasing in size and strength at the expense of safety? MH investigates whether contact sports are becoming too powerful for their own good.
It was Eddie Jones’ first weekend in his new post as head coach of the England rugby union team: time to start clearing his mind for the big questions of the Six Nations’ team selection. ect Jones was appointed with the hope that he’d produce a side at once precocious, thrilling and imaginative. Henry Slade of Exeter Chiefs would certainly have been in mind. A player of style and invention, Slade can play at centre or at fly-half. And at just 22, he’s one for the future, alright. But that same weekend, Slade sustained a knock that ruled him out of competition for months.
A classic rugby injury, it came at the breakdown: the period after a tackle, when both teams compete for the ball. Slade – all 6ft 2in and 92kg of him – braced himself over the tackled player to grapple for the ball. His planted leg took the impact of the two opposing players. His leg snapped and the ankle dislocated – procedures necessitating a lengthy recovery. Rhys Webb, a Welsh scrum-half, missed last year’s World Cup because of an injury resulting from similar circumstances. Other promising players, Will Fraser and Christian Wade, have had their careers disrupted by the same sort of thing – many have had multiple surgeries before their 25th birthdays – and yet more risk permanent damage by playing through the agony, or taking pain relief injections before big matches. Both Wales and Ireland can justifiably blame premature World Cup exits on a slew of injuries to key players. In the case of the Welsh, almost their entire starting back line was signed off.
Rugby is a violent game. It has always been: the physical courage it requires to take part is a major part of the attraction for both players and spectators.
This story is from the April 2016 edition of Men's Health UK.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the April 2016 edition of Men's Health UK.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Every Question You Ever Had About Really Eating Well
Nutrition is a maddening business. Foods are in one day, compost the next; vitamins that cured ills last week are promptly debunked. We all want to eat better, but who has the time to sift fact from fad? Rest easy because this is your easily digestible, bite-sized guide to doing precisely that
The False Prophets Of Wellness
Muscle, fat loss, wisdom… Whatever you seek, there is now an entrepreneurial guru armed with hashtags who claims to have the answer. But is it gospel?
The Brexit Diet
Whether you voted Leave or Remain, the EU has transformed the way we eat – and crashing out threatens to deal a mighty blow to both our palates and our nutritional health. MH spoke to the experts worried that the true impact of Brexit will leave a very bad taste in our mouths.
Stamina? It's As Easy As Pie
Don’t flake on post-workout pastry. Pie and mash is your new performance enhancer
The Trip Treatment
Once the poison of the counterculture, psychedelic drugs are gaining credibility as a powerful, viable mental health tool that could transform the way we understand ourselves. Are you ready to turn on, tune in and dose up?
The Gastropub Nutrition Plan
New research suggests you don’t need to cut back on flavour either to satisfy your cravings or to cook off kilos. Better pass that piccalilli
Your Detox Doner Card
The vilified sat fat in your kebab is actually the antidote to offset booze’s impact on your liver. How convenient
Reach For The Stars
He has crossed the Atlantic, from Peckham to Hollywood, carrying multiple blockbusters on his newly broad shoulders. But while John Boyega’s star is in the ascendant, his feet remain firmly on the ground – thanks to a few fundamental life lessons learned along the way. Take note and look up.
One Word Answer #43
As tedious as they might have seemed at the time, most of the lessons our parents taught us as kids were worthy of adherence. Sit up straight at the table; look people in the eye when you thank them; try not to spit at strangers – even as an adult, these are values to live by.
Son Of A Gun
For most men, joining the family business is the easier option. Not so for Scott Eastwood, a man whose father might just be the most iconic Hollywood hard man ever. But while he is, in many ways, a chip off the old block, the firebrand’s son has his own life well figured out
