Bish bash bosh rugby, is it really necessary?

Are Rugby Players too big?

As we have seen, Phil Vickery has become yet another victim of the increasing injury list to Martin Johnson’s elite squad. The Lions Prop will undergo neck surgery which has ruled him out of the autumn internationals next month.

This news came no sooner after Johnson learnt he would be without hooker Lee Mears and Sale prop Andrew Sheridan. These long term injuries begs the question, has rugby become too physical?

Andrew Sheridan dislocated his shoulder playing for Sale in the Heineken Cup last Friday. With rugby players now focusing so much on power, rather than skill and precision, serious injuries are going to occur. So much so that the game may be in jeopardy, parents and guardians will want to turn their children away from the sport as it may be viewed as far too dangerous.

At the rate that players are dropping out, rugby cannot afford to loose many more star players. Also amongst this expanding injury list is Delon Armitage, Riki Flutey, Jordan Turner-Hall, Danny Cipriani and Tom Rees.

Other players not attached to England are Wales and Ospreys’ Scrum Half Mike Phillips, who has been ruled out for 12 weeks with ligament damage, Leicester’s Geordan Murphy (dislocated shoulder) and Gavin Henson, who let’s not forget is on indefinite pay leave from the Ospreys’ while injured.

Now I’m not one to dislike a physical encounter. A good hard grafted game of rugby provides entertainment for all, just look at the last 2 weeks of fixtures, Leicester fighting back to draw with the Ospreys, Toulouse’s late win against Harlequins and London Irish grafting a win against defending champions Leinster.

Wasps and Lions Lock Simon Shaw, who hasn’t played since the Lion’s visit to South Africa due to an ankle injury has also commented that players are becoming too big. “We've got to start emphasising the skill element over simple physicality. Players are spending too much time in the gym. We're turning out athletes rather than rugby players."

"If you train too much, then it's going to stress the body. It's like a Formula One car. Why are those F1 cars always breaking down while your old banger goes on forever? It's because they're under strain," Shaw added.
Safety is a key issue within the game, part of the reason that Sheridan dislocated his shoulder is due to the scrum collapsing after a car crash like collision that occurs after the referee says, ‘engage’ whenever the front rows come together in a scrum.
Sky Sports news followed Gloucester Rugby throughout their Pre-season campaign for the current season. Gloucester’s season finished in May, along came June and the team are in the gym four times a week preparing for the new season. That’s 3 months of weights, even before any of the fixtures had been lined up for the new season.

I believe that rugby should take a step back, it seems we are at a stage where muscle building is being prioritised over aerobic fitness and skill based exercises. The current mentality seems to be on running through a player, rather than running around them skilfully. The IRB needs to sort this out as these immensely physical contests are having serious long term affects on elite players.