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Ben Te'o nearly walked away from rugby

By Jack Davies
Owen Farrell and Ben Te'o

Ben Te’o briefly considered quitting rugby during a year blighted by injury.

A serious ankle issue saw Te’o miss the second half of 2017, before a thigh problem forced him out of England’s tour to South Africa in June.

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The setbacks left the 31-year-old Worcester Warriors centre contemplating his future in the sport as he struggled on the road to recovery.

“You have a couple of injuries back to back and you start to wonder ‘is this worth it?'” Te’o told BBC Radio 5 Live.

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“A lot of players would feel the same. I’ve come back from some tough injuries, and once you’re back it’s brilliant, but the time off is tough.

“When I was getting ready for surgery for my quad, I was laying in the bed with the gown on, about to go under [the knife] again, and I was thinking ‘I can’t believe I am going under again for another op’ – more crutches and all that.

“But sometimes that’s the way it goes with injuries. You can have a couple of good years, and then sometimes it can go back to back to back and you just can’t get away from it.

“I’m praying and hoping I can get fit and play, and [an injury] doesn’t come back. [It’s been] frustrating.”

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Former rugby league star Te’o remains sidelined but says he will not rush his comeback for fear of quickly picking up another injury.

“That’s sometimes part and parcel with this game. In both codes I’ve played there are lots of times where you get pressured into coming back early,” he said.

“Sometimes you can play yourself into match fitness, but if you get hurt again you regret doing it. But fingers crossed that doesn’t happen. [The aim is to] get back fit, stay back and contribute.”

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Bull Shark 3 hours ago
Jake White: Are modern rugby players actually better?

Of the rugby I’ve born witness to in my lifetime - 1990 to date - I recognize great players throughout those years. But I have no doubt the game and the players are on average better today. So I doubt going back further is going to prove me wrong. The technical components of the game, set pieces, scrums, kicks, kicks at goal. And in general tactics employed are far more efficient, accurate and polished. Professional athletes that have invested countless hours on being accurate. There is one nation though that may be fairly competitive in any era - and that for me is the all blacks. And New Zealand players in general. NZ produces startling athletes who have fantastic ball skills. And then the odd phenomenon like Brooke. Lomu. Mcaw. Carter. Better than comparing players and teams across eras - I’ve often had this thought - that it would be very interesting to have a version of the game that is closer to its original form. What would the game look like today if the rules were rolled back. Not rules that promote safety obviously - but rules like: - a try being worth 1 point and conversion 2 points. Hence the term “try”. Earning a try at goals. Would we see more attacking play? - no lifting in the lineouts. - rucks and break down laws in general. They looked like wrestling matches in bygone eras. I wonder what a game applying 1995 rules would look like with modern players. It may be a daft exercise, but it would make for an interesting spectacle celebrating “purer” forms of the game that roll back the rules dramatically by a few versions. Would we come to learn that some of the rules/combinations of the rules we see today have actually made the game less attractive? I’d love to see an exhibition match like that.

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