The Rugby Pod talks about the struggles of retiring as a professional player

The Rugby Pod this week spoke heavily on the importance of mental health awareness in the sport. One of the subjects that surrounded this was how players mentally approach retiring and how this can be a big loss in their identity.

Jim Hamilton spoke extensively about his experience with retirement after Saracens, talking about how he went from being in a team environment to being alone for large parts of the day.

This discussion in itself becomes a lot more relevant when we take into account the recent retirement of Joe Marler from International rugby. The 28-year-old will still be playing for Harlequins, however, this still does highlight the pressures that rugby players must deal with as they progress in their careers.