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'Trust us... we won't push you too far': Reassuring Lions message as injury scare dismissed

By Liam Heagney
(Photo by David Rogers/Getty Images)

Lions assistant Robin McBryde has spoken about the need for Warren Gatland’s squad to quickly trust the level of preparatory work they are doing on the island of Jersey, the forwards coach going on to dismiss concerns regarding the fitness of Wales winger Louis Rees-Zammit.

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It was spotted that the 20-year-old wasn’t kitted up fully for training on Tuesday and was instead wearing a compression legging, but any concern about his well-being has now been allayed. “He has trained fully today [Thursday],” confirmed McBryde at a lunchtime Lions media briefing. “It’s double day today so he will probably go as well this afternoon.”

If the idea of double training might sound alarm bells at the end of an already long season, the former Wales international assured that the players are getting the best care possible and that the balance being struck between work and rest is best practice given the experience of previous Lions tours that Gatland and his backroom staff have.

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That work/rest balance might not yet have found its level regarding McBryde himself as he mentioned he only managed a brief dip in the sea on Wednesday, a non-training day for the squad. But he outlined the message that Gatland has been putting across to the Lions, insisting that player welfare at this time of year is foremost in their thoughts.

I didn’t stray from the hotel, I’d too much work on my plate. I managed to slip out and jump in the sea for five minutes and that was it,” said McBryde, reflecting on Wednesday’s down day and the importance of the Lions striking a balance between work and rest.

“It’s vital. You have got to get the balance right and with the amount of work they got through on Monday and Tuesday, they needed a break. With all the monitoring that is going on, having worked with this group before with Bobby (Stridgeon, head of fitness), with Prav (Mathema, head of medical) and obviously with Warren (at Wales), there is no one better really in being mindful of looking after the players.

“Warren has said time and time again, ‘Listen, trust us as a very good coaching team, a good strength and conditioning team, we won’t push you too far‘. It’s getting that balance and those teams, having worked with them in the past, I have never experienced any team that can build that bond, that trust between the players better really so getting that balance of hard work but knowing that those sessions aren’t going to go too long and everything is being monitored, we’re not going to push you too far, having that trust amongst the players is vital really.

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“Yesterday, I know they went off and did various things, whether it was golf or whether it was the beach, whether it was exploring some tunnels or whatever, that is vital really to keep everyone fresh mentally as well, get out of the hotel. As coaches I wasn’t as fortunate as that, there is too much work to do. We will have another couple of days off while we are here but it was good for the players to get out.

“It’s vital to build that cohesion up, to build that understanding. You are going to be chasing your tail if you don’t get that work done now, bed a few things into the players. It will be another challenge when the players that aren’t here join us. Hopefully, the players that are here now will be able to bring those other players up to speed as and when they join the camp.”

Asked about the reception the Lions have had so far in Jersey, McBryde added: “It has been great. The staff in the hotel can’t do enough here. We had Monday and Tuesday and they were both hot days so we managed to enjoy the weather and get through some hard graft. Yesterday stayed dry. Today is really the first time we have experienced some Scottish or Welsh or Irish weather. But it was good.

“Again, it was a matter of rolling up your sleeves and getting through it and the players responded great. I’m looking forward to the next week or so we are here. Maybe I will manage to get out of the hotel myself at some stage.

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“We are here to work hard above anything else because when you think of the schedule from after the Japan game, we travel to South Africa, we’re straight into a working week, we have a game on the Saturday and then it’s Wednesday, Saturday, Wednesday, Saturday, pretty relentless so the work that we do here and the principles that we put in place they have got to be pretty much nailed on by the time we are leaving here because there is no time to waste really when you consider that schedule.”

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Trevor 54 minutes ago
Will forgotten Wallabies fit the Joe Schmidt model?

Thanks Brett.. At last a positive article on the potential of Wallaby candidates, great to read. Schmidt’s record as an international rugby coach speaks for itself, I’m somewhat confident he will turn the Wallaby’s fortunes around …. on the field. It will be up to others to steady the ship off the paddock. But is there a flaw in my optimism? We have known all along that Australia has the players to be very competitive with their international rivals. We know that because everyone keeps telling us. So why the poor results? A question that requires a definitive answer before the turn around can occur. Joe Schmidt signed on for 2 years, time to encompass the Lions tour of 2025. By all accounts he puts family first and that’s fair enough, but I would wager that his 2 year contract will be extended if the next 18 months or so shows the statement “Australia has the players” proves to be correct. The new coach does not have a lot of time to meld together an outfit that will be competitive in the Rugby Championship - it will be interesting to see what happens. It will be interesting to see what happens with Giteau law, the new Wallaby coach has already verbalised that he would to prefer to select from those who play their rugby in Australia. His first test in charge is in July just over 3 months away .. not a long time. I for one wish him well .. heaven knows Australia needs some positive vibes.

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Bull Shark 4 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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