Sports

Are rugby players cracking up under the rigours of heavy training?

Published

4 years ago

2022/02/23

by a Special Sports Correspondent

Former rugby player and now a coach and strength and conditioning professional Bilal Yusuf is concerned about the quantum of training done by both school and club rugby players.

It is no wonder that players today are taxed more than their systems can take. The reason, according to Yusuf, could be because these players are following a professional training routine in an amateur system.

Gone are the days when hordes of ex-schoolboy players, just out of school, awaited their turn to play club rugby. Very few among these school leavers walked in straight to the club sides of yesteryear because there was a gap between club and school rugby; in terms of the capacity needed to play senior rugby. But now the training load is basically the same for both club and school players.

And as how Yusuf sees it the players are being over trained. “The present training regimes are extremely demanding on the players. Players are training five days of the week and sessions are held twice a day. At the end of the season there is mental and physical fatigue,” said Yusuf who has also had stints both as a school and club rugby coach and also as the junior national coach for the under 20 Asian Championship. At present, he is a strength and conditioning coach for Sri Lanka Tennis.

There have been occasions where even some of the foreign coaches who have undertaken assignments at local rugby clubs having cautioned that the Sri Lankan players are trying too hard. The game has changed over the years and become more physical and the coaches now demand that their chargers pack on the pounds and spend more time in the gymnasium.

Yusuf sees the present system being counterproductive. “Sometimes doing more might make the players mentally tougher, but certainly it would not do good for the game,” he said. According to him rugby clubs around the world, where the players are not professionals, get their players to train twice a week (Tuesday and Thursday) with a game on Saturday.

But here in Sri Lanka players have to hit the gym in the morning, then shower and go to work and comeback in the evening for rugby practices. Even the sleep they get might not be sufficient. “This is a vicious circle and clubs might not be able to sustain the players in this manner,” opined Yusuf.

But a side like Kandy Sport Club could be an exception because the players are professionals and don’t really have to work, so after the morning training they ideally get to have nap and take a rest. When they comeback for training in the evening their batteries are recharged.

However, club rugby coaches and administrators might not listen to the views of a rugby coach cum trainer like Yusuf because the demands on the coach are high. Most coaches are desperate to hold on to their jobs, so they tax the players to the hilt. Yusuf cautions that school rugby players might be training more than club rugby players, hence the former might be close to total burnout when a season nears an end. We also hear of stories where the schoolboy players in their final year of rugby are skipping the GCE A Level Exam because the demands of rugby training don’t allow these players to balance sport and studies. “The problem with the system is that we might not be grooming these players to balance sport, family and life. The joys of a coach is to see them play top level rugby and when you bump into them in latter years to see them having turned out to be happy and responsible citizens,” said Yusuf.

The taking of supplements in rugby is part and parcel of the game. But some players are becoming too big too soon. “Sometimes the mass they are gaining is unbelievable; which makes us wonder whether these supplements that are given to them contain any illegal substance. The supplement taking of players must be properly monitored. We have enough doubts to suspect that some of these supplements may have performance-enhancing substances,” he said.

Insecure coaches can poison a system and make the players believe that more training is good, when the opposite is true. But there is also another issue regarding the psyche of the players. The majority of schoolboy players who have the brains and capacity to study and make good progress in life give up the sport and concentrate on higher education. The sad part of the equation is that the players who are not academics continue with rugby hence this would mean that ones who are playing club rugby might not be able to think for themselves and can be manipulated. But Yusuf cautioned by saying, “Even if you know that a certain way of eating and training is harmful you just have to follow the demands of the coach because rugby is a team sport and you are not playing for yourself”.

Yusuf concluded the interview by quoting what a foreign coach once gave as his response when someone asked whether he considers himself having done his job properly and having given something back to the game. “This coach said come and meet me in ten years time and ask me how my players are doing and whether they have become better human beings. And if they have then I think I could be considered a successful coach,” concluded Yusuf.

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Nepal fight to stay alive against in-form West Indies

Published

56 mins ago

2026/02/15

Priyan

West Indies have won both their games so far [Cricinfo]

From being one hit away from beating England to being hammered by T20 World Cup debutants Italy four days later, Nepal have seen the whole spectrum of emotions in Mumbai. Among the Associate teams at this World Cup, Nepal could easily have the biggest travelling contingent of fans, who must be wondering what would have been had Nepal sealed the thriller last Sunday that would have kept them far from their current bottom spot in Group C.

Fans’ expectations and social media distractions are things Nepal head coach Stuart Law has warned his team about, now that they have slipped to a must-win situation. Nepal need to pick themselves up after being trampled by the Mosca brothers to face their table-toppers and the in-form West Indies. This is the same West Indies side Nepal had taken down 2-1 a few months ago in Sharjah, in the first bilateral series between the two teams. But this is, in reality, not the same West Indies side because that one in September was without most of the first-choice players that have turned West Indies’ form around in this tournament after recent series losses against South Africa and Afghanistan at the start of the year.

It might take a mountain to climb for this defeated Nepal side to bring down West Indies, but there is hope. Nepal could learn from their two wins in September – and from Zimbabwe against Australia on Friday – that batting first might be the way to go to put pressure on stronger teams. Ever since West Indies have landed in India, they haven’t been put under the pressure of chasing so far.

Nepal also have the advantage of being stationed only in Mumbai so far, which would have given them a fair idea of the red-soil conditions at Wankhede. Since it’s a day game, Nepal may not mind being put in to bat if the toss doesn’t go their way.

West Indies hardly have any headaches. Their batters are belting sixes, their pace bowlers have picked wickets, their spinners strangled England and they took excellent catches too. They would want to continue their winning streak and seal the Super Eights spot soon.

After being beaten by Michael Leask’s arm ball in their opening match, Shai Hope would have been miffed for falling to a not-so-great ball against England. He bagged a duck and will be eager to lift his strike rate of 76 from the two games – the only West Indies batter who has struck at under 100 – as the tournament picks up pace and teams firm up their plans as per conditions and opposition. Hope will, however, draw confidence from the fact that he has been West Indies’ leading scorer since the last T20 World Cup and their top boundary-hitter too, for both fours and sixes.

Nepal will be looking for a cracking start to overcome their Italian heartbreak, and they don’t need to look any further than opening batter Kushal Bhurtel. He had taken down Jofra Archer and Luke Wood with a boundary barrage against the new ball that saw him smash 29 off 17. He is, however, due a big score and with his jersey number 14 as a dedication to Ricky Ponting, the muscular batter would want to emulate his idol in a crunch match.

West Indies packed a punch against England and won’t feel the need to tinker with their XI on the same ground.

West Indies (probable): Brandon King, Shai Hope (capt), Shimron Hetmyer, Roston Chase, Sherfane Rutherford, Rovman Powell, Jason Holder, Romario Shepherd, Akeal Hosein, Gudakesh Motie, Shamar Joseph

Nepal captain Rohit Paudel was down with fever on Friday night but should be good to go on Sunday after taking some medicines, Stuart Law said.

Nepal (probable): Kushal Bhurtel, Aasif Sheikh (wk), Rohit Paudel (capt), Dipendra Singh Airee, Aarif Sheikh, Lokesh Bam, Gulshan Jha, Karan KC, Nandan Yadav, Sandeep Lamichhane, Lalit Rajbanshi

[Cricinfo]

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Jansen, Markram hand South Africa statement win

Published

1 hour ago

2026/02/15

Priyan

Aiden Markram celebrates a 19-ball fifty [Cricinfo]

Marco Jansen’s first four-wicket haul in T20Is broke the back of two New Zealand assaults to give South Africa an easy win and a likely top spot in Group D. Not that the finish matters as the teams’ games in Super Eights are pre-decided as long as they make it out of the first group.

This was the first successful chase in a night game of this World Cup, but this was also arguably the first night match between evenly matched sides. Having survived Afghanistan in this group of death, both sides played with freedom. New Zealand kept coming at South Africa, reaching 33 for 0 in 3.1 overs, 57 for 1 in 5.1 and then 138 for 4 in 13.5.

However, Jansen pegged New Zealand back every time, the final strike resulting in a practical shutdown: only 37 came off the last 37 balls as New Zealand ran out of batting. In response, Aiden Markram’s personal best of 86 off 44 ended the game with 17 balls to spare, making it 5-0 for them against New Zealand in T20 World Cups.

Lungi Ngidi and Kagiso Rabada kept the dangerous duo of Tim Seifert and Finn Allen quiet for two overs, but the eventual onslaught arrived on a pitch where the ball came onto bat beautifully. Allen started off with three fours and a six in the third over, bowled by Ngidi. The powerplay hitting involved no innovation or cuteness, just timing and power.

Jansen’s first ball of the night was dismissed disdainfully for a six over mid-on by Siefert. Jansen immediately went to Plan B. Mid-on went back, leaving no boundary riders on the off side. Siefert looked to exploit that field but Jansen bowled an accurate short ball to take an edge through to the keeper.

Allen didn’t slow down, but then Jansen came back for the last over of the powerplay to take out Rachin Ravindra and Allen. While Ravindra got a thick edge to short third, Allen got too close to a slower offcutter and couldn’t find the elevation to clear mid-off.

Mark Chapman still kept coming, but when Keshav Maharaj bowled Glenn Phillips to make it 64 for 4 in seventh over, New Zealand finally had to go into recovery mode.

To be absolutely accurate, only Mitchell was in recovery mode. Chapman looked in fine touch, and pulled Maharaj for a six two balls after Phillips’ fall. Ngidi managed to bowl the 10th over without a boundary, but in the 11th and 12th the duo took 29. Corbin Bosch was hit for a four by each batter, and Markram a six each. At 131 for 4 in 13, New Zealand were back on track for 200, which looked like the bare minimum to stay competitive.

Jansen had got one wicket with a slower ball already, but on his return he unveiled a knuckle ball, which completely bewitched Chapman, who was 48 off 25 at that point. When Ngidi had Mitchell caught at long-on – for a change, with an on-pace delivery that hit the inner half of the bat – New Zealand had lost six wickets with more than four overs left. Only James Neesham could do some damage in the end but 175 looked paltry with dew already apparent.

It almost looked like a footnote that he brought up the fastest half-century for South Africa in T20 World Cups in 19 balls and took South Africa to their joint-highest powerplay score in t20 World Cups, 83. Quinton de Kock and Ryan Rickelton didn’t do badly either, scoring 20 off 14 and 21 off 11, but it wasn’t possible to take your eye off Markram’s driving.

Brief scores:
New Zealand 175/7 in 20 overs (Tim Siefert 13, Finn Allen 31, Rachin Ravindra 13, Mark Chapman 48, Daryl Mitchell 32, James Neesham 23*;Lungi Ngindi 1-34, Marco Jansen 4-40, Keshav Maharaj 1-24, Corbin Bosch 1-34) lost to South Africa 178/3 in 17.1 overs (Aiden Markram 86*, Quinton de Kock 20, Ryan Rickelton 21, Dewald Brevis 21, David Miller 24*; Lockie Ferguson 1-33, James Neesham 1-15, Rachin Ravindra 1-09) by seven wickets

[Cricinfo]

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Tom Banton 63* sets up nervy win for England

Published

9 hours ago

2026/02/14

Priyan

Tom Banton's half-century settled England's chase [Cricinfo]

It was another nervy affair against an associate nation. But England’s Super Eight hopes remain on course after a five-wicket victory over Scotland in Eden Gardens, moving them up to second in Group C of this T20 World Cup with a game to play.

Tom Banton’s unbeaten 63 off 41 deliveries – his fourth T20I fifty – ultimately quelled a testy chase of 153, which began with openers Phil Salt and Jos Buttler falling inside the first two overs to nibbling seamers Brandon McMullen and Brad Currie.

Banton’s arrival triggered a vital 66-run stand with Jacob Bethell, and he was similarly engaging with Sam Curran for their partnership of 46 which brought the runs required below the number of balls remaining. Having managed just 4 from nine deliveries across knocks against Nepal and West Indies, Banton, who struck four fours and three sixes, watched on as Will Jacks smashed Brad Wheal for a six down the ground and then pulled the quick behind square to seal victory with 10 balls to spare.

Much like Nepal in England’s opening victory, Scotland will rue missed opportunities with the bat. They were dictating terms midway through the 13th over, with skipper Richie Berrington leading a 71-run stand with Tom Bruce. Berrington’s hard-hitting against spinners Adil Rashid and Liam Dawson which made amends for a stuttering powerplay of 42 for 3 after losing the toss. Jofra Archer was the key aggressor in those first six overs, finishing with 2 for 24 as he ticked over to 50 T20I dismissals.

When Dawson pocketed Bruce (24) and Rashid did for Berrington (49) in the space of four balls, England did not relent. Only four boundaries were scored in the remainder of the innings, with three of them to Oliver Davidson, which included a towering six over cow corner off Archer on his way to a T20I career-best 20 not out.

Having left runs out there, Scotland were always going to be up against it. Though they were gifted wickets, such as Harry Brook’s dismal flick over his shoulder to short fine leg for just 4, Banton’s brutal striking took England home in this first completed T20I between these Auld enemies.

Brief scores:
England 155 for 5 in 18.2 overs (Jacob Bethell 32, Tom Banton 63*, Sam Curran 28, Will Jacks 16*; Brandon McMullen 1-23, Brad Currie 1-21, Brad Wheal 1-23, Michael Leask 1-33, Oliver Davidson 1-12) beat Scotland 152 in 19.4 overs (Michael Jones 33, Richie Berrington 49, Tom Bruce 24, Oliver Davidson 20*; Jofra Archer 2-24, Jamie Overton 1-23, Sam Curran 1-33, Adil Rashid 3-36, Liam Dawson 2-34) by five wickets

[Cricinfo]