I’ve just come off a great week culminating in a great win for the Tigers over our old rivals Bath. Winning big games in front of packed houses is the reason most players play the game. That said there is a lot more to being a rugby player than eighty minutes on a Saturday.

Supporters don’t see the daily grind and hard work involved in preparing yourself for the weekly battle. I’ve got to admit its tough some weeks getting yourself through those gruelling training sessions when the weathers bad and you’re carrying a knock. But for anyone wanting to make it as a professional player pushing yourself to the limited physically and mentally is the only way. It’s not like an ordinary office job, you can’t hide behind the computer and clock off at five o’clock.

In fact being a hooker it’s all about doing extras. The hooking role as changed massively since I started playing and the technical requirements are immense. I pride myself on the amount of practice I put in especially with my throwing. There are no short cuts you have to put the time in if you want to produce your best on a Saturday afternoon.

When I start to reflect on the role it’s staggering how it has changed over the years, yet I think these things are cyclical and many things I did years ago are now becoming important again. I reckon one area that will become increasingly important is the lost art of hooking in the scrums. The decision to try and depower the scrum will for me inevitably bring back a contest between the hookers as the hit and drive become less dominant.

Looking forward it is worth speculating how the game might develop in a wider sense over the next few years. Certainly I would love to see a more ambitious expansive game in the northern hemisphere. That said I am not necessarily advocating we copy the Super 14s. Although fast and open it lacks in some instances the physical challenges that many players love.

Indeed the game in the southern hemisphere is a different beast in many ways. There is a world of distance between playing on a fast track on a warm dry day in Brisbane, compared to a heavy, wet and cold Welford Road in January. This produces two entirely different games.

It’s also worth pointing out that the game is refereed differently in the Super 14s. The pressure to produce a TV spectacle for a sport that competes against Aussie Rules and Rugby League in my view produces referees that are more tolerant of minor offences and as result let the game flow. I’m not suggesting referees should start to ignore blatant cheating in the northern hemisphere, but a little more consideration could perhaps be given to the paying customer.

I’d like to finish this Blog by offering a few final thoughts to any youngsters out there wanting a career as a professional player. There is a lot to consider but believe me when I say talent itself will only take you so far. For me the most important think is the desire and drive to work. Add to that a very high level of fitness, and by that I mean a good engine, and you are on your way. This will give you the ability to train and play longer and more intensely. This will then help develop both your confidence and mental strength. Do this and you are on the way to getting yourself into the position of experiencing that ultimate high of running out on a Saturday afternoon to a packed house cheering you on as you do the best job in the world.

Regards

George