Saracens - Faz Files - Day two... |
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It’s been 48 hours since I played and everything is good. The bit of stiffness I had the following morning has gone and when I was sat at home yesterday I couldn’t help but smile to myself at finally getting that post-match feeling back into my body. I’ve also had the time to look back at the match. I must say that I realise now how much I must have had going on in my mind during the game because I didn’t remember that much about it, but watching the video has brought a lot back. Clearly, there are some things I need to address. Defending the channel off the scrum, clearing out at rucks and mauling are some of those, but the more I play the quicker I will adapt and become a better rugby union player. That’s why I wanted to play a bit longer on Monday night. Those areas are what we’ve been concentrating on in training today. We conceded two soft tries against Bristol on Sunday so that is an area that needs work. I’ve been heavily involved in that today and that’s been a really good sign for me to be back into the thick of things so quickly after playing a game. The technical side of union is very different to league, we all know that. But there was nothing that really surprised me on Monday night. Certainly, one of the difficulties for the A-team as a whole is that we only usually have a brief run-through on a Monday afternoon so things are often a bit disjointed, but I think we did pretty well considering. I suppose the big area of the game that I have been anxious about is the scrummaging and the general contact area. Because of my rehabilitation programme, I’ve not done as much work in either of those areas as I would have liked. Fortunately, I’ve been able to call on the support of Richard Hill, Alex Sanderson and our Forwards Coach Adrian Kennedy. Following training today, I did do a lot of extra work with Hilly and Adrian, both out on the field and in the video room. Having someone like Hilly to work with has been great. I think one of the best things that the coaches have done is not try to put too much in my head at one time. As much as it’s been a case of him passing his knowledge on to me, I’ve also been asking him lots of questions about what to do in certain situations. He’s been more than glad to help. One area of the game I have enjoyed is the lineout. The number of times I’ve heard from people saying along the lines of ‘ooh, just you wait until you get up in those lineouts and then you will know what it’s all really about’, but I’ve loved it. It’s a fantastic part of the game, but also a frustrating one. When it works well, it’s like a well oiled machine that can give you quick attacking ball. I think we all know what happens when it doesn’t go so well. So why have I enjoyed it so much? I think it’s because it combines all the best things about rugby in one move – power, strength, technical ability and decision making. For me, moving across to rugby union was about giving myself a new challenge and learning new things. I didn’t realise just how much work went into it though. Hours are spent on a flipchart working out different moves before you even get to be chucked up in the air out on the training pitch. It’s those aspects of the game that really appeal to me. Packing down in the scrum is another area that has been challenging, but an enjoyable experience especially as being on the flank means you don’t have to stick your head into too many strange places! It’s certainly made me appreciate the front row boys a lot more and those at lock. They really are the power in the scrum, although us boys do try and put our two penneth in. One of the best things I’ve enjoyed about today is being back in a match squad again. I’ve played a game, come through it OK and now I’m fighting for a place with the rest of the squad. That’s something I’ve missed massively and it’s hard to describe just how good it feels to being part of that again. There is a sense of determination around the squad ahead of the Newcastle game. A loss and a draw is not the best of starts, but we’re hoping that we can really kickstart the season at Vicarage Road. It’s just great to be talking about matches, opponents and results again! Speak again soon. Faz |
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