Billy Vunipola: ‘A lot of people still have injuries and try to hide it’

The England forward reflects on his fitness struggles and rugby’s problem with players masking their own physical pain

Billy Vunipola has a reputation as one of the most disarmingly honest players around, but even by his standards his latest admission is startling. The Saracens and England No 8 has revealed he has played for club or country “easily 10 times” while harbouring serious doubts over his fitness and believes that rugby union is “almost in NFL territory” because players hide injuries for fear of not having their contracts renewed.

“I can tell you a lot of people still have injuries and try to hide it,” says Vunipola. “We saw it with the high turnover of players being released, it’s almost like we’re into NFL territory. Not yet, but we’re getting to a stage where competition for places is really hard and you can still have players masking pain, trying to earn that extra contract. It’s something that’s always in the back of my mind.”

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from The Guardian https://ift.tt/2NImeYe

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