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#Post#: 55795--------------------------------------------------
Toby Flood interview: 'Rugby is unrecognisable from when I
started - the physiques, the athleticism, the violent hits'
DIR By: deadlyfrom5yardsout
Date: December 31, 2020, 4:44 am
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Newcastle Falcons fly-half is relishing life in the top flight
with a contract into his 37th year
By
Mick Cleary, (Telegraph)
There has been so much grim news of careers blighted by the
demon of concussion that it is heartening to come across a
corrective in the shape of Toby Flood, still active, still
influential and looking forward to seeing through his career
into his 37th year. That contractual end point is still 18
months away and given the relish with which he has started the
season with the Falcons there is a possibility that there will
still be life in those ageing boots in 2022.
Flood is grateful for whatever opportunities come his way,
particularly in these Covid-ravaged times. The Falcons fly-half
is also appreciative of that fact that he can head out for the
Boxing Day game at Kingston Park against one of his old clubs,
Leicester Tigers, looking down on most of the rest of the
Premiership.
Newcastle and Exeter Chiefs are the only two clubs still with a
100 per cent record with three wins to their name, a highly
promising start for the promoted club given that they had been
eight months without a game following the abandonment of the
Championship season due to coronavirus. Is this to be the
template for the future – fewer games, less preparation, veteran
fly-halves at the helm?
“That’s not a bad idea,” said Flood with a chuckle. “After such
a long and uncertain lay-off with no-one entirely sure when we
would get back to playing matches, the boys were super-excited
to actually get out there. It made a difference, all that
freshness and energy.
“Factor in too that one of our opponents, Bath, had only had a
few weeks’ turnaround since their semi-final and nobody had any
time to check out what we had been doing, get their pre-match
prep up to speed. But, hey, we’ll take it. It’s given us a
boost. It’s a results business as we know better than anyone up
here.”
Newcastle have ridden the Premiership rollercoaster with
admirable stoicism ever since the game went professional in the
mid-nineties, taking the first ever title under Sir John Hall
only to flounder as others got their act together. The Falcons’
fourth-place finish in 2018 was followed by relegation the
following year.
There is growing momentum behind a move to get the Premiership
ring-fenced, bringing up Saracens and Ealing Trailfinders before
pulling up the drawbridge. Such a scenario would certainly ease
furrowed brows in the north-east where there is a battle each
passing year to keep professional rugby as a viable concern.
“As players, you can’t take refuge in the possibility of there
being no relegation this season,” said Flood. “That breeds the
wrong sort of feelings. We’re in good shape and looking forward
to fighting for our points.
“In a funny way, not having crowds or certainly restricted
numbers at grounds might have helped us as we’ve been used to a
quieter backdrop in the Championship. We’re all mindful of the
need to keep rugby on the go in the north-east. The area has
nurtured so many players through Academy ranks and into the
professional game. The Falcons are a focal point. There is not
exactly a chip-on-shoulders up here but certainly a sense of
wanting to show what we are about, that we are a down-to-earth
grafting lot by nature, getting on with things.
“We’re knuckling down through Covid like everyone. There will be
no grumbling about not being able to have a glass of wine with
Christmas dinner because we’re playing the next day, as well as
on New Year’s Day. I think we’ve long had a sense of perspective
here. We’re so fortunate to be able to play at all.”
Gallagher Premiership
--- Code ---
Team
1 Exeter
2 Newcastle Falcons
3 Bristol
4 Sale
5 Harlequins
6 Bath
7 Wasps
8 London Irish
9 Northampton
10 Leicester
11 Gloucester
12 Worcester
--- End Code ---
Flood, who scored a last-minute winning try against Sale last
month, has been sketching out his future by looking into an MBA
course to supplement various business interests, notably the
eco-friendly Feel Good Grapes wine company he co-owns. Coaching
is unlikely as ‘it’s full-bore or not at all.’
In his 17th year as a professional, Flood has witnessed great
change. “The sport is unrecognisable from when I started,” he
said. “The physiques of kids coming out of school is
unbelievable. They can lift such massive weights. They are such
athletes. No wonder there is such little space on the field.
Every blade of grass gets covered.
“You used to be able to study an opposition and figure out where
there might be a defensive frailty. Not anymore. The game is at
a crossroads. The concussion issues are terrifying. There is
real violence in the hits we see on the field. And we do need to
see more attacking rugby.
“No kid grew up wanting to kick the ball all the time. You want
ball-in-hand, to be evasive and score tries. The debate about
style is wholly legitimate. We want to entice the next
generation to play. And I’m not sure the game is doing that as
well as it might at the moment.”
Flood will keep flying the flag for as long as possible.
#Post#: 55807--------------------------------------------------
Re: Toby Flood interview: 'Rugby is unrecognisable from when I
started - the physiques, the athleticism, the violent hit
DIR By: Admin
Date: December 31, 2020, 8:51 am
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I tidied up that table for you, using the [ code ] [ /code] tags
(on the editting screen it's a button marked #)
Then use tabs to align the columns and use the preview a lot to
ensure they start at the right place.
#Post#: 55822--------------------------------------------------
Re: Toby Flood interview: 'Rugby is unrecognisable from when I
started - the physiques, the athleticism, the violent hit
DIR By: deadlyfrom5yardsout
Date: January 1, 2021, 3:51 am
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What'd he just say?
#Post#: 55827--------------------------------------------------
Re: Toby Flood interview: 'Rugby is unrecognisable from when I
started - the physiques, the athleticism, the violent hit
DIR By: never sleep
Date: January 1, 2021, 5:16 am
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@deadly, I can translate.
"I am really, really bored during the week off between Christmas
and New Year. I have bubble sorted my CD collection. I have done
a stock take of my toilet role stockpile. I am looking for
something, in fact anything to do. So, I spent a few hours
making your post look nicer."
#Post#: 55834--------------------------------------------------
Re: Toby Flood interview: 'Rugby is unrecognisable from when I
started - the physiques, the athleticism, the violent hit
DIR By: MadMax
Date: January 1, 2021, 5:56 am
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--- Quote from: never sleep link ---
>
> @deadly, I can translate.
> "I am really, really bored during the week off between
Christmas and New Year. I have bubble sorted my CD collection. I
have done a stock take of my toilet role stockpile. I am looking
for something, in fact anything to do. So, I spent a few hours
making your post look nicer."
>
--- End Quote ---
Only 9/10 from me. The last three team names are out of
alignment ;D
#Post#: 55846--------------------------------------------------
Re: Toby Flood interview: 'Rugby is unrecognisable from when I
started - the physiques, the athleticism, the violent hit
DIR By: Admin
Date: January 1, 2021, 9:49 am
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Doing tables is the only real weakness we found when we came to
this board (mind you it's no better on the old one).
There's some info on doing it on the Guide to Writing Messages
HTML https://comeallwithin.createaforum.com/index.php?action=ezportal;sa=page;p=13%20%20%20,<br
/>the stuff on tables is at the bottom of the page.
#Post#: 55863--------------------------------------------------
Re: Toby Flood interview: 'Rugby is unrecognisable from when I
started - the physiques, the athleticism, the violent hit
DIR By: quinalan
Date: January 1, 2021, 5:46 pm
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Back to the original post. I was reading a couple of pieces by
Donal Lenihan the other day. Saying how much bigger & physical
the tackles & hits are becoming, & how concerning the concussion
effects are becoming. He was saying the game should go back to
having limited substitutions, if 15 players had to play fully
for 80 mins then they would have to drop weight & bulk in order
to achieve the aerobic fitness to do so properly. Less bulk,
smaller fitter players, potentially safer (& better) game, &
perhaps less injuries? We are now calling replacements Impact
players. Where will it stop? Will Rugby become a game played
only by huge physical monsters. I’m not sure that would be very
entertaining.
#Post#: 55870--------------------------------------------------
Re: Toby Flood interview: 'Rugby is unrecognisable from when I
started - the physiques, the athleticism, the violent hit
DIR By: KentQuin
Date: January 2, 2021, 3:00 am
---------------------------------------------------------
--- Quote from: quinalan link ---
>
> Back to the original post. I was reading a couple of pieces by
Donal Lenihan the other day. Saying how much bigger & physical
the tackles & hits are becoming, & how concerning the concussion
effects are becoming. He was saying the game should go back to
having limited substitutions, if 15 players had to play fully
for 80 mins then they would have to drop weight & bulk in order
to achieve the aerobic fitness to do so properly. Less bulk,
smaller fitter players, potentially safer (& better) game, &
perhaps less injuries? We are now calling replacements Impact
players. Where will it stop? Will Rugby become a game played
only by huge physical monsters. I’m not sure that would be very
entertaining.
>
--- End Quote ---
This has been proposed and/or parroted by multiple pundits,
observers etc. for many years, notably Jerry Guscott. It makes
perfect sense to me and if authorities are serious about 1.)
reducing injuries and 2.) growing the game then they should give
this some serious thought.
This topic always resonates with me because as a young kid
watching rugby in the early 90's, it was players like Guscott I
wanted to watch, that I would pretend to be when sidestepping my
brother in the back garden. I honestly don't think the 18 stone
centres of recent years (e.g. Bastereaux) light the imagination
in the same way.
The seemingly obligatory entire front row change at 50mins, no
matter how well the starters are going, is also a pet hate.
#Post#: 55871--------------------------------------------------
Re: Toby Flood interview: 'Rugby is unrecognisable from when I
started - the physiques, the athleticism, the violent hit
DIR By: Yareet
Date: January 2, 2021, 3:38 am
---------------------------------------------------------
--- Quote from: KentQuin link ---
>
> This has been proposed and/or parroted by multiple pundits,
observers etc. for many years, notably Jerry Guscott. It makes
perfect sense to me and if authorities are serious about 1.)
reducing injuries and 2.) growing the game then they should give
this some serious thought.
>
> This topic always resonates with me because as a young kid
watching rugby in the early 90's, it was players like Guscott I
wanted to watch, that I would pretend to be when sidestepping my
brother in the back garden. I honestly don't think the 18 stone
centres of recent years (e.g. Bastereaux) light the imagination
in the same way.
>
> The seemingly obligatory entire front row change at 50mins, no
matter how well the starters are going, is also a pet hate.
>
--- End Quote ---
It is an often-parroted idea but if I’m honest I question the
logic. As an example, of the current Quins squad, who do you
feel could not play a full 80?
You mention the habitual changing of the front row yet Tom Dunn
recently won his first England cap by coming on in the 78th
minute.
Even Adam Jones managed 70+ minutes when he came on as
loosehead. And he was 35 at the time.
Front rows can last 80.
You also make it sound as if the rise of the big centre has
meant that we no longer see silky runners like Guscott. But a
centre partnership has often had both a basher and a glider:
Guscott and Carling, Tindall and Greenwood, Nonu and Smith,
Esterhuizen and Marchant.
Whilst you were drawn to the gliders, other young players will
have preferred the big hits and storming runs of the bigger
guys.
Both players have got larger since professionalism (as all
players have) but I don’t believe the skill levels have dropped.
#Post#: 55872--------------------------------------------------
Re: Toby Flood interview: 'Rugby is unrecognisable from when I
started - the physiques, the athleticism, the violent hit
DIR By: quinalan
Date: January 2, 2021, 3:53 am
---------------------------------------------------------
HTML https://news.sky.com/story/top-sports-surgeon-there-comes-a-point-where-you-have-to-take-action-to-protect-people-12177149
Was just on Sky News.
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