{"id":186833,"date":"2025-10-09T01:14:12","date_gmt":"2025-10-09T01:14:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/186833\/"},"modified":"2025-10-09T01:14:12","modified_gmt":"2025-10-09T01:14:12","slug":"prem-rugbys-brutal-injury-crisis-the-five-clubs-pushed-to-breaking-point-by-rammed-schedule-why-england-stars-are-more-at-risk-a-flaw-in-pre-season-and-the-potential-solution-from-football-rugby","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/186833\/","title":{"rendered":"Prem Rugby’s brutal injury crisis: The five clubs pushed to breaking point by rammed schedule, why England stars are more at risk, a flaw in pre-season and the potential solution from football – RUGBY CONFIDENTIAL"},"content":{"rendered":"

Just two rounds into the 2025-26 season, PREM Rugby clubs are facing up to a worrying injury crisis which has already forced some teams to ask themselves big questions.<\/p>\n

Bristol, Gloucester, Northampton, Saracens and Harlequins all have more than a dozen first-team squad players in the treatment room.<\/p>\n

Bristol have been the worst hit by their opening two matches, losing key men Harry Randall, AJ MacGinty and Gabriel Ibitoye for long spells. Wales wing Louis Rees-Zammit<\/a> has also picked up a toe injury.<\/p>\n

Gloucester, who have lost both their opening league games, have 15 men unavailable for Saturday\u2019s daunting trip to defending champions Bath.<\/p>\n

Northampton will be boosted by their four returning Lions for the East Midlands derby at Leicester, but the medical team at Saints has also been more than busy.<\/p>\n

At such an early stage in the campaign, the worsening situation is a huge concern from a player welfare perspective.<\/p>\n

\"Louis <\/p>\n

Louis Rees-Zammit is one of more than a dozen Bristol players laid low in the early weeks of the season<\/p>\n

\"Fellow <\/p>\n

Fellow Bristol Bears winger Gabriel Ibitoye is also crocked as part of a brutal injury crisis<\/p>\n

\"Gloucester, <\/p>\n

Gloucester, who have lost both their opening league games, have a staggering 15 men unavailable for Saturday\u2019s daunting trip to defending champions Bath<\/p>\n

\u2018Every game we see lads coming off,\u2019 said Gloucester director of rugby George Skivington. \u2018We love the game because it is brutal. But when it gets you, it gets you – and coaches and systems get tested.\u2019<\/p>\n

Skivington\u2019s Northampton counterpart Phil Dowson admitted: \u2018We have got a lot of soft-tissue issues and that is something we are looking into from a medical point of view.\u2019<\/p>\n

Injuries in the tough, uncompromising world of competitive professional rugby are nothing new. But to have such large numbers already on the sidelines after just two rounds of matches certainly is. So, is there an explanation for it?<\/p>\n

On the back of this summer\u2019s Lions tour of Australia, the new top-flight season started a littler later than usual, and the 10 teams warmed up with a small handful of PREM Rugby Cup games.<\/p>\n

After round one of the league proper, Saracens director of rugby Mark McCall said the short build-up was not enough time to get his players match fit, especially as Lions players and England internationals who went on the summer tour of the Americas were not permitted to play.<\/p>\n

There may well be an element of coincidence that the PREM\u2019s injury rate is so high on the back of a short pre-season. It is true that not all teams are suffering from a cast of casualties. And it is also true to say that a club like Saracens have a number of players out from injuries suffered last season, such as Alex Lozowski.<\/p>\n

But history shows the game\u2019s best players are often susceptible to breaking on the back of a Lions tour, where the demands placed on them are so high.<\/p>\n

And what is even more worrying is that even non-internationals such as Ibitoye are already in that category before the middle of October. George Martin and Elliot Daly are two leading England internationals currently on the sidelines. But there is a concern in rugby circles more of the country\u2019s leading lights could follow.<\/p>\n

\"Elliot <\/p>\n

Elliot Daly is already sidelined and could be joined by more England stars soon<\/p>\n

\"Saracens <\/p>\n

Saracens are top of the PREM after winning their first two matches, but director of rugby Mark McCall has huge concerns about their fitness levels<\/p>\n

Trystan Bevan, a former head of performance with Wasps and Cardiff, told Rugby Confidential: \u2018It\u2019s always been the same, even if I go back to 2005 when I was helping work with Wales.<\/p>\n

‘The individuals who go with the Lions have always said \u2013 to their credit \u2013 that the global calendar is going to get to a critical point where the demands being asked of an elite player are going to be more than what you can invest in the player.<\/p>\n

\u2018It\u2019s not just about loading and time off. Every year, the standards rise in professional rugby. I first met Elliot 10 years ago at Wasps. At the time, we couldn\u2019t believe he was running 1,000 high-speed metres per game. Now, everybody does it. So, for someone like Elliot to stay ahead of the game, he needs to train harder as he gets older.<\/p>\n

\u2018There is a physical and skills arms race ongoing constantly and the time for players to recover is getting shorter and shorter. It means injuries are bound to happen. At Wasps, we used to give Joe Launchbury high fives because he would play 2,000 minutes in a season. Now, the amount the top players play is catastrophically high.\u2019<\/p>\n

Tommy Freeman, for example, topped 2,500 minutes playing in 34 matches for Northampton, England and the Lions last season.\u00a0<\/p>\n

RFU and PREM regulations state players should be given 10 weeks between seasons unless an exemption is granted. The majority of the league\u2019s Lions stars are set to return to domestic action this weekend after extended mandatory rest periods. Player match limits have also been brought in. Positive welfare steps have been taken.<\/p>\n

But the first two rounds of this season shows the system isn\u2019t working perfectly.<\/p>\n

\u2018You can\u2019t just play, play, play,\u2019 Bevan said. \u2018Players need the chance to recover and train properly in a pre-season. One of the things that has to be on the menu for rugby is a winter break like they have in European football.<\/p>\n

\u2018If they want to keep the quality of the games high and the players fit, I think that would be a good move.\u2019<\/p>\n

\"Bristol <\/p>\n

Bristol fly-half AJ MacGinty limps out of their opening-weekend clash with Leicester<\/p>\n

\"Bath <\/p>\n

Bath flanker Ted Hill receives treatment during their win over Sale last week<\/p>\n

Dowson has urged rugby not to come to any quick conclusions and he is right to say that the medical data needs to be analysed in detail. But the initial signs aren\u2019t positive.<\/p>\n

Skivington added: \u2018When I look at our injuries, the first thing you do is look at what you have done in pre-season. Have you prepared the players well enough or overdone it?<\/p>\n

\u2018A couple of years ago we had a lot of similar muscle injuries, so we changed the programme. This year, ours have been quite random and unlucky.<\/p>\n

\u2018But there is certainly something in not being able to have a proper pre-season, a lot of boys not being allowed to play and having two PREM Cup games.\u2019<\/p>\n

Brits outshine the French again…\u00a0<\/p>\n

French rugby\u2019s glittering annual awards evening La Nuit du Rugby took place in Paris on Monday with England flanker Jack Willis taking the gong for Top14 player of the year.<\/p>\n

The event reflects the booming state of French rugby, with the great and the good of the country\u2019s game attending and a champagne and canapes reception following.<\/p>\n

But in order to make sure the event (which is broadcast live on Canal+) doesn\u2019t get too out of hand, French rugby organisers closed the venue’s bar half an hour before the awards began.<\/p>\n

The majority of attendees, top players like Willis, Thomas Ramos and Louis Bielle-Biarrey aside, more than made up for the brief alcohol interlude at the reception afterwards.<\/p>\n

The English journalists in attendance stood out, predominantly due to not wearing a suit with trainers \u2013 a popular trend for so-called \u2018smart\u2019 events in France.<\/p>\n

\"English <\/p>\n

English flanker Jack Willis claims the top prize for player of the year at the Top14 awards this week\u00a0<\/p>\n

First cricket, then rugby, now horse racing?\u00a0<\/p>\n

PREM Rugby chief growth officer Rob Calder\u2019s work in developing the English club game\u2019s top league has now been recognised by another sport – horse racing.<\/p>\n

Calder, who previously helped create cricket\u2019s The Hundred, has brought in a younger audience to the PREM after a troubled few years.<\/p>\n

His work caught the attention of racing\u2019s top bosses and he appeared as a keynote speaker at the industry\u2019s Racing Foundation Conference in York.<\/p>\n

Like rugby, racing\u2019s traditional audience is middle-aged and the sport has been slow to change. But Calder urged the sport of kings to move with the times, something he has brought to the PREM with a marketing rebrand and increased digital innovation.<\/p>\n

Will Willis stay?\u00a0<\/p>\n

England and Saracens No 8 Tom Willis is a player in demand after 18 months of impressive performances for club and country – but his club boss McCall hopes the giant ball-carrier will stay in north London and bid to be a star at the 2027 World Cup.<\/p>\n

Willis was one of 25 players handed an enhanced elite player squad contract by the RFU at the start of the season, reflecting his impressive development.<\/p>\n

\u2018Tom is out of contract at the end of the year and of course we want to keep him. We\u2019d love him to stay here and hopefully that\u2019s the case,\u2019 McCall said. \u2018He\u2019s had a brilliant 15 months. He was probably slightly on the outside of that England squad last year.<\/p>\n

\u2018He obviously does a lot of eye-catching carries and that\u2019s his point of difference. But to be honest, he\u2019s improved every area of his game. He\u2019s full of confidence at the moment.\u2019<\/p>\n

Toulouse head coach Ugo Mola has ruled out signing Willis, who has eight caps for his country, to play alongside his brother Jack.<\/p>\n

\u2018I like him a lot but there is the salary cap in France,\u2019 Mola said. \u2018If I had a little more money, I would have liked to bring Jack and his brother together. Tom is a very good player with a really different profile.\u2019<\/p>\n

\"Tom <\/p>\n

Tom Willis has been in brilliant form for England and Saracens this year, but is out of contract at the north London club at the end of the season<\/p>\n

The countries where R360 IS getting big support\u00a0<\/p>\n

Rugby\u2019s breakaway league was dealt a hammer blow when the game\u2019s established unions came together this week to say players who sign R360 contracts won\u2019t be able to also feature internationally. But the sport\u2019s new proposal does have support from smaller nations.<\/p>\n

Qais Al Dhalai, the president of Asia Rugby and a World Rugby council member, said: \u2018It ticks multiple boxes to make rugby more inclusive, efficient, accessible and innovative.<\/p>\n

\u2018This outside-the-box concept will unlock the sport\u2019s full potential in massive markets like Asia and Africa and showcase to the global audience that rugby isn\u2019t restricted to the traditional 10 unions. It\u2019s for everyone.\u2019<\/p>\n

An Osprey error\u00a0<\/p>\n

A small section of Ospreys fans thought Christmas had come early when an online glitch allowed them to buy tickets to watch the Welsh side for free.<\/p>\n

But although the supporters were able to go through with their purchases at no cost, the error was soon realised and the tickets were subsequently withdrawn.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Just two rounds into the 2025-26 season, PREM Rugby clubs are facing up to a worrying injury crisis…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":186834,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[35],"tags":[97,5903,23783,217,101,56,54,55],"class_list":{"0":"post-186833","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-rugby","8":"tag-dailymail","9":"tag-rugby","10":"tag-rugbyunion","11":"tag-sport","12":"tag-sports","13":"tag-uk","14":"tag-united-kingdom","15":"tag-unitedkingdom"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/186833","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=186833"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/186833\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/186834"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=186833"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=186833"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=186833"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}