You need help to ride highs and lows

PAUL REES talks to two Prem stars about the importance of PRL’s Restart charity

- PAUL REES

As Dan Carter approached the end of his career, he was asked that if he could go back in time and change one aspect of it, what would it be? The New Zealand outside-half, one of the greatest players of the professional era, replied that he wished he had consulted a sports psychologist from the beginning.

He said that when he started out, seeing a psychologist was regarded as a sign of weakness and just as players tended to shrug off knocks to the head, so issues they had in their lives and careers were allowed to fester, often hampering performance.

Players today are encouraged to seek help and this month Premiership Rugby is supporting Restart, the charity set up by the Rugby Players’ Association to support anyone suffering from serious injury, illness or hardship and it has set up a 24/7 confidential counselling service to help with mental health issues.

It is that service that has been the focus of this month’s awareness drive with a player from every club appointed an ambassador for Restart. Five kilometre runs have been organised by the 12 clubs, Saracens and Team England with a leader board ensuring competition.

“One of the stigmas of rugby is that it is a game played by big, hard men who do not get affected by anything and so they do not have to talk about their emotions or anything that is concerning them,” said Gloucester’s Restart ambassador and captain, Lewis Ludlow. “Sometimes the stuff on the pitch is the easy bit: a big part of rugby is how you relax with your mates off the pitch but in the pandemic the focus has had to be on the game without that release.