Can forty be the new thirty in rugby?

Greg Searle the rowing Olympic gold medallist is making a comeback in his sport - as is Mark Foster, the swimmer.

In rugby there are a few iconic HNs players who are being prepared to be put out to a long, long retirement.

But can their useful life be extended by careful management of their special talents?

BOD, POC and ROG are probably in the best positions to have their shelf-life extended as they are all controlled centrally by the IRFU and can be managed extremely carefully to avoid over-playing and unnecessary exposure to hum-drum games.

But then there's the likes of Shane and Shaw. Both in the twilight of their careers but not that you'd really notice it if you weren't already aware of their age. Can their careers be extended by sympathetic management?

I hope so Portnoy but I doubt it .

I don't think its the years but the miles on the clock. A player can only go to the well so many times and Rugby is a very tough sport. Once you have a few injuries you are never the same so there's an element of luck there.

John Hayes, Brad Thorn, Simon Shaw, David Wallace, Mike Catt etc. have all shown incredible longevity and were and are still playing at the top of their game well into their 30's.

However I think it depends on the player, their position and their skill set. A player who's main strengths are speed and athleticism are unlikely to last a long time as these will decline sooner with age.

Just want to add Mario Ledesma to the list. The oldest man at the World Cup. One of the best hookers over the last decade.

But that is almost exactly what I'm saying. The careful management of game-time will reduce wear and tear. And all the players mentioned are full to the brim of nous.

What they have are precious skill-sets and leadership qualities (maybe less so in Shane and ROG) which are priceless and worth preserving.

Portnoy there's no doubt careful management can help prolong a players career but even with this you can't totally prevent the risk of a injury.

Also I think a lot of it comes down to motivation on a players behalf Portnoy. If a player is motivated to continue then he can but if he isn't then it's time to hang up the boots no matter what physical shape they are in.

roddersm wrote:Portnoy there's no doubt careful management can help prolong a players career but even with this you can't totally prevent the risk of a injury.

Also I think a lot of it comes down to motivation on a players behalf Portnoy. If a player is motivated to continue then he can but if he isn't then it's time to hang up the boots no matter what physical shape they are in.

Goes without saying. But the motivation of top sportsmen (as with other high-achievers) seems to be extraordinary compared with mere mortals. But some may want to leave at the top - like Barry John and Bjorn Borg.

Some as they say like Barry John went out athe top,because the only way was down from there.
Front row forwards by tradition have the longest shelf life,up to about 37or 8,Backs 33 0r 4 is the max normally.
There are of course Exceptions Tana Umaga, Tony Brown and Andrew Merthens are still plying there trade.Merths is 38 I think.

Portnoy wrote:Goes without saying. But the motivation of top sportsmen (as with other high-achievers) seems to be extraordinary compared with mere mortals.

Of course but I think it takes a special player to continue at the top well into their 30's in a sport as tough as rugby.

O'Driscoll playing 110+ internationals in the centre and still going strong is incredible. How many more times can Jonny Wilkinson come back from injuries,especially with a WC medal in his back pocket. These are special individuals mentally but their bodies can't go on forever.

ROG looks like he could go on for a few seasons but misses his Wife and Kids. There's not much you can do about that.

Genetics obviously plays a big part too.

[quote="emack2"Merths is 38 I think.[/quote]

As is Shaw now.

Some players just go on an on until they fade away - golfers are a case in point but many ex-pro footballers and rugby players, cricketers etc. etc. are happy to play at any level they can. That's great if that's what they want.

But the careful management of players could surely prolong their exceptional careers.

Depends on the player to be honest, Neil Jenkins and Scott Gibbs were capped together as teenagers in 1991 at the age of 19. by the time they were 31-32 both of them had retired with their bodies in pieces.

Though they caught the beginning of professionalism when teams made money by playing more games, it wasn't unusual at the start of professionalism for clubs to play 3 games a week and expect the same players to play in all of them!

Wales and England, had a domestic league each, and the Anglo Welsh league on the Wednesday night. There were even cases of clubs playing a league game on the Saturday and then a cup game on the Sunday. I can vividly remember Swansea doing it!

Of course they (eventually) saw how damaged the players bodies became, and started to use the players more sensibly. They introduced the mandatory 10 week off season for all players, and players are supposed to be limited to 30 games a season.

Ryan Jones for example played 19 games for the Ospreys last season (14 starts, 5 off the bench), he then played 9 games for Wales (7 starts, 2 off the bench). giving him a season total of 28 out of a possible 30.

Huw Bennett played 23 games for the Ospreys last season (10 starts, 13 games off the bench, he then played 5 times for Wales (2 starts, 3 from the bench). giving him a season total of 28.

Tommy Bowe played 19 games for the Ospreys (18 starts, 1 off the bench), he then played 7 games for Ireland. Giving him a season total of 26 out of 30.

So it's clear players are looked after far better than they were at the start of the professional era, hence player may be able to play longer.
But as players age it is clear most of them, unless they are front 5 forwards will struggle to keep the pace up of the modern game.