Sometimes, no matter what you do in life, you need to take a break. And that is particularly the case when your job involves clattering into people at high velocity.
The potential for serious injury is always there in rugby; and the risk is intensified when an overworked body stays on the conveyor belt for too long and plays a game too far. Remember Butch James' fifth knee ligament tear?
Test matches involving the British & Irish Lions are rightly regarded as the pinnacle of rugby. The ferocity is unmatched. So what a big ask it is for players who have just competed in the finals of the Aviva Premiership and the Rabo Direct to get on a flight to the Southern Hemisphere and contend with the ugliest, meanest bruisers that Australia can throw at them.
Not that I'm advocating the rescheduling of Lions tours – I'm as geed up about the first Test on June 22 in Brisbane as the next rugby nut. But what the rigours of a Lions tour does is throw into sharp relief the demands that modern players face.
For some players, the season never seems to stop. Take Bath Rugby flanker Francois Louw, as consummate a pro as they come. Ever since he arrived at Bath in the summer of 2011 the Springbok has barely paused for breath – and his air-miles account probably has enough points to enable him to get to Mars and back.
Within days of arriving at Bath, Louw was summoned as injury cover for the Boks' World Cup campaign in New Zealand. After returning to Bath and delivering an exceptional domestic season, he then flew out to former club Western Province in Cape Town for training. A trip back north followed, with Louw playing for the Barbarians at the Millennium Stadium.
Then came the Rugby Championship in the Southern Hemisphere, with Louw even zig-zagging around the equator to play for country one week and club the next.
And we're not done yet. Following the conclusion of his second season at Bath, Louw was named in the Baa-Baas squad to play at Twickers and Hong Kong – although, ultimately, he didn't actually feature in the matches. This week he's been called up by the Boks for a quadrangular tournament against Italy, Scotland and Samoa. He will no doubt feature in the Rugby Championship again, too.
Phew.
Louw's passion for the game and his brilliance as a loose forward is not open to question – indeed, those qualities are emphasised by his globe-trotting itinerary. But when the Lions are enjoying an extended breather after their exploits in Australia, I hope club and country ensure Louw, for his sake, gets a proper rest too.
