Rugby World Cup 2015 will be bigger and better than anything that has gone ...

And though the Rugby World Cup is ostensibly being held in England, the

physical proximity of Wales, Scotland and Ireland means their players will

also be similarly affected.

Domestic players have to be ready for unparalleled coverage of every aspect of

their playing career from the rugby media. They also have to understand that

their off-field activities, tweets, private lives and relationships will

also come under the examination of the lifestyle media. If players thought

the scrutiny in New Zealand 2011 was disproportionate, the 2015 RWC will be

significantly worse.

It is against this background that domestic players have to frame their

performances and behaviour and it will not be easy. The standard response to

questions about World Cup prospects is ‘I’m just focusing on the next game’

and though that is the correct approach, it is nigh on impossible for a

player, probable or aspirant, to focus that way.

This conundrum is exacerbated by the fact that he knows he has to play well

for his club to stand any chance of being selected in the national team and

that means being in the right physical and mental state from the off.

That said, it is not possible for a player to peak for every single match and

every club’s performance plan reflects this; they are geared towards getting

their players to peak at times identified by the club as crucial.

Conversely, the player’s national squad also has a preparation plan and it

will have a different and probably conflicting focus.

Balancing the two requires enormous care from the player, his club and country

and the margins at this level are so fine that if this goes wrong it will

negatively affect the outcome for all three parties.

It is a problem that is almost unique to rugby union because in rugby league,

football and cricket there is no tournament that is universally accepted by

players, fans and media as being pre-eminent.

The other fundamental conflict for a player is one of loyalty. Week in, week

out, they train and play with colleagues who have no chance of going to a

World Cup and for whom domestic success is the highest aspiration.

Any player with a vestige of loyalty wants to support that aim but he also

wants to take part in what might be a once in a career chance to play in

rugby’s greatest event; no current domestic player is likely to play in

another RWC on these shores. If a player is seen to be insufficiently

committed to either cause it can easily create friction and resentment which

is difficult to resolve.

All this could have been even worse for Welsh players, who must be thankful

that their union and regions have at last come to a new agreement about who

does what, for whom and for what reward.

Had this not been achieved Wales’s already difficult task of qualifying from a

group also containing England,
Australia

and Fiji would have been made impossible.

When you look at what has now been agreed you have to ask why was this not

achievable months ago, as the basic issues are not overly complicated. The

full effects of this unnecessarily bitter dispute will be shown in the

coming months, suffice to say that the sort of brinkmanship shown by both

sides would not be in any model preparation plan.

It is inevitable that nearly every game this season will reference the World

Cup – should he be in? Has he played himself out? It will go on and on, so

be prepared to put up with it. That it will be so is because what is coming

will be unique, exciting and the prize is one for which it is worth

sacrificing everything. For all concerned, how could it be any different?

Article source: http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/news/rugby-vickery-talks-welsh-lions-152327766.html

Rugby World Cup 2015 will be bigger and better than anything that has gone ...