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England's Ben Youngs issues warning to Premiership Rugby
By Online Editors
Ben Youngs has called for clear and sensible structuring from Premiership Rugby to protect players. The England scrum-half accepts there may be minimal turnaround between the conclusion of this season and the start of the next one due to the coronavirus pandemic, but he has warned that squeezing in midweek games to shorten the current backlog would be unacceptable.
The 2019/20 campaign has been indefinitely suspended because of the virus outbreak, but Premiership Rugby remain committed to playing the season to its conclusion. Nine regular-season rounds remain, while officials are considering whether to push back the Twickenham final - initially scheduled for June 20 - to late summer, a decision that could have knock-on repercussions for 2020/21.
Youngs told BBC Radio 5 Live: “There is a good possibility that we will finish the season and two weeks later could be potentially starting the new season but if that’s what needs to happen then that’s what needs to happen. As players, you’ve just got to adapt to that and be ready. But we obviously have the concussion rate in rugby which has been a hot topic for a while now.
"There’s no way that we could be playing two games a week. It just wouldn’t work, we haven’t got the squad size to be able to do that, you’d be putting the players at risk. Whether things have to get shifted about, whether potentially Europe’s not played, whether the Premiership Rugby Cup’s not played, I’m not quite sure.
“But there has to be an element where we get the season finished and the next season may start early, but there has to be changes within the schedule to allow people to physically and mentally freshen up. Otherwise, if you’re going week-in, week-out you’re going to end up with a very depleted squad by the end of it.”
The postponement of the Six Nations has delayed Youngs, a central figure in England’s run to last year's World Cup final, from collecting his 100th international cap. The 30-year-old would have almost certainly taken the No9 shirt against Italy in the final round but he remains stuck on 99 appearances.
He added: “I feel very fortunate to have done it this many times, but I’ve still got the desire and hopefully I’ll get the opportunity to get one more.”
- Press Association
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John, McKenzie was 10 years ago and he only lasted 15 months until the disgustingly unfair affair that brought him down. I thought that if he didn't get another gig over Eddie V2 then he was done. I read that he had been approached but declined to put his name in the ring.
There are no potential Wallaby coaches outside of McKellar unless you have some inside info?
Go to commentsThe way they are defending is sometime pathetic to be honest. Itoje is usually on the inside of the rush and he is paired with a slower tight forward. Unable to keep up with the rush we have seen the line become disconnected on the inside where the big boys are. How many times have we seen Earl rush past the first receiver almost into no mans land covering no attacker. It looks like a system without any guidance. Tome Wright, Ikitau and a number of Wallabies went back to this soft centre as did Williams, Jordan and several others. Also when the line is broken the multiple lines of defence seems to be missing. The rush is predicated on a cover and recovery system with multiple lines of defence but with England you dont see it any more. Fitness and conditioning seems to be off as well as players are struggling to keep up with the intensity of the rush. Felix Jones has left a huge hole. The whole situation was and is a mess. Why they insist on not letting him go and having him work remotely is beyond me. Its leading to massive negative press and is a hot button issue thats distracting from the squad. Also the communication around Jones and his role has been absolute rubbish and is totally disjointed. While some say he is working remotely and playing a role others are saying theres been no contact. His role has not been defined and so people keep asking and keep getting different answers. England need a clean break from him and need to start over. Whatever reason for his leaving its time to cut the rope before the saga drags the whole Borthwick regime down. As for Joe El Abd well good luck to him. He is being made to look like an amateur by the whole saga and he is being asked to coach a system thats not his and which has been perfected and honed since 2017 by Nienaber, Jones, Erasmus and Co and which was first started by White in 2004. He is literally trying to figure out a system pioneered by double world cup winning coaches at the highest level and coach it at the same time. Talk about being on a hiding to nothing.
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