Sione Tuipulotu fears professional rugby players will soon no longer be able to perform as they currently do, with the new Nations Championship adding to their heavy workload.
Tuipulotu and his Scotland team kick off their campaign against Argentina in Cordoba on Saturday, before facing the Springboks at Loftus next week and finishing their mid-year schedule against Fiji back home.
The skipper played 29 matches for Scotland and the Glasgow Warriors last season, following a British & Irish Lions tour of Australia. He is set to exceed the International Rugby Players’ Association’s recommended limit of 30 games a season again this year.
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“There’s a lot to be said about the amount of rugby going on,” Tuipulotu was quoted by the Daily Mail in the build-up to Saturday’s clash.
“I’m not too sure I agree with the amount of rugby going on and how sustainable it really is.
“That’s just my honest truth as a player. I’m sure worldwide a lot of players, particularly the ones playing in Europe, will agree with me.
“But, at the moment, that’s our job and that’s what the calendar says. Until something’s done about it, that’s just how it goes.”
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He pointed to teammates Tom Jordan, Finn Russell and Ben White as further examples of players who have carried heavy workloads at their respective clubs this season.
With his partner heavily pregnant, Tuipulotu admitted being away from home during this period carries added weight.
“I’ll be completely honest, it’s always in the back of my mind being away from my family,” the inside centre said. “I think if you ever gave me the choice where I’d rather be, I would always choose with my family.”
Photo: Steve Haag/Gallo Images
The post Scotland skipper slams global calendar appeared first on SA Rugby magazine.
Sione Tuipulotu fears professional rugby players will soon no longer be able to perform as they currently do, with the new Nations Championship adding to their heavy workload.
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