Bath prop David Flatman digests the dangers of injury for professional players in The Independent.
"Over the years, I have been unlucky enough to stumble across various directors of rugby who, for some reason known only to themselves, think it is a worthy idea to visit a Royal Marines training camp before the start of the season.
"These weeks are generally beyond hard and tend to leave the average player physically exhausted, malnourished and mentally drained. The coaches see it as some sort of bonding experience, visiting the very edge of our bodies' limits together, as brothers.
"We, however, see it more as a good way to lose hard-earned muscle mass, miss out on valuable sleep and remove any existing enthusiasm and intensity from our minds. Thankfully, Steve Meehan is not a believer. I remember being told to carry a log the size of a Transit van around a field, indefinitely. Our instructor was called, appropriately, "The Beast". "I'll let you know when it's time," he snarled, a 5ft 7in ball of hate with forearms like a Silverback. "Dislocated expectations, lads – keeps you guessing." Thing is, in a game of rugby, we happen to know roughly when we are due to finish."
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