Lions doctor warns that players are now too big to perform rugby skills

BRITISH and Irish Lions doctor James Robson believes the shape of rugby players will have to start changing after the most physical Test series the Scot has ever experienced.

Robson has been the Lions doctor on five tours but he has never known anything like the levels of intensity and attrition witnessed during the Lions' 2-1 series defeat to South Africa.

Five Lions players ended up in hospital after the brutal second Test in Pretoria and Robson fears the balance is wrong between power and skill.

"I would have to say this has been the most physical tour, the most physical Test matches I have been involved in," said Robson. "I think we are reaching a level where the players have got too big for their skill levels.

"I think they have become a little too muscle-bound and too bulky.

"I think you may see changes in the physical nature of the player that brings them back a little – I hope so – in order to speed up the game and introduce a higher level of skill."

The majority of injuries suffered on tour occurred in contact, with the worst being a dislocated shoulder that will keep Wales and Ospreys prop Adam Jones out for up to six months.

Three of the original squad – Tomas O'Leary, Tom Shanklin and Jerry Flannery – failed to make the plane to South Africa because of injury while seven more were ruled out of action before Saturday's third and final Test.

Robson echoed head coach Ian McGeechan in urging the home nations to find a way of giving the Lions the best possible chance of success in four years' time when they are due to tour Australia.

From a medical perspective, that is to have additional time before the tour begins which can be invaluable for keeping players fit.

"We started with the proposition nobody would come on tour that was unfit. I hope that is the way forward," said Robson.

"I hope that in the future the Lions will get a little more lead-in time because the time we had for preparation with the players – and the data we collected – allowed us to develop programmes of rehabilitation, and hopefully that helps us to keep players on tour for longer."

Robson repeated his call for the northern hemisphere unions to take a uniform approach to the number of matches professional players are having to play.

The Rugby Football Union have struck a deal with Premier Rugby which limited the amount of action England internationals see during a season.

The RFU expressed their concerns to the Lions about England players being asked to play twice a week.

But the approach is not uniform across Europe and Robson warned that unless players are handled more carefully during the season, the structure of a Lions tour may have to change. And that could see the end of midweek matches.

"I do have concerns going forward about the number of matches we do subject our players to in the northern hemisphere," said Robson.

"I hope welfare will become a bigger part of player management. That is a personal view but it is a view I have expressed after every Lions tour.

"I don't necessarily think a compacted period is a detriment to the players if, over the year, they have less games.

"Personally I would like a slightly longer tour with less frequent games. Maybe it should be eight games over eight weeks."