And so we face/the final curtain …

And thus we reach the twilight of another English rugby union season – the last matches of the regular fixture list in the Aviva Premiership  this weekend, with only the semi-final play-offs and Final to come; and of course the elite European cup rugby finals, the Challenge Cup next Friday night, followed by the final of the Champions Cup the following day, both being played in Lyon, France.

Today I am recognising this milestone firstly, by providing a link to an interview with the departing Quins director of rugby Conor O’Shea which appears today on the website of – THE GUARDIAN

Secondly, with two sobering warning on the dangers of injuries and physical burn-out already being suffered by elite Northern Hemisphere players, without much hope that the rugby authorities and clubs – who seems to see more and more matches as the route to enrichment – will be taking much notice:

See here – again in – THE GUARDIAN (BURN OUT)

See here – yes, yet again – in THE GUARDIAN (BURN OUT 2)