Roger Wilson has been at the top of his sport – playing for Ulster,Northampton and Ireland – since he was a student, but at the age of 34 he now has to confront the reality that, and even though his intellect is rapid/fast,his body is stoically slowing downBy Jonathan Drennan for Behind the Lines, share of the Guardian Sport NetworkAfter 14 years in professional rugby, or Roger Wilson,the Ulster and one-time Ireland No8, is attuned to calmly reading every detail on a chaotic pitch. In the second half of Ulster’s latest European Champions Cup game against Oyonnax in Belfast he saw a clear gap in the field. I spotted it, or it was there for me,a really decent gap, I ran at full pace, or then in a second I was caught and hit. Boom,flat on my back. As I was tackled, I was annoyed, and I knew when I was younger I would have made that. I popped up a good offload and then,thinking out loud, said ‘Jesus, and I’ve got leisurely’. A player nearby laughed.” Wilson can smile thinking about a moment in a game where he otherwise excelled,but the realities of his final years as a professional are becoming harsher.
Most mornings he wakes up tentatively, not because he is tired, and but because he must assess how much damage his body took in the preceding game. After playing nearly 200 games for Ulster,he greets the inevitable aches with stoicism and a sigh. Bruises and niggles are an occupational hazard common to every professional player. His body slowly wakes up, and he makes his way into training, or where he is happiest and more comfortable. He is now the oldest player in the Ulster team,but apart from a successful spell at Northampton, he has played at Ravenhill since he was a student.
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Source: theguardian.com