Mike Brown backs additional rest for EPS players
Mike Brown believes there are no easy games played these days.
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England fullback Mike Brown has welcomed the additional rest granted to the Elite Player Squad following the eight-year deal signed between the Rugby Football Union and Premiership Rugby
The deal, which is worth to be over £200million will now offer the players three additional weekends of rest in order to take care of the heavy schedule.
After a disappointing World Cup in 2015, England have scripted a turnaround under head coach Eddie Jones which saw them conquer the Grand Slam during the Six Nations 2016 and also a 3-0 whitewash against Australia.
Describing the last season, longer than usual, Brown expressed satisfaction over the results achieved following the World Cup debacle.
"We had an incredibly long, tough 13-month season and it was necessary to have some downtime," Brown said.
"I don’t know if you ever feel you get enough time off. You would always like more, and the Southern Hemisphere players always seem to get a nice big chunk of rest.
"That’s the nature of our season and what I’ve been used to for the last ten years. Last season was a new experience with it being that long, but we got through it and I was reasonably happy with the way I played personally at the end."
Apart from the 10-week off season, players will also be given an additional week rest now, if they have played the threshold minutes in November and during the Six Nations. Brown believes additional rest has become an essential now considering the competitive nature at which the sport is being played currently.
"I think it’s great. Our game is so tough now that you need that time away.
"It will pay dividends for us, especially the young guys coming through to look after them. Because rugby is so much tougher now than when I first started. People are stronger, fitter.
"In the Premiership now there are no easy games, but when I started playing for Harlequins there were a couple of games where you could not play amazingly and still probably win, but now every week is tough."
