SEAN LAMONT cringes at the pain and suffering he is about to inflict on his body to get in shape for the Rugby Sevens.
But the Scotland stalwart insists it will be worth every ounce of sweat to compete in a Commonwealth Games on home soil.
At 33, Lamont is the oldest member of the 12-man squad that is rated the best ever assembled by team boss Stephen Gemmell.
But for all that he offers a wealth of experience from his 86 caps for the regular 15s side, Lamont knows he’ll have to work hard to adapt to the faster pace of the abbreviated game.
Lamont, making his return to the Commonwealth stage for the first time since Manchester in 2002, said: “I know there’s going to be a lot of hard graft this summer getting myself back up to Sevens speed.
“And I mean a LOT. This is a different animal. It’s rugby but it could almost be a completely different sport with the intensity.
“The 15s is more physical and it’s generally against bigger guys but as a winger in 15s, if you get 15 touches of the ball in a game that’s a high workload.
“You might have to do one length-of-the-pitch sprint but in Sevens you’re doing that every other phase.
“In general in Sevens you’ll have a run, pass it back, the ball stays live and you go again. You’ll be getting that amount of work in 14 minutes – the same amount as you do in 80 minutes of 15s.
“Everything is high intensity, you’re still doing three-quarter paced stuff even when you’ve not got the ball as you’ve got to get back into position.
“You’ve got to make your tackles as well and you’re against faster guys, fitter guys.
“I mean, you look at the New Zealand team – they are big guys, they’re super fit and incredibly strong and they’ve got a damned sight more space to move you about in Sevens. So the intensity is unbelievably different to 15s.
“That means training for it will involve more high-intensity running because long-distance running is aerobic whereas Sevens is mostly anaerobic. If you get your top-end sprint really good, get yourself really efficient at running at maximum pace it’ll be easier to do.
“It makes me cringe thinking about what I’ll have to do but there’s no way I’m not doing it.
“Representing your country at a Commonwealth Games, not just in your own country but in your home town, there’s no way I was saying no.
“And I’ve said it many times before – you’re a long time retired so while I’m in demand I’ll do whatever’s asked of me.
“I’ve always wanted to do another Games although I’m a lot older than the rest of them now, that’s for sure.
“Don’t get me wrong, it’s a great honour to be asked and as soon as Stephen broached the subject I just about bit his arm off as I love Sevens rugby.
“You know what you’re getting into when you go for it but it’s great being able to run and have so much more space on the pitch. I just love this version of the game.
â€And it will be even better with 50,000 Scots creating a carnival atmosphere at Ibrox.â€
Article source: http://www.fanatix.com/news/amlin-challenge-cup-newcastle-falcons-v-brive-preview-and-live-rugby-union-streaming/175092/
Rugby star Sean Lamont says thrill of representing Scotland is worth pain of ...
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