It's kind of a pointless claim to make really as we will never actually know will we!
Something called common sense tells me that if experienced pro players can't be ready for pre-season and enter it unprepared to reach the levels of fitness required then as pro players the desire isn't present, not being fit enough as players in this league can also lead to injuries.
There is a perfectly explainable pattern of behaviours and resulting events going back to Cockerill being too demanding for some and falling foul of a few who wanted an easier life and getting the boot.
I think we should’ve let Bristol have Ben Youngs when we had the chance, it was futile to hold onto him. Clearly can’t be asked anymore, his head seems to be only towards England.
Yes, I also would have let Youngs leave. For England he plays well, but for us he has been a lazy player for most of last season. He's clearly not interested in playing for us, so why waste good money on him? His attitude stinks!
Was it ever more than a rumour, I don’t know that Ben expressed a desire to leave.
Agree that he needs to buck his ideas up though
