LOUGHBOROUGH Students back row Theo Mayell believes rugby needs to move away from its obsession with size and says players shouldn’t feel pressured to bulk up just to fit a position.
At 6ft 3in and 100kg (15st 7lbs), the 22-year-old admits he’s lighter than the sport’s typical back rower, who tend to sit anywhere between 114kg and 121kg (17st 9lb to 19st), but he’s determined to prove that athleticism, mobility and skill are just as effective.
The former Worcester youngster also featured for Bristol in last season’s Premiership Cup, developing a reputation for his work rate and dynamism both sides of the ball.
Mayell told The Rugby Paper: “I’m not the heaviest of blokes, so I’ve always tried to use my pace and be more mobile than some of the other back rows that are cutting about these days.
“I feel like rugby sometimes is a bit weight and size obsessive, but I’ve made an impact being a little bit lighter and a bit more mobile. The reason rugby’s so good is that everyone’s unique, so why try to mould players and change them when they’re already effective?
“Running those outside channels is something I try to use to my advantage.
“And defensively, I like to get over the ball and win turnovers, that’s somewhere I feel I’m pretty effective most of the time. Someone like Henry Pollock or Ben Earl, you don’t want them to put loads of weight on because they’d lose what makes them special. It’s the same for me; I’m not trying to be something I’m not. Rugby’s got space for all kinds of players.”
Mayell has been forced to watch from the sidelines in recent months after suffering a serious knee injury towards the end of last season.
“I’m six months post ACL reconstruction,” said Mayell. “I’m hoping to be back early February, if I’m lucky, but it’s hard to predict exactly when. The testing’s going well, and I’m hoping to start running again in the next couple of weeks, so we’ll get a better gauge then.”
Even while sidelined, Mayell remains heavily involved at Loughborough, serving as club chairman and helping oversee one of the biggest university rugby operations in the country. He feels the team spirit at Loughborough is as strong as ever, even during a tricky start to their league campaign.
“It’s a bit of an overview role really,” he said. “I’m the voice between the students and the people higher up at the uni. If players across the five teams have any issues, I help get things sorted.
“We’ve got a great committee who run charity events like Movember, and we host lunches at our National Two home games. I help out where needed speaking, organising – whatever’s required really.
“It’s been tough winning only two of our first eight. But we’ve had some of the harder games early on. Once we can tie down a solid squad, we should start seeing results. There’s no need to panic.”
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