Playing through pain is part of rugby’s culture, but where’s the line? | John Daniell

The players’ union is right to warn about rugby’s demands – the game has got bigger and more explosive, and the health implications aren’t knownI felt queasy. It wasn’t the morphine. I was 32 years old, lying in hospital, watching a Bledisloe Cup game. New Zealand v Australia. Another epic battle. On the screen, muscle and bone smashed into muscle and bone, impact after juddering impact.In bed, just a few days after a second knee reconstruction, I could see my right quadriceps had already begun to waste away at an incredible rate. Comparing my two thighs was like looking at a party balloon bef…