It has been a productive season for one of Cumbria’s finest rugby union players.

But, with Will Addison’s current campaign brought to an abrupt end last month, the man from King’s Meaburn, near Penrith, is now seeing if he can take lessons from some of the biggest names across a range of different sports, including one of the All Blacks’ great players from his own game.

Documentaries made by Richie McCaw, who captained his country and played well over 100 times for New Zealand, and multiple Olympic gold medallist sprinter Usain Bolt are just some of the programmes the Sale Sharks man has been watching as he looks to make the most of the spare time he has on his hands.

“There are a few documentaries I’ve watched. I watched the Usain Bolt one. I like watching guys like Richie McCaw, he has released a documentary,” the Cumbrian says.

“They are good guys who have a huge amount of leadership. I have been reading lots of books about leadership and there are a couple of YouTube documentaries called E:60, which is from ESPN, with some on individual American football players, which I have really enjoyed watching – just seeing what things are like in different sports.

“I love watching anything to do with sport and I’m just trying to take lessons wherever I can, really.”

“There are some really interesting documentaries on YouTube at the moment on American football of similar athletes in similar stages of injuries,” Addison, who returned to Sale’s Carrington training ground this week as he steps up his recovery, adds.

“I have really enjoyed watching a few of those. I’m just trying to take anything I can out at the moment and I think it’s a good opportunity for me to look at what we can do better as a club, and look at that objectively.

“With me, it’s about taking those lessons and bringing those ideas I can pick up from looking at it from the outside. Rather than being totally focused on the rugby, I can look at the whole thing a bit objectively and help the guys out as much as I can.”

Addison’s season effectively finished on February 25 in the early stages of Sharks’ 29-18 defeat to Saracens in the Aviva Premiership as he broke his toe.


Will Addison Speaking about the injury which will rule him out for the rest of the campaign, the back says: “To be honest, I was really quite hacked off with it because it happened on the plastic pitch down at Saracens and I felt that made it worse a little bit. It didn’t actually hurt that much but I knew it was something I would need to have something done to immediately, which was very frustrating because I knew the rest of the season was looking really good for me.

“So, I was very frustrated.”

Rugby union has been at the top of the sporting agenda in recent weeks, with England picking up the RBS 6 Nations last Saturday night, but not before they had been beaten 13-9 by Ireland. That was a result which ended England’s chances of becoming the first side in the current era of the tournament to defend the Grand Slam and also saw them taste defeat after a record-equalling 18 successive Test wins.

Although the former England Under-20 international admits he watched the tournament, it seems he didn’t do so with perhaps quite the same enthusiasm as most other rugby fans.

“To be honest, when I’m injured, I don’t really like it. It’s good to watch but I kind of get frustrated when I’m injured,” Addison admits.

“I have watched it and it has been really interesting. I think the last weekend threw up some really interesting things but I didn’t enjoy watching it, to be honest, because it’s that constant reminder that you can’t play.”

One useful aspect of the enforced break from rugby the Cumbrian has been forced to take is he has been able to spend time with his parents.

He says: “My mum and dad picked me up from the hospital and I have been home. Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to help out on the farm – maybe a blessing in disguise! But it has been nice to get home, I have been well looked after.”

Injuries are something Addison has had to deal with in the past but he feels he has bounced back from every “setback” so far – and sees no reason why he can’t do it again, ahead of the start of the 2017/18 campaign.

“I have had plenty of setbacks in the past and I have always used it positively,” he says.

“As a player, I’m someone who loves watching rugby and loves learning from watching it.

“It gives me an opportunity to kind of look at it from a different aspect and really see where Sale can take strides next year and what areas we can improve on as a team.

“That is my role now and I’m just going to do all I can do to make sure I can do that to the best of my ability.

“I have had a series of injuries in the past, so I have experience. It doesn’t get any easier when you are in the gym 24/7.

“But I think every injury I have had, I have always made the point of trying to come back a better player and I have come back a better player.

“This is just another chance to prove myself again. These things make you stronger in the long run, so I’m happy to have this challenge.”

Addison, a University of Manchester graduate, will always go down in Sale history, having been the scorer of the first try at the AJ Bell Stadium and the scorer of the last Sharks try at Edgeley Park.