Brendan Neal fights through pain at rugby

by Eben Gourlay

(Photo: Brian Carey)

Brendan Neal sat on the grass of Cheshire Field, pulling his neon orange cleats out of his bag for rugby practice. The wind brushed the autumn leaves and the dark clouds loomed. He pulled his knee sleeve up to cover the aching cyst in his left knee. With a grunt, he stood up as practice began. 

While Brendan jogged the field alongside his teammates, he grimaced while holding his bruised ribs. Despite the injuries, he knew he could fight through the pain.

The team split up into groups of four and did passing drills. Brendan used an array of no-look and behind-the-back passes, challenging himself in a drill he’d done many times before. 

The coach split the team into halves, with each team lining up side by side, practicing passing the ball down the line as fast as possible. When a second ball was thrown in, Brendan began yelling at his teammates to speed up the transitions. His team finished first, which saved Brendan from having to do burpees, an exercise he does not enjoy, even when he isn’t injured. 

As practice finished, Brendan was exhausted and lay down on the grass. He felt the wind sweeping his sweaty forehead before sitting up and untying his cleats. His body ached, but he had made it through another day of rugby.