The Cardiff Blues player is delighted to be back playing with his team mates following time off for injury.
Colin Jackson: You've had quite a traumatic knee injury, and you've just come back now, how do you feel about coming back at last?
Jamie Robinson: It's a great feeling for me to come back amongst the players. I've always trained in a team environment, and for 9 months I've been 'rehabbing' on my own, doing one-on-one with a physio. It's something I'm not used to, and something I don't like doing, so to get back training with the same schedule as everybody else and doing team activities is just a great feeling.
CJ: What's the greatest difference between rehab and actual training?
JR: [In rehab] I started off simple, you know learning to walk again, and just strengthening my knee. I didn't touch a rugby ball for 6 months, basically I was just building the muscle back up, and gradually I've built my way back into the team environment.
I started to do weights to get my fitness up, and you just do all that on your own, whereas pre-season summer training the boys all do it together. Some things I couldn't do with them so I was on my own.
CJ: So do you still feel like you're playing catch-up, or do you think you're nearly there?
JR: I'm about as fit as I've ever been now, it's just getting that match fitness - you can run for as long as you want, but getting off the ground, taking tackles, sprinting 50 metres then making a tackle - that's where I'm not quite there yet.
CJ: What do you like most about training?
JR: What do I like? When it's over [laughs]! You know, it's when you're having a good session, you're amongst friends, lots of guys the same age, been together for years. Even if the weather's not so good, it's great to have a laugh and a joke, and when you've got to switch on and when you do something well, the plaudits you get from your friends and other team members, it's really good.
CJ: What about the flip side of that coin, what's the worst thing about training? You see I'd have said the weather!
JR: The weather can be a real downer... I think it's when you wake up at 7 o'clock and you can hear the rain splashing against the window, and you know you've got two rugby sessions. You go out and you can kind of dig in for the first one, but when you come back in, dry off and you know you've got to go back out for the afternoon - that's the worst!
CJ: What's your average day like?
JR: Our days differ. We would only do two rugby sessions in a day once a week. We'll try to fit in two weight sessions in a week, one speed if not two, and then you do a lot of video analysis as well, of the opposition and your own game, from the previous week.
The beginning of your week is quite heavy, but you taper off towards the end of the week. If you play on a Saturday, you'll have a Thursday off, and then just a team run on a Friday morning and Friday afternoon off to rest for the game.
CJ: Are you the type of person who heavily criticises their performance if you perform under par?
JR: Yeah, I'm pretty self-critical really. I try and watch a video of my game. You know if you've done something well or done something poorly yourself... you don't need somebody else to tell you! I think that's the best way to improve - to be honest with yourself.
Profile
Name:
James Peter (Jamie) Robinson
Born:
7 April 1980
Club:
Cardiff Blues
Position:
Outside Centre
Internationals:
Wales
JR: If I can get through the next few months unscathed, I'm really looking forward to it. When you've had such a big lay-off it really helps you to focus on what you want. You almost take for granted how lucky you are being in the position you are, doing something that you enjoy.
When that's taken away from you for a year, and there's a pretty good chance you won't ever do it again, it really helps you focus on what you want out of life.
CJ: Do you still have that passion for rugby, even though rugby caused you injury problems?
JR: Yes, completely, especially the way the Welsh team played in 2004. But there's always a part of you as an athlete, when someone in your position is doing well, I was more than a bit jealous - I was probably a bit gutted in some ways. It was great from a Welshman's point of view, and obviously my friends were doing well, but, sometimes, I was gutted that they were doing so well and I wasn't there to enjoy it.
CJ: Welsh jersey in the future?
JR: I hope so, but I'm not sure yet. I'm just happy back playing at the moment, but if I can get a good season playing for the Blues then who knows???
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Anatomy of an injury
Want to know more about your favourite player's injury?
Baffled by medical definitions but want to know more detail than "sore leg"?
Here's a few basic terms to help you understand common injuries:
Tendons: Join muscle to bone.
Ligaments: Join bone to bone.
Cartilage: Smooth material protecting bones from wear and tear. Also forms some body parts like the ear.
Injury location terms:
Anterior: Toward the front
Posterior: Toward the rear
Medial: Toward the centre-line (from nose to navel to between ankles)
Lateral: Away from centre-line