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'I've struggled with my own mental health... and it got particularly dark in the last 18 months'

By PA
Joe Marler has slammed Saracens' owner Nigel Wray (Photo by Glyn Kirk - Pool/AFP via Getty Images)

England prop Joe Marler has urged any men struggling with mental health issues not to suffer in silence. The 30-year-old, who has spoken out about his own battles with depression this year, has stressed there is no shame in seeking help.

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Marle, who is training with England this week but not officially in the 25-man squad to face Ireland on Saturday, can identify with the problems experienced by many men in fearing they may be showing weakness by seeking advice.

The Harlequins forward was speaking in his role as an ambassador for the Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM), for whom he features in a new video message to coincide with International Men’s Day.

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Dylan Hartley discusses the England training ground clash with Georgia

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Dylan Hartley discusses the England training ground clash with Georgia

“Rugby is the ultimate macho sport, and there is a fear that if you show any sort of weakness publicly then you’re giving free rein to the opposition to take advantage of any weakness,” Marler said.

“I always worried that if I was to open up about my mental struggles that it would be used against me by opposition players or seen as a weakness by my own teammates.

“There’s definitely a stigma surrounding mental health but it’s far better than what it used to be. The more players have come out and opened up about it, the less of a stigma there is around it.” Marler is seen in the video, which is available on YouTube, delivering what at first appears a standard post-match interview.

However, on closer inspection it reveals a hidden message, conveying how people can hide their true feelings. England forward Marler continued: “I’ve struggled with my own mental health for the last few years, and it got particularly dark in the last 18 months.

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“That is why I wanted to get involved in this project, to help others who feel the same as me, and try and help them understand that it’s OK to struggle and that they are not alone with these feelings.”

* Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM) is leading a movement against suicide through vital life-saving support, impactful and provocative campaigns and collective action. To find out more visit www.thecalmzone.net

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N
NB 41 minutes ago
'Passionate reunion of France and New Zealand shows Fabien Galthie is wrong to rest his stars'

Nice bit if revisioniusm but that's all it is JW.


For your further education, I found the following breakdown of one prominent club's finances in the Top 14 [Clermont].


For Clermont (budget of €29.5 million for 2021-2022) :

- 20% from ticket sales

- 17% from the LNR (includes TV Rights, compensation from producing french internationals and other minor stuff)

- 5% from public collectivities (so you're looking at funds from the city of Clermont, the department of Puy-De-Dôme and the region Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes)

- 4% from merchandising and events

- 3% from miscellaneous

- 51 % from sponsorships and partnerships. They've got 550 different partners. The main ones are CGI, Groupama, Limagrain/Jacquet, Omerin, Paprec, Renault and of course Michelin (not surprising since they're actually the founders of the club).


As you can see nothing comes from the FFR at all. The LNR is a separate entitiy to FFR and their aims frequently do not accord.


It is also why the European breakaway plotted by LNR and PR back in 2013 had nothing to do with the governing bodies of either England or France - and it most certainly did not have their blessing https://www.espn.co.uk/rugby/story/_/id/15331030/jean-pierre-lux-anglo-french-cup-detrimental-european-rugby


And from the horse's mouth [ex AB skipper Sean Fitapatrick] about the comp between Top 14 and Super Rugby:


"The Top 14 in France is probably the best rugby competition in the world at the moment, purely for the week-in, week-out.”


“I think the quality of players. They are bigger, they are faster, they are stronger. Which then carries on into the international game.”

Take it from someone who knows JW😅

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