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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Sport
Gerard Meagher

‘I struggled without realising’: Tommy Freeman reveals mental toll of workload

Tommy Freeman Edwin Edogbo England Lions Steve Borthwick Andy Farrell IRFU Tom Curry Northampton Saints
Tommy Freeman thanks supporters after England’s 31-20 defeat against Scotland at Murrayfield last weekend.
Tommy Freeman said his body was fine on his return to Northampton, but ‘mentally it was a bit more of a struggle’. Photograph: Russell Cheyne/Reuters

England’s Tommy Freeman has revealed the extent of his mental struggles after the victorious British & Irish Lions tour of Australia at the end of a season when he exceeded the player welfare limits for the number of appearances.

Freeman played in 34 games last season – 19 for Northampton, nine for England and six for the Lions – and has spoken of a “built-up anxiety” as a result of the workload. The mandated limit is 30, but players were given dispensation for the Lions tour on the proviso they were allowed five weeks off on returning from Australia and missed the first two rounds of the 2025-26 season.

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