Former England prop Joe Heyes admits that his rugby career had become a grind. He'd lost touch with what he loved about the game and was struggling in the face of increasing competition for places in Steve Borthwick's squad.
When Heyes toured New Zealand last July, he was feeling miserable, out of contention for the matchday squad and suffering from a back spasm. Instead of focusing on his rugby, he found himself escaping into Assassin's Creed: Black Flag - a console game - and even sailed around the 18th Century Caribbean from his hotel room.
The experience left Heyes feeling like he hated rugby and that it had become a chore. "I hated it," he said of his time with England, who finished eighth in the Premiership. "I hated rugby. It had become a bit of a job to me, a bit of a chore, and it shouldn't be that."
Heyes credits new coach Michael Cheika for helping him turn his career around. The Australian told Heyes to make his career simple and focus on what he did best - taking ownership of his performance.
"Michael just simplified things in terms of taking a bit more ownership," said Heyes. "He was talking about visualising the climb of Everest, how your season is like that."
With Cheika gone, Heyes now finds himself at the forefront of England's team, having started every Six Nations game and been part of their wins over Argentina, Australia and Fiji.
However, with Will Stuart out due to an Achilles injury, Heyes knows he has a key role in the team. His focus remains on the long view, though - "anyone can be a hero for one day, but you can also be a zero. I'm not taking anything for granted."
Heyes' journey back from struggling to being part of England's team is an inspiration to many young rugby players who may find themselves feeling lost or without direction in their careers.
When Heyes toured New Zealand last July, he was feeling miserable, out of contention for the matchday squad and suffering from a back spasm. Instead of focusing on his rugby, he found himself escaping into Assassin's Creed: Black Flag - a console game - and even sailed around the 18th Century Caribbean from his hotel room.
The experience left Heyes feeling like he hated rugby and that it had become a chore. "I hated it," he said of his time with England, who finished eighth in the Premiership. "I hated rugby. It had become a bit of a job to me, a bit of a chore, and it shouldn't be that."
Heyes credits new coach Michael Cheika for helping him turn his career around. The Australian told Heyes to make his career simple and focus on what he did best - taking ownership of his performance.
"Michael just simplified things in terms of taking a bit more ownership," said Heyes. "He was talking about visualising the climb of Everest, how your season is like that."
With Cheika gone, Heyes now finds himself at the forefront of England's team, having started every Six Nations game and been part of their wins over Argentina, Australia and Fiji.
However, with Will Stuart out due to an Achilles injury, Heyes knows he has a key role in the team. His focus remains on the long view, though - "anyone can be a hero for one day, but you can also be a zero. I'm not taking anything for granted."
Heyes' journey back from struggling to being part of England's team is an inspiration to many young rugby players who may find themselves feeling lost or without direction in their careers.
, sounds like he found solace in some video game 
, but lets be real, its not like he was the only 1 feelin that way about rugby
I'm not buying it. It sounds like a bit of a narrative fix-up to me. What if he was just really struggling with the pressure and the competition for places, but didn't want to admit it? And now that Cheika is gone, suddenly he's back on top again? 
Doesn't sit right with me... 
. but anyway, its great 2 c joe back in the mix and doing well 
!
. I mean, we've all been there right? We lose that spark and suddenly everything feels like hard work. But what's great is he didn't give up! He found a new way to look at things and it worked out for him. Simple tip: when life starts feeling like a grind, try visualizing your goals 
- sounds cheesy, but trust me, it works!
I feel like this story is more about the mental health aspect of sports, you know? Joe Heyes was just going through the motions and losing love for the game 
. But what I think is really inspiring is how Michael Cheika helped him refocus 
! And now Heyes is killing it on the field 
. This story just shows us that even when we're feeling lost or struggling, there's always hope for a comeback 
.
He seemed really down when he said he hated playing rugby and it had become a chore... 
But then Michael Cheika came along and helped him simplify things? 
That's a great message for anyone feeling stuck or overwhelmed in their own life. 
And Heyes' attitude now is so inspiring, especially with Will Stuart out injured... 
I'm not saying it can't happen, but there's gotta be more to the story than we're being told... 
. He was really down on himself after that tour, it's like he lost touch with the love for the game and just saw it as a chore 
. But then Cheika came along and gave him some good advice about taking ownership of his performance 
.
u know what really gets me about this guy Joe Heyes story? its not that hes found a way out of his struggles and is now part of englands team 
, anyone with basic human decency would tell you to focus on your own performance and stop making excuses. 
and the analogy with Everest is pretty deep, I guess you can't just be going through the motions all the time 
it's like we're just going through the motions. but heyes' story is inspiring 
especially with cheika coming in and helping him find his passion again! 
now he's leading england's team... talk about turning your career around 
! I mean, he's literally telling you that if you hate something you do, it's time to reevaluate what you're doing and find a way to make it more enjoyable 