Leeds Rhinos star Robert Lui has settled into life at Leeds seamlessly since joining the club last year, and this season he has formed an exciting partnership with former Castleford Tigers halfback Luke Gale. That partnership, however, like the rest of the sporting world, had to be put on hold in the wake of the global pandemic.
The Rhinos’ first game back earlier this month ended in a dramatic 27-26 golden-point victory over Huddersfield. But Lui suffered a training injury and missed the next two games and recalled how annoying sitting in the stands was.
“It’s frustrating. It happened during the captain’s run and I just couldn’t lift my leg,” Lui explained.
“I’ve just worked hard in the gym and done a bit of boxing to get fit again. It’s a bit swollen here and there, but at least I am running. It’s just a bit frustrating to watch the boys.”
The halfback was quick to point out that getting back into the swing of things after taking time off during lockdown was difficult physically.
“We really can’t go into training thinking we are going to get injured,” he said.
“We have had four or five months off, so things like that are going to happen. Listen to your body; don’t push yourself too much.
“But I feel good now; we’ve got a few injuries, but hopefully we’ll get everyone back for the finals.”
Aside from injuries, the rest of Super League has been greatly affected by the coronavirus pandemic, with Hull FC and Catalans Dragons enduring a particularly hard time. But Lui is scathing in his message about fellow players not following the guidelines set out by the RFL.
“It is concerning, but thank God it’s not our team,” he said.
“We’re just trying to do everything right. Our physios have been good, we just need to keep our distance and follow the rules.
“If you follow the rules the test will come back negative. If we focus on ourselves and try and do the right thing, the game will be in a better place.
“At the end of the day we just want to play rugby. Fingers crossed we do the right things in the future.
“I’m old school. It’s about being smart; you don’t want to miss out on two weeks of playing. We need players to play so we’ve got to be smart.”
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