Hill not done yet
April 23 2008
Former England and Lions flanker Richard Hill is ready to put his body on the line once again in a bid to see Saracens to Heineken Cup glory.
Saracens tackle Munster in the semi-finals on Sunday at Coventry's Ricoh Arena, with Hill almost certainly going to be the first name on coach Alan Gaffney's team-sheet.
However, Hill has had to be nursed through his final season before retirement as the years of tough tackling and putting his body where others fear have finally caught up with him.
But it is easy to see why Saracens still need the 34-year-old for the big games, with Hill putting in a man-of-the-match performance in the quarter-final win over Ospreys just a week after the Welsh region had thrashed them in the EDF Energy Cup in his absence.
And although he has been left with a limp after two serious tears to the anterior cruciate ligament in his knee - the second meaning that he needed a transplant to repair the damage - Hill is ready to push himself on for what could be his two last games, culminating in a Millennium Stadium final.
"I'm in a position now that I don't go outside just for the sake of it," Hill told The Guardian.
"I honestly wouldn't be able to tell you the last time I did fitness work just by running around.
"It's not the ideal way of doing things because I used to really enjoy running. To have that taken away was not pleasant."
Hill did roll back the years against the Ospreys in the last eight of the Heineken Cup, however it came at a cost physically - and the flanker knows that he has to trust the medical staff when it comes to when he can play.
"The body certainly felt it afterwards. It took a while to get over that one because there was real intensity," said Hill.
"I didn't play against them the week before because I've had to accept a reduced amount of games and training. There have been games I've wanted to play but we've got excellent medical people who understand how much time I should be on my feet.
"But then I get to play in the Heineken quarter-finals and it works out well. I go with the management. If they pick me, I'm ready."