"Strength does not come from physical capacity. It comes from an unbreakable will."

According to Mahatma Ghandi, brute force only paints part of the picture when it comes to determining how strong a person is. In fact, it plays a much smaller role than we believe.

And José Rodrigues, who has spent 20 years working as a physio with some of the most physical athletes on the planet, agrees. When you look beyond the exterior, past the muscle and bone, you can see the people they embody from an entirely different perspective. “Players have to be fit in body and in mind, because it’s that combination that will prevent injuries in a long period of time,” he says.

"Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement,” Helen Keller once wrote. “Nothing can be done without hope and confidence." This reflects how José feels about the role mentality, optimism and confidence play in his work.

He’s been a physio for the Portuguese national team since 2003 and was with the squad at the Rugby World Cup in 2007. The role may have changed over the past two decades, but José says that respecting the relationship between the physical and emotional has always been key.

“A player can’t go to the field feeling that he’s not OK or that he’s not comfortable or not fit,” he says. “You must put every piece together, so that when he goes to the field, he feels 100 per cent and can give everything. If a player goes to the field and is afraid of something, that could help bring about another injury.”

José has witnessed the full spectrum of injury, including career-ending breaks and ruptures. But he’s also seen minor miracles. While genetics and physical makeup play their part, José says the attitude and mental strength of injured players can have an outcome-defining impact too.

As with most things, there’s more to rugby than you think. When you look past the players on the pitch, you find dozens of people, dedicated to one goal: the team’s success.

José and his colleagues are an integral part of the process. He is proud of the individual relationships he forges with players to both protect them from injury and improve their on-field performance.

“The relationship between physios and players has to be the best it can be,” he says. “It’s like a barber shop, when the player has some confidence to talk to the physios, it helps us see where they are mentally and helps us work with the player.

“So, the physios have to be open so the players can have confidence to be able to say what they’re thinking and what they’re feeling.”

The “barber shop” analogy is an apt one. José’s approach creates a safe space in the treatment room, where players can be honest and share their concerns, both mental and physical.
“These talks often happen during massages or on the therapy tables. Most of the time it’s when the players are alone with the physios. It’s important to be open, to be respectful and to be a good listener, because sometimes the players go to the coaches saying “we’re OK, don’t worry about me,” but during our talks we understand that he’s not OK because he’s not feeling well.
“These talks are confidential, it’s just between us, these help us in how we have to work with the players, and what players need.”

Everyone should be able to tell their own story, which is why we’re empowering Jose and the Portugal staff and players to capture theirs, in their own way.

In helping the players become the “best versions of themselves”, there are countless hours of work that you’ll never see. Jose and the physios are relentless and, ultimately, selfless. For them, the results are worth it, because they help create the magical on-field moments celebrated for years to come.