Jamie Roberts breaks silence on his positive Covid test, discusses major outbreak at Sale
Wales and Dragons midfielder Jamie Roberts has broken his silence on his positive Covid-19 test in August. A host on the RugbyPass Offload along with England’s Dylan Hartley, Ireland’s Simon Zebo and Scotland’s Ryan Wilson, the veteran centre reflected on what happened to him two months ago and wonders how the virus outbreak this past week was so huge at Sale.
“First off, I’m very grateful for the testing procedure because I would not have known otherwise. I had no symptoms when I tested,” said recent Dragons recruit Roberts during his appearance on the debut show of the new RugbyPass podcast.
“I literally got a phone call from my head of medical Friday night. He messaged me saying, ‘Can you call me urgently?’ I was thinking, ‘Why is my head of medical messaging me on Friday night with an urgent call?’ I kind of knew when he messaged me and I was thinking, ‘I am lucky, I have been tested and I didn’t have a clue’.
“That is the problem with this virus – it’s spreading like wildfire, people are asymptomatic, they are carrying it and spreading it. Look, I’m grateful I got tested. Luckily, no other players tested positive, nor did my partner nor did any members of my family. That was the first thing I was grateful for. I lost my taste for a little bit.
“Has it made me change behaviours? It probably has just around handshakes and fist bumpings, just keeping my distance. It’s just being more wary. I probably have taken it more seriously and that’s like anything, as soon as it affects you or someone close to you it kind of hits home how this virus can affect people.”
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Explaining how Dragons go about their business in trying to keep Covid away from their squad, Roberts gave an insight into the monitoring conducted by the Welsh region and wondered what had gone so wrong at Sale where 27-positive cases – 19 last week and a further eight this week – put an end to the Premiership title challenge.
“All our meetings (at Dragons) are held social distant,” he explained. “We have got a big tent outside. They are not in meeting rooms anymore. They are making sure that everything is recorded. Even gym sessions are filmed.
“You come in and get your temperature taken every day and basically if they identify a positive case they can track through all that footage and identify close contacts who would need to self-isolate. The big question on everyone lips is Sale, how they managed to get to 19 positive cases, how they had gone from zero to 19? That is the big question.
“All it takes is for one person. That wouldn’t surprise me if that has come from one person who has gone around the squad, been in team huddles, been in the gym, face to face with people in training. That’s how virulent this thing is.
“There is also the potential for a false negative as well, that people may have the virus but actually test negative and they have been offloading the virus and been contagious and didn’t know about it. I don’t know, there’s loads of different things. Steve Diamond has obviously refuted any claims the lads were out partying after the (Premiership Cup) final. I doubt the players would do anything that stupid.
“I know it’s a Cup win but surely a conversation is had in the changing rooms? Surely you can’t go out and meet people in pubs or university halls or whatever they have been blamed of doing? I sincerely doubt that.”
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Comments on RugbyPass
Average AB captain by recent standards. Speaks to the wider issue
7 Go to commentsWholesome lad, but no longer test level. At all
7 Go to commentsThis game was always going to be close, Canada have such a dominant pack and the Black Ferns have come unstuck in that area against teams like France and England in the past.
2 Go to commentsA distinct discomfort with the officiating they were probably selected from the local IRA narcos branch along with the commentators bloody fly tippers.
1 Go to commentsWow, never thought I would read that
2 Go to commentsExcellent match. Great to see Keenan and Ryan back for Leinster. Super result for Ulster. Season is turning around.
1 Go to comments“We need eight or nine new players, who are hard-wearing and durable and experienced Premiership performers”. So why are they scouting a retired fullback who himself admits that his “body is broken”?
1 Go to commentsBrumbies hand, knocked a Crusaders hand. Therefore, knock on in goal. Crusaders, goal line drop out should’ve been awarded. most likely after that 24 each at full time, so extra time would’ve been the right an entertaining outcome. Act Jim
1 Go to commentsSpeell cehck
1 Go to commentsColeman is gaawwwwnnn.
1 Go to commentsnext SA head coach?
3 Go to commentsGreat try by van Poortvliet.
1 Go to commentsThey have been cruelled by injuries but almost nobody (Sevu Reece and Fletcher Newell big exceptions) has played above himself which regularly happened before. Surely Scott Robertson had maintained the recruitment programme and it looks like a reasonable squad. Last in this competition will stall a lot of careers. Penny seems likeable. But it’s not enough even though this was better. We haven’t been good enough and it’s not helped by the “it’s been 15 years since… “etc “after nearly every match. Seems somehow a soft gifting of something once valuable. Kieran Read giving comments last week almost choked describing the easy surrender of possession by the forwards. I’d love to think that the senior players some of whom are back can show enough pride in the jersey to test the Blues next week.
3 Go to commentsWho will Joe select for the back three with so many in form candidates? Just hope he doesn’t get shafted like Dave Rennie and to a lesser extent Deans.
8 Go to commentsAlways reluctant to blame a coach when losses rack up, but Penney must go. The backline is dysfunctional and the coach must carry the can. No cohesion, no idea and in many cases, minimal skill. The trains out of Roma St depart faster than the ball from Crusaders’ set pieces. Wouldn’t be surprised if the forwards went on strike.
3 Go to commentsAdding to earlier comment. Cullen Grace has been playing great at no6. Lio-Willie , who was on fire a few weeks ago, had a bad game. I think Cullen should have been moved to 8 earlier, Dominic Gardiner on earlier. Feel for Quinten Strange , put in a big shift .
8 Go to commentsWe dominated the scrums Ben Curry was all over pitch again .Surely James Harper got to be one of best English tightheads
1 Go to commentsRoos is a better option at 6 than 8 for the boks. Needs to work on his windgat though.
1 Go to commentsThe Sharks’ 2nd team maybe?
1 Go to comments‘radical’
1 Go to comments