EnglandRugby.com have a rather interesting feature where they regularly ask the members of their squad to provide a playlist to give fans an idea as to what the players they support are listening to.
You'd expect to see some hip-hop, maybe a bit of house, and the odd 'pump-up' classic like Eminem's "Till I Collapse" in there for a professional sportsman, but England scrum-half Ben Youngs is the latest to offer his opinion on music, and his playlist is absolutely shit.
It seems that Youngs doesn't listen to much music, and when it does it's the stuff you're absolutely sick to death of hearing during day-time radio, have a look at this:
Firstly, five songs? What sort of playlist is five songs?
And then there's the tracks, which Youngs continued to attempt to justify with a brief description:
Mumford & Sons – Winter Winds
Winter Winds by Mumford & Sons is a song I go to. I’m happy listening to all of their music. Because of my positon I have to be quite calm and their tunes help me relax before a big test.
Ben Howard: Old Pine
Ben Howard is another artist whose music is pretty laid back and chilled out. In a game I’m not going to be running into brick walls and trying to smash people. It’s more about making decisions so I tend to listen to music that reflects that. Relaxed, calm music but upbeat at the same time.
Tom Odell: Another Love
Listening to music can act as a distraction. Sometimes there can be a long build up on the day of a game. You’re staring at the clock waiting for it to tick forward, you want to get through it as quickly as you can, music is a good way of knocking off three and a half minutes at a time. Another Love by Tom Odell helps me to chill out.
One Direction: Night Changes
I’ve been told One Direction should be a guilty pleasure, but I’m proud to listen to them. I’m gutted about the news that they’re taking a break but maybe they’ll come back with some good material in a year’s time. Night Changes is a good song.
Ed Sheeran: Thinking Out Loud
Thinking Out Loud by Ed Sheeran is a great tune. He’s dominated the charts, everyone knows him and he’s unbelievably talented. I think music sometimes adds focus, you can find motivation from particular songs sometimes.
Sweet Jesus. Now, some of them aren't the worst songs in the World (and some of them are), but should a Rugby World Cup playlist not be used to get the blood flowing?
Picture Youngs getting ready to feed the scrum, a few minutes left and his team are trailing, and there he is humming "We, found, love, right, where we are.."
Awful.
