In an era where there’s anxiety over contact sports, Gloucester Rugby legend Lewis Ludlow tells Sport and Life why the operations have been more than worth it, why he’s targeting the club’s appearance record and then some and why he’d like to work for the Cherry and Whites beyond his playing days.
Watch the full interview with Lewis Ludlow below:
Gloucester legend Lewis Ludlow has put his body on the line for the club’s cause. He’s being wearing the cherry and white colours since 2015, captaining the side for much of the time and it’s taken its toll. ‘Luds,’ as people at the club know him, is into double-figures for surgeries.
But in era when we’re seeing legal cases initiated by players who’ve suffered damage playing rugby, Ludlow has no regrets about the blows he’s taken in the line of duty. He’s full of gratitude to Gloucester.
“I still feel extremely lucky to be doing what I’m doing. I often talk to people that have retired and ask them ‘would you change it?’ And every single one of them says ‘no.’
“I wouldn’t change it for the world. I love it. Rugby’s given me my family, my house, the house we always wanted. It gives my daughter a great life, my son… he can go outside into the field and play. Hopefully it makes my wife happy.
“And if that means come 56 I’m going to be hobbling around and not be able to straighten my fingers…I’m going to throw everything into it,” Ludlow told Sport and Life.
For a man who seems destined to write his name into Gloucester’s history books Ludlow is incredibly self-deprecating. He believes if he does top the list as the biggest appearance maker in the professional era it will be down to effort not talent.
“I know I’l finish my career saying that I’ve eked everything out of my body. Every single last ounce, I’ve managed to squeeze out of it. I’ve seen far more talented people than me in the building.
“They’re just a very good player and they’re happy with that but you look at them and you think you could be a great player.”
Listening to Ludlow talk, it seems he barely rates himself at all as an athlete.
“Going into the academy I was too slow in terms of speed. People would say I’m too slow now. I’m not the best in terms of strength.
“I’d get by lower body (strength) but upper body is effectively non-existent from all the different things I’ve had done so a power exercise it wouldn’t be for me.”
But within the self-deprecation there is an acknowledgement that he has psychological gifts, a grit that far exceeds the resilience of a regular human.
“If we had to do it (a power exercise) repeatedly, then that’s when I would come into it. And if they said ‘we need to do this 10 times,’ I’d have a better chance.
“If someone was to say ‘what got you where you are?’ it’s definitely not physically, it’s mentally rather than anything.”
Ludlow’s mindset isn’t just about toughing it out. He’s also been an early adopter of sports science methods. Behind him as he speaks is the box containing a new home ice bath. And he is devoted to maximising his conditioning.
“I’ve always known I’ve never really had the most talent, so I needed to get the best out of my body. So that was requiring me to train. I don’t particularly train easy. Personally, I need to be worked hard in the week, flogged a bit.”
The all-action flanker says hot and cold treatments have been pivotal to not only maintaining his physical state but also his mood.
“Sometimes if you just wake up in a bad mood, getting in an ice bath for two minutes releases a whole load of endorphins to make you feel a lot better.
“I use the hot tub at the club in the mornings, basically to get the body back warm again. Then I might do my cold if I feel like I need to, if I’m sore. If it’s a big gym day, or a high running day you get in the sauna. And then I’ve got an infrared sauna at home, which is slightly different to a normal sauna.”
At the time of our conversation Ludlow was 31 and had recently resigned for Gloucester on a new contract for the 2026/27 season.
The professional era for rugby union began in 1995 and Nick Wood is the record holder in the paid ranks for Gloucester with 277 appearances. Ludlow wants to pass that and has a further landmark in mind.
“I’ve got to beat Woody first. Anything after that (the record) would be great. And obviously I’d love to be the first person at Gloucester to do 300 appearances in the professional era. I would be extremely proud of that.”
When father time eventually corals the relentless Ludlow into hanging up his boots, he’ll be missed sorely on the pitch at Kingsholm. But you might still see him kicking around the stadium.
“They gave me the chance to have this life, so I will repay that as much as I possibly can. I hope to continue at Gloucester post my career. I’m doing a Masters in Sport and Directorship with the VSI course. So I would like to transition into some form of a role with the club afterwards.”
Doing a Masters and playing elite rugby doesn’t seem an easy combination. But if anyone can do it, the indomitable Ludlow can.
