George Kruis, former England rugby international

Former England, Lions and Saracens lock George Kruis played at two Rugby World Cups, won three European Cups and four English Premierships during a distinguished playing career.Those 14 years spent at the thick end of the game have imbued him with a number of skills as he now turns his attention full-time to his CBD and wellness venture, Fourfive, which he co-founded with former Saracens teammate Dom Day in 2018.Fourfive is the official wellness provider to a number of sports organisations and is going from strength to strength, yet Kruis saw himself at a disadvantage for all his talents away from the pitch.“Most people who start a company, their background will be in finance, it will be marketing, it might be in product development, it won’t necessarily be in your ability to catch a ball in the lineout,” he tells the Leaders Performance podcast.Kruis hung up his boots in June having ended his playing career with the Saitama Wild Knights in Japan and came into the Leaders studio to discuss how he prepared for his post-playing career while still at the top of his game.During the course of our chat we discuss:Why Saracens’ approach to player care was transformative [4:30];How ‘tough love’ has gradually been replaced by ‘calculated culture’ [11:20];What English rugby does well and what could be done better to prepare transitioning players [28:00];His advice for current players [30:30]. John Portch: Twitter | LinkedInListen above and subscribe today on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher and Overcast, or your chosen podcast platform.