British and Irish Lions hooker Richard Hibbard insists he will continue his combative style of play, despite the toll it took on his body last season.
The new Gloucester signing, who played in all three Lions Tests in Australia admits that his body was wrecked during Wales’ spring Test matches.
And the 30-year-old went under the knife to fix a shoulder injury, keeping him out of the summer tour to South Africa, but Hibbard says he will continue to lead by example.
“The fans can expect nothing less than what I always do,” he told Wales Online.
“The day I stop doing that is the day I have to stop, I won’t change my game no matter who I am playing for or how old I am, I have to be leading from the front.”
Hibbard joins Gloucester after ten years with the Ospreys, but admits that the quality of the players and teams in the Premiership is what persuaded him to move across the border.
“If you look at the Premiership final it almost exceeded the Heineken Cup such was the quality and whenever we have come up against them there have always been quality teams,” he said.
“From the top to the bottom they are good, organised teams, being part of that will improve my game. There are big teams and big men in this league and you really have to knock them down.
“We have to go for everything, with the squad size and quality we have we should be challenging for everything.”
