THE BEST OF THE GREATEST RUGBY MAGAZINE

2 021
STARRING

JOE MARLER
DAN CARTER
ANTOINE DUPONT
JUSTIN TIPURIC
TADHG FURLONG

EMILY SCARRATT
LOUIS REES-ZAMMIT
FINN RUSSELL
JONNY MAY
AND MANY MORE!

FIRST
EDITION

Digital
Edition

STARRING

25 RUGBY RECORDS THAT YOU PROBABLY DON’T KNOW

2 02 1

Welcome to the Rugby World Annual, packed full of the best
features, interviews and exclusives from the world’s
greatest rugby magazine over the past 12 months.
There are a host of features on rugby record breakers. All Black Dan
Carter (below), the top Test point-scorer, reflects on his life in pictures
while England’s most-capped player, Rocky Clark, talks to Stephen
Jones about her career and the current state of women’s rugby. We
also bring together England men’s top try-scorers Rory Underwood
and Jonny May as well as highlighting a few more unusual records.
There are exclusive interviews with 2021 British & Irish Lions stars
Louis Rees-Zammit, Sam Simmonds, Finn Russell and Chris Harris,
alongside tales from previous tours to South Africa.
Plus, there is a look at incredible stories from around the world, such
as the Italian club taking on the mafia and how the Lebanon rugby
community rallied after last year’s explosion.
With analysis of top teams and players as well as advice on
particular skills, there is everything a rugby fan could want!

2021

Future PLC Quay House, The Ambury, Bath, BA1 1UA

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Rugby World Editorial
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Tel +44 (0)1225 442 244

CONT

22
98

54

08
14
22
26

Dan Carter
The New Zealand legend’s life in pictures
Rugby’s Real Heroes
Seven inspiring stories from around the world
My Day Off… Joe Marler
The Harlequins prop discusses his podcasting career
Downtime with… Sam Simmonds
The Exeter and Lions No 8 talks gaming,
gifts and guilty pleasures

30

The Analyst: Antoine Dupont
Is the France scrum-half the world’s best player?
A look at the Toulouse No 9’s skill-set

34

Rugby taking on the mafia
How a Sicilian team is helping to save children
from the grips of organised crime

36
42
48

Ten Lions Tales
Stories from British & Irish Lions trips to South Africa
Kicking in Rugby
A comparison of the men’s and women’s games

54

Downtime with… Finn Russell
The Racing 92, Scotland and Lions fly-half talks
Maradona, Mastermind and muscles

58
62

The Analyst: Exeter Chiefs
How Rob Baxter’s team mastered the pick and go

64
70
76
6

Louis Rees-Zammit
The Gloucester, Wales and Lions wing on his rapid
progress – and why he’s getting faster

Gcobani Bobo
The former Springbok discusses his life-changing
experience of living in a cave
Rory Underwood and Jonny May
The England wingers talk tries, teams and targets
Rugby Records
From splendid tries to space travel – 25 unusual feats
Aaron Smith
The All Blacks No 9 is analysed by former
England fly-half Stuart Barnes

ENTS
80

Downtime with… Shota Horie
The Japan hooker talks superpowers,
superstitions and the supernatural

84

The Analyst: Tadhg Furlong
Sean Holley assesses the all-court game of
the Leinster, Ireland and Lions tighthead

88

Colombia
How Cafeteros Pro became the South American
country’s first professional team

90

Justin Tipuric
The Ospreys and Wales flanker’s journey from
a small village to the top of the rugby world

94

Gen Z
If rugby is to grow, it needs new, younger fans. But
is the sport doing enough to win over the kids?

98

Rocky Clark
RW columnist Stephen Jones pays tribute to
England’s most-capped player

102

Downtime with… Adam Radwan
The Newcastle Falcons wing talks crisps,
conspiracy theories and cups of tea

106

The Analyst: Bristol Bears
Why the Gallagher Premiership club are turning
heads with their attacking style

110

A Rugby Chaplain
Martin Lewis provides an insight into his work
behind the scenes at Cardiff Rugby

112

Dave Attwood
The Bristol lock is studying to be a lawyer – and
he’s already defending team-mates in hearings

116

Fly-halves
Is the No 10 still rugby’s most important position?
A look at how this pivotal role is changing

120

Ryan Baird
Get to know Ireland’s next big thing – the
giant Leinster second-row

124

Anton Lienert-Brown
How the All Blacks centre has become
comfortable at the highest level

120

76
48

7

Life in Pictures

M Y LIFE IN
PICTURES…
DAN CARTER
Interview Sarah Mockford // Main Picture Getty Images & Inpho

20

15

The point-piling All Black won two World Cups, 112 caps and
myriad club titles before retiring. Here are his highs and lows…

GOL D EN M OM E N T
“I love this photo. Celebrating with
some of my best friends. The highlight
of my day. We’ve won (the World Cup
final against Australia). It was a magical
game, we celebrated on the field, and
in this moment it’s just the team – no
media, no fans, no family, no sponsors.
“It’s a big part of the reason I played
the game, these moments straight after
– sitting in the changing room, looking
your team-mates in the eye after the

hard work and sacrifice. We spent a few
hours in that changing room celebrating
and it was such a special time.
“You can see ‘Bill’ in the middle of the
floor. Getting our hands on Bill was very
special as we created history as the first
team to win back-to-back World Cups
and the first All Blacks team to win the
World Cup outside New Zealand.
“It’s probably Ma’a Nonu who was
leading the chants, the singalongs.
I’m full of joy in a moment like this.”
8

Life in Pictures

20
10

OVERTAKING JONNY
“I knew I was on the verge
of breaking Jonny’s (Wilkinson)
record (for most Test points), but
for me there was no celebration.
“The Millennium Stadium is my
favourite ground in the world
and to reach a milestone there
against the team I played my first
Test against was very special, but
I just ran back to halfway as we

9

still needed to win the game –
that’s the most important thing.
“Jonny took that record back,
then I got it off him again (Carter
scored 1,598 Test points in all).
It’s probably something more in
hindsight that I’m really proud of.
It’s not why I played the game,
to break records, but when
you’ve finished and are looking
back, it’s a nice achievement.”

Life in Pictures

BAC K TO M Y R O OTS

20
20

“When things opened up
after the second Covid lockdown
in Auckland, I was lucky to have
the opportunity to play club rugby
for Southbridge. The club was a
big part of my childhood and this
was the final for the amateur title.
“We won the local Ellesmere
comp, the Coleman Shield, and
it was a great experience. I have
good friends there and my cousin
scored a hat-trick, showing me up!
“You remember why you play the
game, playing alongside people
who aren’t aspiring to play Super
Rugby or international rugby, who
just play for the camaraderie and
the beer afterwards. I really
enjoyed it and I’ve already got
the manager hounding me to see
what my plans are this season!”

CUP OF G LE E

20

“It’s huge. It’s a challenge to
drink out of but that’s why you
want to retain the Bledisloe Cup,
so the Wallabies don’t have the
satisfaction of drinking out of it!
“We won it back in 2003, my first
year, and my team-mates were in
tears because they’d been part of
losing Bledisloe Cup teams. From

08
T I P P IN G P OINT

20
12

“Harry Ellis welcoming me to
European rugby! My first game for
Perpignan and he welcomed me
by tipping me upside down.
Thankfully I landed okay and
we won an important game.
“I loved it at Perpignan.
I felt like I needed a new
challenge; I’d been part of
the NZ rugby system for
seven years and I felt like I
Carter is married to
needed a change to freshen
former New Zealand
up mentally, to test myself.
hockey player Honor
“I didn’t play as much as I
Dillon and the couple
wanted – four or five games
have four children,
later I ruptured my Achilles
Marco, Fox, Rocco
– but I still experienced the
and Cruz. He says of
Heineken Cup and saw how
family life: “I love it.
special the Top 14 is to
It’s an exciting time.”
French supporters.”

DID YOU
KNOW?

10

then I realised the importance of
the trophy; it means a lot to me.
“We’ve an amazing rivalry with
the Wallabies. I remember John
Eales kicking a goal and Toutai
Kefu scoring a try with the last
play to beat the All Blacks before
my time. I held onto the cup
throughout my career, which
was really special to achieve.”

Life in Pictures

20
03

TOUG H LE SSON

WRON G N UMB E R

07

Adidas took the 12 jersey to be
tested to work out why it ripped,
but then got it fixed up for me.
“My debut was a really proud
moment for me and my family,
and there was a lot of importance
on this game as we’d lost the
week before to England.
“I was lucky to play in a team on
fire that day, which made my job
easy. I got to kick a few goals and
score a try (NZ won 55-3). From
this day on, I realised I didn’t want
the feeling to ever stop; I’d work
as hard as I could to play for the
All Blacks for as long as I could.”

20

“This was my All Blacks
debut, when my dream became a
reality, against Wales in Hamilton.
“A lot of people watch that game
again and wonder what I’m doing
with 26 on my back. Early in the
game my jersey got ripped and
I had to change from 12 to 26.
“Steve Hansen was coaching
Wales and made my opposite
number (Mark Taylor) give me his
jersey without swapping. So I had
three Test jerseys for my debut; it
wasn’t only a dream but I picked
up three bits of memorabilia!

“Me getting absolutely
smothered by Thierry Dusautoir
and Vincent Clerc, which was the
story of that RWC quarter-final.
They played extremely well.
“After the disappointment of
2003 (knocked out in the RWC
semis), this was a big World Cup
for us and we got outplayed by a
really passionate French team.
We didn’t have any answers to
the way they were playing, we
were under so much pressure.
“I remember this game for all the
wrong reasons. Looking back, that
experience was a big part of the
reason we won in 2011 and 2015.
It was the learnings we took from
this World Cup and this game.”

20

20
20

“I was devastated when the
Japan season was cancelled (due
to Covid) and Leon MacDonald
got me at a weak moment, asking
if I’d help out the Blues, which is
something I never thought I’d do.
“You almost forget what colours
you’re in when doing what you
love, getting that competitiveness
back in your veins. It’s something
I really missed when sport was
taken away from us during Covid.
“This was an opportunity to get
back out and work with world-class
players like Beaudie (Barrett).”

15

MEN IN B LUE

11

20

“We had quite a journey,
Skip (Richie McCaw) and I. We
played a lot together, not only at
All Blacks level but for Crusaders.
“This was a bittersweet moment;
we had the World Cup around the
corner but wouldn’t be putting on
a Crusaders jersey again. He’s a
nice person to hang up the jersey
with, a real leader in that team.
“We still keep in contact and
have good catch-ups. It always
ends up back on rugby; we’re
both passionate about the game,
about how the All Blacks and
New Zealand rugby is going.”

02

DOUBLE ACT

F IR ST TA STE
“This was either our first or
last game of the U21 World Cup
because I can tell it’s at Ellis Park.
For me, that was the first time
wearing the black jersey with a
silver fern. It wasn’t quite an All
Blacks jersey but was a stepping
stone to reaching my dream.
“Unfortunately we got beaten by
South Africa in the semi. It was my
first opportunity to represent my
country – a very proud moment. It
was also my first long-distance
travel and a real eye-opener.”

Life in Pictures

18

FA NS’ FAVOUR ITE

20

“This was my first game for
Kobe Steelers. Japan is such an
incredible place; I’d been there
before with the All Blacks and
then went to play for a company.
“You never really feel part of
a team until you play your first
game and we got a win in Tokyo
against Suntory – the first time
we’d beaten Suntory in a long

N EA R P ERFEC T I O N

05

a couple of tries, kicked a few
goals, helped the team to win the
Lions series (he scored 33 points).
“I remember this try in particular
because I had three guys outside
me. I should have passed, but I
stepped inside and ran to the line.
When you’re young, you play on
instinct and have such freedom,
which is exactly what I was doing.
“I see the highlights pop up on
social media every now and then.
It takes me back and I realise how
special that game was for me.”

20

“As a rugby player you’re
striving for the perfect game. It’s
something you strive towards but
never get to. Through 112 Tests,
I think this is the closest I got.
“It was a hugely important game,
the second Test in the Lions
series, and they put us under
pressure early in the game when
Gareth Thomas scored a try.
“After that, there was a sense of
flow for me and I didn’t realise
how well it was going. I picked up

time. Then we went round the
crowd, photos and autographs
with fanatical Japanese fans.
“It’s such a different experience,
playing in New Zealand and in
France and in Japan. I loved
playing there. The culture is
very different, the rugby is very
different, so it was an amazing
opportunity to test myself in a
different environment. I loved it.”

20
11

PA IN GA ME
“My third World Cup, in
New Zealand. I felt primed and
ready, that this would be our
World Cup as All Blacks. I was
in such a good headspace, I
thought I was in the prime of my
career at 28 and I wanted to
help steer the team to a first
World Cup win in 24 years.
“This is the captain’s run
before the Canada game. Earlier
I’d been named captain for the
first time – I’d been vice-captain
for about three years behind
Richie McCaw. I went into this
training session feeling good.
“On my fourth kick at goal,
after I made contact with the
ball, I dropped to the ground.

A lot of people thought I was
playing a joke on Graham Henry
as he was quite anxious leading
into Test matches; I made a bit
of a scream and was quite
theatrical apparently.
“In this photo I knew my World
Cup dream was over. I’d kicked
a million balls before this and
I knew it was a serious injury.
Sure enough, I’d torn my
adductor off the pubic bone.
“It was the lowest point of
my career and it was a battle
getting back into a positive
headspace, but I was able to get
through this through supportive
team-mates, friends and family.
“I still felt part of it (the win) but
not as fulfilled as I’d have liked.”

Life in Pictures
MAGIC M IL ESTO N E

20

13

“My dad made the trip over
to London so he could celebrate
with me and it was such a proud
moment, at the home of rugby at
Twickenham, to play my 100th
Test. The game didn’t go so well,
I injured my Achilles, but we won,
which is always nice.
“I still remember after this photo
that the team did a private haka
for my father and I in the changing
room. It was so moving to see.”

TOP TRUM P S

20

“You’re never going to top
winning the World Cup but to
fast-forward eight months and be
playing in front of 100,000 people
in the Nou Camp and win the
Top 14 in my first year at Racing
was incredible. It’s a stadium I
went to all the time when I was at
Perpignan as a Barcelona fan.
“It wasn’t only the crowd but the
game. We had a red card after 18
minutes to our half-back (Maxime
Machenaud) but went on to win
with 14 men against a really good
Toulon side. We got our hands on
the Bouclier, which was incredible.
“In Perpignan we won the title
and I got my first taste of it, but
I didn’t play in the final as I was
injured. You realise how much
it means to people, how much
history is behind you. It was an
amazing 12 months of my career.”

16

20
17

ON THE CATWA LK
“I enjoy fashion but never
thought I’d be sitting front row in
Paris. I was fortunate when I was
living there to be invited to a
couple of fashion shows, sitting
alongside Lewis Hamilton here.
“I was well out of my comfort
zone, but at the same time it
was an amazing experience.
It’s very different to a rugby field
and a very long way from the
little New Zealand country
town where I grew up.” n

13

Words Tom English & Sarah Mockford // Main Image Jamie Latchford

RUGBY’S REAL HEROES
We shine a spotlight on the incredible
work being done around the world
with seven inspiring stories

14

Heroes

ALK OF rugby’s values can
be trite, descriptions of acts
on a rugby field as heroic
or brave can be overused,
yet the stories covered
on the following pages highlight how
special this sporting community is.
Here we highlight lesser-known
stories of those members of the rugby
family who have gone above and
beyond. Not all heroes wear capes…

T

15

Heroes

RELIEF EFFORT
N TUESDAY 4 August
2020, a huge explosion of
ammonium nitrate in the
Port of Beirut killed more
than 200 people, injured
a further 6,500 and destroyed swathes
of buildings. The disaster only added to
Lebanon’s problems, with the Covid-19
pandemic and economic collapse
already putting the country in crisis.
“Lebanon has gone through hell
the past year,” says Lebanon Rugby
CEO Sol Mokdad, who was sitting on
his seventh-floor balcony just a few
kilometres from the port when the
explosion happened.
“The ground started shaking, then
there was a loud sonic boom, the
doors came off their frames and glass
shattered. Looking down on the street
no one knew what was going on.”

O

As news of the explosion filtered
through, WhatsApp groups flooded with
messages checking on everyone’s
wellbeing. Fortunately no one involved
in the country’s rugby community was
seriously injured and they were
determined to help, with many heading
straight to the danger zone.
“Players went down of their own
choice, people ran towards the explosion
instead of away from it,” says Mokdad.
“Our medical manager (Wadih Nassif)
is heavily involved with the Lebanese
Red Cross, so he was helping with

immediate relief. Around 50-60 players
– kids, women, men – turned up to help
with clearing up, made sandwiches to
help feed people… It was pretty organic
how players went and volunteered.”
Mokdad pays tribute to the work of
Manuel Stanislas, who is in charge of
junior rugby in Lebanon, for “instilling
the values of rugby and the culture” in
the country’s youth players, many of
whom were among those to volunteer.
In addition to the practical efforts on
the ground, Lebanon Rugby launched
a Disaster Fund and appealed to the

“Pe ople ran to w ard s the e xp los ion
i n stead o f aw ay f ro m it. I t w as
orga n ic ho w p lay e rs v olun te e re d ”
16

Heroes
The aftermath
Damage caused by
the explosion in Beirut

CONCUSSION CAMPAIGN
ANUARY 2021 marked the
tenth anniversary of the
death of Ben Robinson, the
14-year-old player from
Northern Ireland who
suffered a traumatic brain injury during
a game and later died in hospital.
Most rugby fans will know Ben’s story
and the critical, life-saving lesson at its
heart: If in doubt, sit them out. Ben’s
dad, Peter, has campaigned for safety

J

Compared to 2011, rugby is far more
aware of the dangers of brain injury
– and that’s what it is. “It’s a brain
injury. The word ‘concussion’ rolls off
the tongue but when we brought Ben
into hospital they called it a traumatic
brain injury, not a concussion. It’s not
a Head Injury Assessment (HIA), it’s
a Brain Injury Assessment.
“The terminology is important. We’re
making progress. Now you have

“Ben’s d e ath w as p re v e n tab le .
A l l it w ould hav e take n that d ay
wa s f or p e op le to s p ot the s ig n s”
on the rugby field since that horrible
players retiring and talking about their
day. Through his work in highlighting
own experiences, and it helps educate
the importance of education around
people. We’ll keep going, trying to
the area of brain injury, Peter Robinson highlight the message. Sometimes
may have helped stop another kid and
I tell coaches if you think it’s a hard
another family from suffering the way
decision to take a kid off a pitch with
his boy and his people have done.
a suspected brain injury, it’s not.
He’s a former rugby player, a
Switching off
rugby fan and a rugby protector.
a life support
“I know the benefits of rugby
machine, that’s
and the comradeship you get
a hard decision.”
from it, and to rule that out would
The awful
be wrong because of what
sadness is that it
Steve Thompson, Alix
happened to Ben,” he says.
took Ben’s death
Popham and Michael
“Ben’s death was preventable.
for the game to
Lipman are among
Rugby wanted to educate him
start waking up.
the former players
about nutrition and strength and
Rugby owes Peter
who are taking legal
conditioning but nobody ever
Robinson all its
action against World
spoke about concussion. All it
gratitude, support
Rugby, the RFU and
would have taken that day was for
and respect for
the WRU having been
people to spot the signs and know
everything that
diagnosed with early
what to do. Nobody did. The game
he’s doing in
onset dementia.
was stopped four times for Ben.”
Ben’s name.

DID YOU
KNOW?

wider rugby community to donate.
Mokdad describes it as “pretty
overwhelming” that nearly £15,000
has been raised, to be split equally
between the Lebanese Red Cross
and Beit El Baraka, a local charity.
The governing body, which is planning
to apply for full membership of World
Rugby, had already been helping to
provide food for poor families before
the explosion and wants to continue
with such social initiatives through
the Friends of Lebanon Rugby
(friendsoflebanonrugby.org).
“The idea is to give 50% raised to the
Red Cross and Beit El Baraka, and the
other to the Lebanon Rugby Social
Impact Fund to finance initiatives for
players to do things and develop
Lebanon Rugby, to spread the values
of rugby to impoverished communities.”

Sign of the times Important messaging around head injuries is visible at Scotland’s home, BT Murrayfield
17

Heroes

GIRL POWER
N JUST five years, David
McGuigan has grown the girls’
section at Old Reigatian RFC
from nothing to
nearly 100 players.
And the club’s female arm
already have silverware
in their trophy cabinet as
the U13s won the Surrey
Waterfall Cup in April 2019.
Yet McGuigan isn’t solely focused on
the girls’ set-up, he will throw himself
into all club activities. “He’s one of those
guys that every rugby club has, who’ll
do anything for anyone and is the first to
put his name down to help,” says Matt
Garbett, one of the girls’ coaches. “He’ll
send us coaches emails at 1am – I don’t

I

know when he sleeps! He’s an inspiration
to us all and a true rugby man.”
McGuigan was coaching boys at the
club when he decided to launch a girls’
section because there was nowhere for
his daughter, Caitlin, to play. He started
off with only five players and there are
now 94 from U11s to U18s, with the
club’s recruitment impressive.

after his daughter, Lily, started playing,
says: “David had a vision to grow the
girls’ section and it has taken off.
David is the driving force.”
Even Covid didn’t dampen spirits.
As soon as they got the green light to
return to training in groups of six, players
were back doing skills work. The girls
embraced Ready 4 Rugby, the RFU’s

“He’s on e o f tho s e g uy s that e v e ry
rugby cl ub has , w ho’ ll d o an y thin g f or
a n yon e . He’s an in s p iratio n to us all”
The club are fortunate to have three
schools in the area – Reigate, St Bede’s
and Reigate Grammar – and players
often bring a few friends along. They
also set up a stall at Parkruns and other
local events to try to attract new players.
Garbett, who switched from coaching
his son in the boys’ section to the girls

Winning feeling
Old Reigatian celebrate
their 2019 cup success

18

new non-contact game, and during the
lockdowns McGuigan put in place ways
to keep them engaged.
Another goal is to launch a women’s
team in the next three years. Given their
success at age-grade level, it wouldn’t
be a surprise if that was achieved
sooner rather than later.

Heroes

ALL INCLUSIVE
Y LIFE changed
forever while on patrol
in Afghanistan.” Darren
Carew was left with
serious physical and
mental injuries when the vehicle he
was in was blown apart by an IED
(improvised explosive device) 13 years
ago, but now he is focused on getting
‘Jersey for All’
more people involved in sport as the
Carew at a wheelchair rugby session
WRU’s disability rugby coordinator.
Carew opted to have his left leg
amputated below the knee four
years after the incident due to the
chronic pain, while he lives with a
brain injury that can affect his speech
and memory. It’s the mental toll that
he has found toughest, though, and
HEN A series of
that is where his day job helps.
concussions brought
“Coping mentally with the
his playing days to a
consequences of your injuries and
premature end at just 21,
the long-term effects of the hidden
Kārlis Sarkans knew he
injuries are almost a bigger trauma
wanted to stay involved in the game and
than the physical injuries,” he says.
decided to take up refereeing. Within
“Being involved in sport helps. It’s
a year he was refereeing in the Latvia
a way of helping other people and
Championship and now, a decade and a
processing what happened to me.
half later, he is the country’s top official.
I’m lucky to have found myself in a
We often talk about the importance of
role where I can make a difference
referees, how matches cannot happen
again. Rugby has helped me to find
confidence within myself again.”
The aim of the WRU Disability
Rugby Strategy is to make the
oval-ball game more inclusive,
so everyone in Wales can get
involved. ‘Jersey for All’ is the
motto and, as well as delivering
sessions himself, Carew has put
together a programme that
means more opportunities are
available in wheelchair rugby,
mixed ability rugby, deaf and
visually impaired rugby. He’s even
Taking charge
been to Kitakyushu in Japan to
Sarkans on refereeing duty
run sessions as part of the WRU’s
engagement work pre-RWC 2019.
without them, and that is underlined in
“You do something at home and
developing nations, where numbers are
are proud but to take it to a different
limited. As Raimonds Rudzats, chairman
country and see it work… We weren’t
of the Sigulda club, puts it: “It’s almost
sure how the children would respond
impossible to have any fixture or
and it was an emotional experience
tournament without Kārlis because we
but in a good way,” says Carew.
are short of referees and we don’t have
Closer to home, Carew is pleased
any other at his level. That means most
to see such a diverse mix of people
of his leisure time for the past 15 years
now getting involved in rugby. “We
has been dedicated to Latvian rugby.
have kids as young as six and adults
He is the unsung hero of Latvian rugby.”
60-plus, with a massive range of
Latvia’s 15-a-side men’s league has
disabilities. It’s all about seeing the
six teams while in sevens there are two
impact. And smiles on faces.”

M

REFEREE STALWART

W

19

divisions. Throw in women’s and youth
matches, cross-border tournaments with
Lithuania and Rugby Europe Tests, and
that’s a lot of rugby that needs officiating.
“When the season is going, I’d say I
usually have two events per week,” says
Sarkans, who works as a systems analyst
for TietoEVRY. “I have three children –
the oldest is eight and the youngest
three and a half – so it is difficult trying
to get a balance, but somehow my wife
allows me to have the time to referee
and prepare for refereeing.”
Sarkans points to Alain Rolland
and Nigel Owens as officials he
has looked up to – he has even
incorporated the Welshman’s
game management and
communication style into his
own game. An exchange scheme
in 2006-07 also gave him the
chance to referee in England,
which proved a valuable
learning experience early on.
Yet refereeing isn’t always
rosy – abuse from the sidelines
is a regular occurrence while
political infighting is also casting
shadows over the sport in Latvia. For
now, though, 36-year-old Sarkans will
continue to devote a huge amount of
his time to rugby and the impact of that
should not be underestimated.
“I’ll try to do it as long as I can,” says
Sarkans. “Even if I stop the top games
because of negativity, I will referee kids’
or women’s matches to stay in the
game. At the moment I’m still enjoying it.
If I stop, I’ll have to find another way to
get positive emotions. I don’t want to
leave the game as it’s in my heart.”

Heroes

UKE IGOLEN-ROBINSON
was lining up the ball-carrier,
ready to make the tackle, but
rather than make contact
with the opponent’s hip with
his shoulder he did it with his head. Dad
Carl, one of the coaches, was watching
from the sidelines. He’d seen Luke get
hurt before but the more time ticked on
with him still on the ground, the more
his eyes drifted from play to his prone
son. When he saw the doctor put his
hands around Luke’s head to stabilise
his neck, Carl knew it was serious.
Luke had broken his neck, aged 15,
while playing for his school, Haileybury.
To complicate matters, they were in
Argentina, the injury sustained in a game
against Los Tordos RC in Mendoza, and
neither father nor son spoke Spanish.
“It was really tough,” recalls Luke, a
little over two years later. “My arm was
agony because of nerve damage but

L

“It wa s toug h d o in g all the re hab
but I had to d o it to p lay ag ain
a n d I w as d e te rm in e d to d o that”
I couldn’t tell anyone that. The nurses
were trying to do tests and I couldn’t
tell them not to move my right arm.”
It soon became clear, however, that
they would not be left in this situation
alone. Players and parents and coaches
from Los Tordos started arriving at the
hospital and offering support, one of
their number crucial in communicating
with the insurance company’s Buenos
Aires office to ensure the required
surgery could go ahead. There was also
a visit from an Argentina federation
medic as well as a surprise appearance
from a trio of Pumas internationals.
“I’d asked the medic if Luke wanted to
play again could he,” says Carl, “and he

PICS Jo Garbett, Getty Images, Carl Igolen-Robinson, Danté Kim, WRU/Huw Evans Agency & Zigismunds Zalmanis/Latvian Rugby Federation

SHOW OF RESILIENCE

20

said that if the surgery was successful,
then there would be no greater risk than
anyone else taking the field. It was an
important moment as we didn’t know if
he’d play again until then.”
While the Igolen-Robinsons were back
home a couple of weeks after the injury
had occurred, the road to recovery was
long and at times rocky. Carl contacted
Juan Figallo, one of those Pumas who
visited in Mendoza, to ask him to mentor
Luke through his rehab, which was led
by Jonathan George, Jamie’s brother
who is a physio at Saracens.
“It was tough getting all the rehab
done but I knew I had to do it to play
again and I was determined to do that,”

Heroes

says Luke. “Once I got told I could still
play that’s all I had eyes on.”
Luke made his return in the school
second team a little over a year after
breaking his neck and was playing in
the first XV just a few weeks later. Carl
has chronicled the whole journey in
a new book, A
Break in Mendoza,
that is raising
money for the RFU
Injured Players
Foundation.
The RFU Injured
“There are two
Players Foundation
themes to the
is England Rugby’s
book,” says Carl.
official charity. It
“One is Luke’s
supports players who resilience, courage
sustain spinal cord
and determination.
and brain injuries.
The other is the
Find out more
support of the
about the charity by
rugby family, its
visiting rfuipf.org.uk
ethos and values.”

Cooking to order
Richmond staff prepare meals

DID YOU
KNOW?

FOOD FOR THOUGHT
UGBY CLUBS were
all hit hard by the
Covid-19 pandemic
but community spirit
remains, with Richmond
FC a prime example. As soon as rugby
had to shut down in March 2020, the
club turned their attention to helping
the most vulnerable in the area. They
arranged food bank collections and
provided second-hand laptops to
families struggling with homeschooling.
During that summer, Richmond used
their allocation from the London

R

external funding to cover the costs
involved but the club were able to
raise the necessary money.
“We couldn’t not do something so
it was how we could get it off the
ground,” explains Dom Palacio,
Richmond’s head of community rugby.
“Ultimately we were losing money
hand over fist because there was no
play, so the first question was how
would the club pay for it.
“We had a small amount, a few
hundred pounds, left from the summer
budget, so we went with that and

“The re w as n’ t m uc h rug b y g oin g
on , b ut this has b e e n a p o s itiv e
wa y to g iv e b ac k to s oc ie ty ”

Surprise visitors
Pumas stars Tomas Cubelli
(left), Juan Figallo and Diego
Fortuny drop in on Luke in hospital

Community Response Fund to provide
local schoolchildren with a cooked
meal each day, as well as a cold
packed lunch with help from the local
college and Carluccio’s restaurant. It
meant finding out who needed help
through the club’s partner schools,
bringing back two catering staff from
furlough to cook the meals and
recruiting volunteers to deliver them.
Then last October, after the
Government denied Marcus Rashford’s
petition to extend free school meals
into half-term, the club whizzed into
action again. This time there was no
21

then put a call out to help us with
donations via JustGiving. The
community support was huge, with
almost £4,500 raised in a week.”
The club also reached out to more
schools to identify children in need
and what started as 44 meals on the
Monday had grown to 98 by the end
of the week. “People have been so
grateful for the help – it’s been a really
humbling experience,” says Palacio.
“The easy thing for people to do is sit
on the sofa as there’s not much rugby
going on, but this has been a positive
way to give back to society.” n

My Day Off

Braced for impact
Marler in Six Nations
action for England

…
F
F
O
Y
A
D
H
T
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I
M ING W R
T
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O
E
P
JO
Main
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moc

Pictu

an
re D

iel G

ould

r has
e
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a
Joe M rection…
d
a
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seh new di
o
o
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s and alk ing him
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Harle enjoyed t
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Wor

Alan

22

Dy

My Day Off

ALKING EXCLUSIVELY
rugby on a podcast
would not float Joe
Marler’s boat. Well,
that’s putting it
without colour. Ask
the man himself if he’d considered
starting a rugby pod and he says: “You
know there are certain things you have
to do, like taking the bins out. But if you
do a podcast, I wanted to do a podcast
that sort of made my d*** hard.”
And like that, we are off and rolling.
Yes, we can talk to the Harlequins
loosehead prop about the England
squad. Or the Premiership season.
Or how his view of his own game
has evolved over time. And some
of those things do come up while
chatting. He is very appreciative of
what rugby has brought him in life.
But it is clear the forward is throwing
himself headlong at a podcast, The Joe
Marler Show alongside Tom Fordyce,

T

“ We’ v e had on e o f o ur
e p is od e s p ulle d b y
Jam e s B o n d ’s b o s s e s .
T hat’s g uttin g b ut c ool”

Man on the mic
Recording a podcast

23

which is decidedly un-rugby. The
premise? The pair interview folk from
totally different walks of life and see
what they can find out. Astronauts,
zookeepers and psychopath experts
have come in for questioning. Curiosity
can take you to places you never
thought possible, even if in that place
you chat about animal poo or aliens.
It’s not quite like the future co-hosts’
eyes met across a crowded room in
Japan, but the seeds of this relationship
were sown at the Rugby World Cup,
when Marler was representing England
on the field and Fordyce was working
from the wings with BBC Radio 5 Live.
“I was 5 Live’s man in the England
camp, which basically meant I’d have a
succession of pleasant five-minute chats
with three different players each day,”
Fordyce says. “So, then Joe and I had
a half-hour chat that covers all these
topics, including the cast of Neighbours,
or before he went to Japan whether he
thought ramen was what the posher end
of Quins’ support was called” – the old
gag earns a theatrical eye-roll off Marler.
“It was the best chat I had in Japan.
Then Joe obviously wrote his book. The
publisher was the same as the Peter
Crouch book, which I also wrote

My Day Off
(with Crouch), and we had done a
podcast off the back of that. They asked
me if I’d consider doing a pod with Joe.
“You know you are meant to make
loads of careful analysis of decisions
like this and scratch your chin and go
into it. But actually, you definitely know
straightaway. I just went ‘Yep!’”
Marler offers his side of things at this
point: “Um, it wasn’t overly quick.
“With the publisher, when I first met
them, they had this vision, ‘Look, we
want you to write a book, and we’d love
you to set up a podcast as well.’ And
I was kinda like, ‘I haven’t got a book’.
They said, ‘No no, we would like you
to write one.’ Oh, okay.
“Then they said ‘We’ll pay
you this,’ and I said ‘Pardon?!’
“What if I write it and it’s a
“He’s definitely met aliens”
really s*** book? Do I have to pay
Astronaut Tim Peake
this money back? They said, ‘No,
has been a guest
you don’t have to pay it back’
and I went ‘Okay, fine yeah, I’ll
happily write a book and do
a podcast.’ Because it was
something different.
“I guess I’m at the point in
my career now where I’m not
getting any younger (he’s 31).
I’m clinging on for dear life on
the pitch. And now it’s been
dawning on me quite quickly
that I need something else.
“What next? If rugby stopped now,
better to be honest, I’ve got a baseline”.
what else can I get my teeth into? Me
Perhaps overly modest for someone
and my wife have got a bit of a project
who has played in a World Cup final
we want to get stuck into and in order
and worn the red of the British & Irish
to do that we have to come up with
Lions, but we take the point. He’s
some other streams to provide that.”
saying that he has learnt where his
Candidly, Marler says he is aware that
strengths lie and how best to get the
so much has revolved around him, his
optimum out of himself. Nothing about
needs, his schedule throughout his
his rugby is going to radically change
relationship with wife Daisy. In order for
now, so on his way back to home base
elite athletes to be, well, elite, sacrifices
he can muse over pod plans.
have to be made. Often that word
As it turns out, that sense of stumbling
‘sacrifices’ actually means making many
on a job that you then give your all
things about you. And so promoting
presented itself in a novel way during
a book and a podcast means the
lockdown. When home-schooling son
attention falls on the prop once again.
Jasper, he found himself relishing
But as the ticking clock of a career
preparing plans for the next day, getting
gets harder to ignore, Marler talks of the
family dream: a coffee shop or café that
sells infants’ clothes and toys. A nirvana
for fatigue-fighting parents, you suspect.
Compartmentalising is also something
Marler believes he can be quite good
at. It’s unlikely his two working worlds,
of rugby and podcasting, can ever
interfere with each other, because his
three-hour commute to and from
training offers him ample time to segue
from thinking about one to the other.
Channelling his inner Liam Neeson,
he says of his rugby that he has “a
particular set of skills – I can’t get much
24

a ruler out and designing tables
on the page. Of course, the
best-laid plans and all that, he
found that the real challenge
was corralling his son to the
desk for prolonged periods.
The conversation doesn’t
sit still either. Over the course of 40
minutes topics pop, like the black
market for buying dogs in Covid times,
chicken sexing and being “accused
by a knight of the realm of being the
reason for losing a final,” in reference
to Sir Clive Woodward being grumpy
about Marler and Dan Cole not being
stony-faced in a pre-World Cup final
press conference in Japan.
Yet by his own admission, Marler used
to find it hard opening up. Press events
were seen as something of a duel.
Fordyce has ghosted a number of
athletes’ books – including cricketer
Chris Gayle’s gloriously-named Six
Machine – and feels that over time,
when the big life questions arise,
such people can open up. But in real
life, isn’t it the most human thing to talk
about the smaller things?
Marler replies: “Yeah, definitely, but
there’s also the other side of it where
players then worry that if they do start
talking about irrelevant or different
things, they can be accused of not
concentrating on the job.
“Hang on, can’t there be an
understanding that you can do both?”
As a younger man, Marler says, he
had his guard up with the media.
The assumption being that whatever

My Day Off
Smörgåsbord of expressions Some of the many faces of Joe Marler during his unconventional show

“H e’s a q uic k le arn e r. He’ ll d o
thi n gs w itho ut y ou re m in d in g him .
I thin k he’s a p o d c as t n atural”
Their eyes meet
Marler and Fordyce
happened, the predisposition was to
go for the negatives and the flashy
headline. But after well-documented
run-ins with the press and the rugby
authorities, he soon decided that “if
I’m always looking at this as ‘you’re all
bad people’, nothing will ever change,
my outlook will never change”. And so
he sought to talk with everyone he
encounters on a ‘human level’ to
see where they are coming from.
Analysing his own early podcast
performances, Marler has had
back-and-forths with the team involved.
Evidently, he tries to hone his craft.
“He’s a quick learner as well,” Fordyce
adds of his co-host. “There will be points

where I’ll say, ‘There’s a little thing that
we can do here where you can do this
or try doing this’. And he gives you a
Joe look and nods his head. But then
he’s doing it in the next episode without
you having reminded him. I don’t want
to blow smoke up his arse but I think
he’s a bit of a podcast natural.”
Joe interjects with: “Podcast nause.”
Every day is a school day, if you are
willing to learn, and lessons can come
from anywhere. Marler explains that
Fordyce was too aggressive when he
asked a stuntwoman straight up how
much it would cost for them to set their
arm alight – that’s too personal a
question, say Marler. Fordyce concedes.
Then there was the one episode that
both men loved but that was lost to the
world forever, as Fordyce explains:

Mutual respect
With England boss
Eddie Jones

“We did an entire episode with
someone, and it blew our minds, but
because of the Official Secrets Act
we’ve had to pull it. It’s been pulled.”
Hold on… Here Marler comes back in:
“I can see your face, ‘Alright, these lads
have come up with a plan… just made
up bull****’. No, we did this. It was one
of my favourites. And then, about two
days after, Steve (Jones, from Crowd
Network) said: ‘Bad news guys, you
can’t hear that episode. It has been
pulled by the Secret Service.’
“That was a gutting one but at the
same time it was quite cool because,
well, we’ve had one of our episodes
pulled by James Bond’s bosses.”
At this stage, no one wants to
overthink how things can evolve too
far into the future (though the pair do
joke about a roadshow with Marler’s
Volkswagen Caravelle). Once they
throw around ideas about the best
people to talk to and formulate a plan,
Fordyce explains, they just rattle in to
chat with each other, see where it goes.
For Marler, it’s an exciting avenue to
explore while he is still at the very sharp
end of rugby. What a
great excuse it is to
meet interesting new
people and learn
DoB 7 July 1990
things along the way,
Born Eastbourne,
asking whatever
East Sussex
comes to mind.
Club Harlequins
Sitting at a desk or
Position Loosehead
in a van, staring into
Height 6ft
space, you can
Weight 17st 9lb
probably appreciate
England debut v
that. Because, hey,
South Africa, 2012
what the hell is a
Twitter @JoeMarler
‘penetration tester’? n

PICS Crowd Network, Daniel Gould & Getty Images

FACT FILE

25

Q & A

DOWNTIME WITH… SAM SIMMONDS

“I probably get
more angry losing a
game of FIFA than
losing at rugby”
The Exeter and Lions No 8 talks gaming, Secret Santa and debut song embarrassment
Interview Alan Pearey // Pictures AFP & Getty Images

hat’s the funniest thing
you’ve seen on the
pitch? Playing for Saxons
against South Africa,
Alec Hepburn tried a kick
that was charged down. Then against
Bristol this year, he tried another kick
and again it was charged down. Hailing
from Australia, he backs his AFL-style
kicking and I’ve not seen one work yet!
It wasn’t funny at the time but after the
game you can have a laugh about it.
Who would you like to be stuck in a lift
with? Stu Townsend. Just for morale.
You can bank on him having a pack of
cards, or some sort of game. He’s a guy
who whenever you’re in his company
you’re having a good time.
What really annoys you? I’m quite a big
gamer and losing on FIFA is a big one
for me. My partner (Emily) would say
she’s heard me on the weekend a lot.

W

WHAT’S
ON YOUR
PHO NE

Last person
you phoned
Jack Innard. He’d
asked if it was his turn
to buy the coffees

I probably get more angry losing a game – I wanted the boys to get involved in
the chorus. Some of them said I’d have
of FIFA than losing a game of rugby.
Any superstitions? I like to go out behind to do it again upstairs (in front of 200
Joe (Sam’s brother) as we walk onto the
people) but Dylan Hartley let me off.
pitch. I guess that’s a kind of superstition. It worked out better getting the
What would be your Mastermind
embarrassment over and done with.
specialist subject? Liverpool Football
What’s the silliest thing you’ve ever
Club. Say, the last 12 or 15 years, I’d try
bought? It would be something for our
and back myself on that.
Secret Santa that we do every year. If it’s
What’s your most embarrassing
a present that isn’t taking the mick, you
moment? When you get your first
have to own up and you get punished
(England) cap, you have to
for not getting into people.
sing a song. In the changing
But if I told you what I’d
room after my debut (home
bought, I might get a forfeit.
to Argentina, 2017), Eddie
Who would be your three
DoB 10 Nov 1994
did his talk about the game.
dream dinner party guests?
Born Torquay, Devon Steven Gerrard, one of my
Then I got up and said, “I
Club Exeter Chiefs
think I have to sing a song.” I
idols when I was younger.
Position No 8
didn’t know it was supposed
Liam Gallagher of Oasis,
Height 6ft
to be done at the dinner,
because he likes beer and
Weight 16st 2lb
when you receive your cap. I
he’d be quite fun. He’d have
England caps Seven some stories from when he
sang Build Me Up, Buttercup

FACT FILE

Last person
you texted
My mate Jack
Baxter. About
going on Warzone

Last photo
you took
We’ve got a new
TV on the wall. I
sent a pic to Emily

26

Favourite
social network
Instagram. I don’t
post much on
social networks

Favourite
music app
Apple Music

Human dynamo
Simmonds powers clear for
Chiefs against Northampton

Idol chatter
Steven Gerrard
was in the band. And Donald Trump, just
to see what the guy is actually like.
What’s the best thing you’ve won from
a raffle or a bet? I haven’t won much.
People like Alex Cuthbert and Jonny Hill
have had some big winners in the past
at Cheltenham. I’ve been to Cheltenham
twice and not won one race!
If you could be one of your team-mates,
who would you be? I’d say Nowellsy
(Jack Nowell) because of all those

Last app you
downloaded
Binance, a
cryptocurrency
app

Last song
you played
A Drake song,
What’s Next

“Being a lifeguard was easy money.
In two years I didn’t once have to
jump in. Or even tell anyone off ”
England caps. But he gets injured too
much. So maybe Luke Cowan-Dickie
just to know what’s going on in his head.
If your house was on fire, what’s the
first item you’d save? My European Cup
medal, quickly followed by my Xbox.
I grew up watching the Heineken Cup.
To have our name on the trophy and be
able to say I was in that team is amazing.
What’s the best gift you’ve received?
My parents paid to get my England debut
shirt framed for me. And my cap as well.
I’d already got my Premiership one
hung up at home.
To have the
England one next
to it is pretty cool.
Best book you’ve
read? I haven’t
read a book all
the way through.
Favourite
I start it and have
WhatsApp group
good intentions
The Lodge Lions,
of finishing but
my mates from
always feel I’m
back home
missing out on
27

something if I’m reading a book. I’d rather
watch a crime documentary on Netflix.
Any nicknames? Simmo. Or Chesney,
a ginger guy from Coronation Street.
Devo (Ollie Devoto) likes to call me that.
What’s your guilty pleasure? Ice cream.
Ben & Jerry’s and Häagen-Dazs. After
the final training session of the week, I
go home and pile into a Ben & Jerry’s.
What was your first job? My first proper
job was as a lifeguard at my local
swimming pool in Teignmouth. That was
when I was at college. It was the easiest
money I’ve ever made. The pool wasn’t
big and in two years I didn’t once have
to jump in. Or even tell anyone off. It
was near my house, so I’d get up ten
minutes before my shift, go over there,
sit for a couple of hours and go home.
How’d you like to be remembered? As
a good player but also as a good mate
by those I played with. You spend a lot
of time in the team environment, going
out on socials or away trips. When I’m
older, that’s something I’ll look back on
and say, “These were my best friends.” n

D E B AT E

FACE-OFF

Do red cards
ruin rugby as
a spectacle?
LIAM NAPIER NEIL TREACY
RUGBY’S RED card sanction needs
to change. It is too regimented and
outdated. Everyone agrees safety must
be paramount to counter concussion,
and the head must be protected. But
such a stance doesn’t have to come at
the cost of a genuine, fair contest.
Rugby is complicated – rapid at Test
level especially, requiring athletes to
make split-second decisions in contact.
At some point, there has to be common
sense to recognise that dangerous
collisions will, in some form, always
happen because of the different shapes
and sizes in our game.
How you treat complex,
varied situations preserves
the integrity of the contest.
Currently, red cards allow
no differentiation between
clear and obvious malicious
intent or slightly-mistimed
tackles that frequently occur.
Do red cards ruin games?
Not always. Smart, fit teams
can survive ten, 20 minutes
at a push, with 14 men. Any
longer and it’s beyond a fair
fight. Why not let red-carded
players be replaced after,
say, 20 minutes? The
offender doesn’t return –
they are cited, suspended if deemed
necessary. And the contest is preserved.
Those who fork out to attend live
events or pay subscription fees deserve
better. At least be open to change
instead of vehemently rejecting the
notion that evolution may be needed.
Must we witness a World Cup final
overshadowed by a debatable, early red
that makes a mockery of the showpiece
before the matter is properly addressed?

A rugby
journalist based
in New Zealand

Producer and
broadcaster at
Off The Ball

WHAT DO
YOU THINK?
Send your views to
rugbyworldletters
@futurenet.com

28

WHEN IT comes to protecting players
from unnecessary and dangerous blows
to the head, the game’s lawmakers
cannot afford to make any concessions
to the current way of policing.
Alternatives to a red card have been
flown like kites ever since World Rugby
started to take head shots seriously.
The idea of an ‘orange card’ (20-odd
minutes on the naughty step) is neither
one thing or the other. It’s acknowledging
something bad has happened without
having the minerals to fully act on it.
Putting the incident ‘on report’ like in
rugby league is an even
greater cop-out. It’s not
right that a player could
commit an offence worthy
of a six- or eight-week
suspension, but carry on
for the rest of the game
in order to protect ‘the
spectacle’. Hey, why ruin a
good day out just because
of potential brain damage?
In modern rugby, red cards
exist to protect players just
as much as they exist to
Red mist
punish. Removing them
A card in the
or tweaking them makes
Mitre 10 Cup
players less accountable for
their actions, and if players
are less accountable for their actions,
they’re more likely to offend again.
And arguably most importantly, by
making new concessions to their
well-documented framework, World
Rugby would be admitting defeat in
their fight to make rugby safer.
Please beware: If we remove red
cards in order to protect individual
games of rugby, there may not be
too much rugby left to protect.

P R O

I N S I G H T

HOW TO
SPIRAL KICK
Bristol Bears and Wales back Ioan Lloyd’s tips on putting boot to ball

INTERVIEW Sam Larner. PICS Getty Images

“I try to
use the spiral kick
because when you
connect properly it goes
further. You get that bit of a glide
with a spiral kick that carries it on.
If we were in our 22 and I’m trying
to kick it as high and as far down
the pitch as possible, ideally into
touch in their 22, that would
be very hard to do with
a normal kick.”

“Sean
Marsden (skills
coach) and Mark Tainton
(CEO and ex-fly-half) both talk
about holding the ball at 11 and five.
For a right-footed kicker, one end of
the ball would be pointing at 11 o’clock
and one end at five o’clock. I want to
keep my plant foot solid and I try to get
my hands as far out in front of me as
I can, so I can step into the kick. I
place the ball just outside my
right leg so I can get a
swing into the kick.”

“In practice
I’ll drop in the spiral
alongside other kicks. I
don’t do it that often, maybe four
or five times a session, but I know
my spiral is rolling if I can pull it off
during those random times. We try to
recreate the pressure of a game in
training by kicking at the end of the
session when we’re tired and out of
breath. Then the coaches will give us
a time limit or number of steps that
we have to get our kick in.
Callum Sheedy is really
good at that.”

“During the
week we’ll decide
on our exit strategies.
Usually in our 22 we want to
kick the ball long using the spiral
but everyone will scan to see if
there is an option to run instead. If
we’ve kicked long a few times,
they might have the wings
covered; that would open
up the middle of the
field for us.”
29

T H E

A N A LYS T

IS ANTOINE DUPONT
NOW THE WORLD’S
BEST PLAYER?
Sean Holley joins the throng of admirers saluting the dynamic French scrum-half

SINCE BECOMING the first French
winner of the Six Nations Player of the
Tournament in 2020, Antoine Dupont
has become even better. The diminutive
‘Toto’, as he’s known by colleagues,
epitomises the current France team:
unafraid to try things, ridiculously skilful
and brutally relentless. A joy to watch.
Dupont was one of several French
players to contract Covid in February. It
coincided with widespread talk that he
is the best scrum-half on the planet –
and it’s hard to disagree. Many would
say he’s the best player full stop. For
Dupont to carry this mantle, he would
need to fulfil some high-ranking criteria.
He ticks the boxes on his positional
skill-set – a slick pass, consummate
kicking, pinpoint tackle technique and

mesmeric running. His decision-making
for a relatively young player places him
right in this discussion too. In such a
pivotal position, his tactical appreciation
is vital to his team’s success.
But to reach the highest accolade
Dupont has to prove he can excel
beyond all others consistently at the

1

very highest level. Arguably players like
Richie Mo’unga, Pieter-Steph du Toit
and Cheslin Kolbe, to name a few, are
ahead on the game-changing impact
they are having on the world stage.
Dupont is certainly not far behind. I’ve
looked at three aspects of his display
during France’s 50-10 win in Italy…

All top scrum-halves will run ‘cheat’ lines in order to be at the next
place at the right time. Dupont has almost a sixth sense for this, as
his try against Italy showed. After passing from the lineout, Dupont
keeps ahead of the ball, tracking inside of play but running ahead
of the ball-carrier – knowing full well where the strike is meant to be.
That strike comes from wing Teddy Thomas, carving a break in the 13 channel.
Dupont short-cuts the line of his run, tracking Thomas and timing to perfection
the moment to receive the pass ahead of the covering defence to score.

SUPPORT
LINES

30

2

Dupont’s kick-through for Gaël Fickou to score in Rome was one
of the moments of the 2021 championship. Dupont recognises that
his opposite number Stephen Varney is covering the short side with
his blindside wing. Thomas makes a late run to that short side to
hold those two defenders. Fickou and Matthieu Jalibert start flat as running threats,
with No 8 Grégory Alldritt posing a distraction in midfield.
The defence is now in one line with no one in the backfield. As the ball is delivered
from the maul, Dupont takes a lateral step to encourage the defence to take off,
then kicks left-footed into the space for Fickou to run through and dot down in goal.

THE
INSIDE
LINE
Sean Holley on how you can
add a bit of Dupont dazzle

1

Arc de triomphe
The trick with ‘cheat’ lines is
knowing where the play is
meant to be and also knowing
what team-mates are capable
of. Some players are better at
offloading in contact – Dupont
gets closer to those and behind
so there is no forward pass. The
quicker guys that are likely to
step, he gets ahead of.
When coaching, teach players
not to run too far ahead of play
and the precise arc of the run.
To simply follow the line of play
takes the nine out of play when
play breaks down. He’s there as
a link, so should look to arrive as
fast as he can to move the ball.

THE KICK
THROUGH

3

Dupont is a prodigious offloader but the one that presented Arthur
Vincent with his try at Stadio Olimpico took the biscuit! After
chasing his fly-hack and getting in behind Gabin Villière, Dupont
jumps to gather his wing’s offload pass. He knows he’s not going
to make the try-line as Luca Sperandio bears down on him but his run has taken
him across Vincent’s support line. As Dupont falls in the tackle, he pops the ball
over his left shoulder (below), suspending it in the air and perfectly into the path
of Vincent for him to collect and saunter over. Jaw-dropping brilliance!

AUDACIOUS
OFFLOADS

2

Precision kick
France would have studied
how Italy defend from this
sort of lineout to create this play.
Dupont’s initial movement
is lateral to persuade Italy to
advance on him and France’s
back-line runners. It creates a
hole between two defenders
that Dupont has to accurately
thread the ball through – too
low a kick and defenders’ legs
can block; too high and it gives
time for defenders to get back.
The direction of the kick does
not allow Varney time to recover.
Nor must the outside defenders
be given time to get to the ball.

3

31

ILLUSTRATIONS Artlife

Boss the collision
To coach offloads such as
this, work in small groups
in narrow running channels. Put
defenders in single files 5-10m
apart. Coaching ball-carriers to
move each defender laterally is
key; they should go through and
beyond the tackle so they’re in
physical control of the situation.
The support player must hold
his depth to allow for the time it
takes the carrier to be tackled
and to suspend a pass for the
support player to run on to.

I N

F O C U S

INSIDE THE MIND OF…
CHRIS HARRIS
Interview Alan Dymock // Picture Getty Images

The Gloucester, Scotland and Lions centre talks new skills and hot grills
“The
Lions squad
announcement…
I wouldn’t forget it
anyway but to have the
(Gloucester) boys
around me, it was
special.”

“It’s my worst nightmare getting random people to
speak to me! At uni I did a random job with Metro
Radio – I was doing those annoying questionnaires
on the street. I must have done one and then snuck
off to a coffee shop, called my grandma and grandad
and just sort of made the rest of them up.”

“There’s no
music in the
Gloucester changing
room. George Skivington
doesn’t want us listening to
it, I’m sure he won’t mind
me saying. He’s all about
focusing on the game.
We’re there to work. I
don’t mind it.”

“I’m a little bit
of a coffee snob, but
thankfully we’ve got a
good coffee machine with
Scotland, so you can make
all your latte art and fancy
stuff. We’re pretty lucky
in that regard.”

“I went to uni before I
started rugby. I went to
Northumbria for four years
and I was studying
architectural technology.
I’m thinking about picking up
a Masters, in project
management.”

“I love
cooking. My
girlfriend’s an
accountant, so as she
works I’ll knock something
together. Know the Big Green
“I’ve
Egg barbecues? For my
mastered
birthday/Christmas, I got
cooking a beef joint.
one. Rain or shine,
It’s next level, man! My
I’m out there.”
missus also loves this
basic carbonara I do.
Easy, 20 minutes, there
you go, brownie
points for me!”

“I’m
learning guitar
and in the last Scotland
camp I took it with me. A
few of the boys were learning
so we practised together. When
I got home, my missus would
say, ‘Shut up, you play the
same songs every time!’
Duncan Taylor is brilliant
on guitar.”

“When I was
younger I did a few
sevens tours with the
Wailers, and the best was
Amsterdam. But they don’t
stay there. Every year they
go to a nightclub out of
town where they
love it.”

“We’ve got an Airbnb in the
basement of our house at the
moment. It’s a very small
two-bed flat. There is a lot more
admin than you would think
with it, with the turnover and
stuff like that. So that does
take up a bit of time.”
32

“Mark Atkinson fancies himself as
a joker at Gloucester. And Joe
Simpson loves his dad jokes.
There’s not so much pranks.
Adam Radwan is a top prankster!
The car thing at Falcons (see
P102) is the best bit of humour
I’ve experienced at a club.”

T O U R

TA L E

WHAT GOES ON TOUR…

[ Goes in Rugby World ]

OHN HAMBLY, a
Cornishman, recalls
an incident from an
Old Actonians tour
match he played
against his first club, Truro…

J

ILLUSTRATION David Lyttleton

Midway through the second half,
I set off on a wildly ambitious run.
Predictably, with my lack of pace,
I got brought to ground in front
of the clubhouse. Cue raucous
baying for blood from the partisan
crowd as I delayed release of the
ball on Truro’s side of the ruck.
There was an inevitability to the
shoeing that ensued. At times like
that you simply block out the pain
and wait for the stampede to end.
On this occasion, accompanied
by a mixture of laughter from the
crowd and a lone high-pitched
voice, it was over more quickly
than anticipated. Bodies peeled
away from the ruck and I was
hauled up by two Truro boys.
“Sort her out for God’s sake!”
If the ground could have opened
up I would have dived in. There
on the pitch, gesticulating wildly
and spitting Maltese-Cornish
vitriol, was my dear mother. Never
in all the years that I had played
rugby in Cornwall had she been
able to conquer her maternal
fears and watch me. It got worse.
“Steven Ivey, Dickie Vinson,
Anthony Caruana, get off him you
bloody sods! Wait till I speak to
your parents!” she screamed.
“Mother! It’s okay, it’s part of the
game. Please leave the pitch and
stop frightening the players!”
“Game? You could’ve fooled me!”
My mother rejoined the ranks of
the spectators while I faced 30
grinning faces, including the ref!
l From Samson Rising by John
Hambly, published by United
Writers Cornwall, RRP £18.95.

WE WON’T TE LL ,
PROMISE…
We love hearing your stories and want
to celebrate the characters of our great
game in What Goes On Tour… If you have
an amusing tale to tell, drop us a line.
Mark your email ‘Tour Tale’ and send it
to rugbyworldletters@futurenet.com

R E A L

L I F E

Words Gaia Caramazza // Pictures Rachele Tosto

WHAT IT’S LIKE TO…

USE RUGBY TO TAKE
ON THE MAFIA
A Sicilian team is helping to save children from the grips of organised crime
OWS OF concrete
multi-storey buildings
emerge from the Sicilian
countryside. Shop fronts
are barricaded with metal
shutters and garbage rests on the
pavements where men loiter. Motorists
lock their car doors as they drive
through a neighbourhood where they
would never think of stopping.
This is what Librino looks like on the
surface – a place only spoken about

R

when local newspapers report yet
another shootout or drug bust. Gang
violence and child poverty have even
earned it the reputation as the ‘Bronx
of Catania’, Sicily’s second largest city.
However, a local initiative to teach
rugby to Librino’s youngest residents
is trying to tackle this violent image.
“A team and a community like this is
extraordinary in this neighbourhood,”
says Alessio Panebianco, 20, of the
Briganti di Librino rugby club where he

has played since he was 12 years old.
“Librino is not a nice area. It’s not a
very nice area at all actually.”
Since 2006, Briganti has become a
hub for the community, which gathers
at the club’s grounds for matches, book
readings, cooking lessons and more.
Its after-school programmes are one
of a kind in a neighbourhood with
close to no social services.
Almost half of young people in Sicily
are not in education or professional
Taking a chance
A try for Briganti, a club that is
giving children new opportunities

training, so children born in
Librino’s high-rise blocks are
forced to grow up quickly in
order to provide for their
families. As a result, they fall
prey to the mafia, where they
are often assigned to deal
drugs because Italian courts
impose reduced sentences
on minors for such crimes.
Panebianco used sport to
escape: “Rugby became a point of
reference for me, so I distanced myself
from my classmates who were always
on the streets involved with the wrong
people. Almost all of my classmates left
school, except me and some of the guys
who stayed here at the rugby club.
“I’ve changed so much since I started
playing. I learnt respect, honesty, trust –
things that you learn without realising by people’s desperation, while arson
playing with team-mates. Seeing more
attacks are a commonly used
children from Librino joining the club
intimidation tactic by the mafia.
gives me hope for this neighbourhood.”
Back in 2018, the breakout of a
Claudio Fava, the president of Sicily’s
suspicious fire put the entire club’s
anti-mafia commission, believes strongly existence at risk given the extent of
that social centres, like the one Briganti
the damage, but the determination
has become, are fundamental for the
of members ensured it remains as an
identity of a community.
important community base. Curcuruto
“The mafia, like every form of power,
says: “We don’t know who set the fire.
is a seduction,” he says. “It is a way to
We could not let this be the end of us, so
escape and afford a minimum quality
we decided to pick ourselves back up,
of life. So neighbourhoods need social
dust ourselves off and rebuild our home.”
centres, libraries, community spaces
From there, Briganti’s story became
and sports clubs that can give people
known across the globe, with rugby
a life beyond that of organised crime.”
clubs from South America to Africa
It is not an easy feat to provide such a
showing their solidarity during a difficult
space in one of Italy’s most crime-ridden period. Even the Royal Navy, docked at
neighbourhoods, however. Resistance
the port of Catania, lent a helping hand.
to the project has emerged from locals
Lieutenant Stephen Carr was one of
with links to the mafia, who are used to
30 Navy officers who were scheduled to
dictating the developments of the
play a match against
neighbourhood, often demanding
Briganti but instead
protection money from new
found themselves
businesses and initiatives. Children
rewiring circuits, fixing
playing for Briganti who belong to
door frames and
families tied to organised crime
The Briganti club is
expected to receive preferential
based in Librino, a
treatment, according to one of the
neighbourhood in the
club’s founders, Stefano Curcuruto.
city of Catania on the
“We’ve had to make it clear that
east coast of Sicily.
here we play by different rules than
Since forming in
the rest of the neighbourhood,” he
2006, Briganti has
says. “You can belong to whichever
grown and now has
family – we don’t care. I think this
more than 300 players
garnered us some respect.”
from U10s to seniors
On top of this, the club had to
as well as girls’
deal with three minor fires and a
teams. Find out more
robbery during lockdown measures
at brigantilibrino.it
in Italy. Robberies increased due to

DID YOU
KNOW?

“ Seeing more chi l dren f rom
L i br ino jo i n i n g the cl ub g iv e s m e
h op e for thi s n e i ghbo urhood ”
35

A field to dream
A scrum against the high-rise
backdrop and, inset, a celebration
building bookshelves. Curcuruto says:
“The solidarity we received helped us
move forward. We had so much to do
before the inauguration and these guys
(the Royal Navy) built everything back
up single-handedly. This is what rugby is
all about – giving each other support.”
Carr related with Briganti’s mission as
he started playing sports thanks to a
council-run project for children from
poorer schools. His local rugby club is a
community hub for Ashton-under-Lyne
in Greater Manchester.
“Not coming from a very affluent area,
I understand the importance of a space
for the community,” says Carr. “Sports
clubs are the ideal starting point for
someone to change their life. Helping
Briganti reminded me of where I came
from and how important sport was for
who I am today. Without rugby I wouldn’t
have ended up in the Royal Navy.”
From Manchester to Catania, tossing
the oval ball pushes local communities
to provide safe spaces for children to be
children. Panebianco and Curcuruto
have experienced
this first-hand and
they are willing
to continue to
defend their team
and community.
Panebianco is
unsure of what the
future holds now
that he’s finished
school, but having
Viewpoint
choices is a
Briganti has
dilemma many
a girls’ set-up
in Librino sadly
don’t have.
“I think I may enroll in the army, as it’s
a way to get out and see the world. But
I’m still young, so I’m not sure,” he says.
“No matter what I do, I will always remain
a Brigante because I was born here – it
is my neighbourhood and my people.” n

The Lions

THE WILD

Nature reserve
Members of the 2009 Lions
squad on safari in South Africa
36

SIDE

Words TOM ENGLISH // Main Picture DAN SHERIDAN/INPHO

British & Irish Lions tours to South Africa have
been eventful – and we’re not just talking
safaris. We bring you ten tales from previous
trips, from pub crawls to wake-up calls…
ROM THEIR first trip to
South Africa in 1891 to the
dozen tours that followed
over the next century and
more, the Lions versus the
Springboks has carried a magic with it at
every step. Great Tests, immortal players,
disgraceful violence, controversial trips in
the apartheid era – it’s been an odyssey
like no other in the history of sport.
You could pick a hundred key moments
and you’d still be leaving out dozens.
When Warren Gatland took his players
south this year there was 130 years of
history behind them – the good, the bad,
the brutal and the enduringly compelling.
Turn over for ten tales from past tours…

F

37

The Lions

Calm before the storm
The 1968 Lions squad during
preparations for their SA tour

WR EC KER S AND KI PPE RS ~ 1968
In 1968 there was a group called the
Wreckers and a group called the
Kippers. The Wreckers were the
boozed-up players who enjoyed
destroying things amid a drunken
rampage. The Kippers were the ones
who were in their beds when all this
nonsense was going on. The weird
thing is that one of the chief wreckers
was David Brooks, the tour manager.
“He was the proverbial guy who never
grew up,” said Ireland’s Ronnie Dawson.
The writer JBG Thomas takes up the
story: “After an early breakfast there was
a rush to the news stall at the railway
station to obtain copies of the Jo’burg
Sunday Times. Even VIPs on holidays
were in the hunt for the sensational
news. When we got the paper, there it
was, across the top of the front page in
a banner headline – Lions Behaviour
Shocks City… Hotel man tells of
‘unmitigated drunken revelry’.
“The opening paragraph read, ‘The
touring Lions rugby party have left a trail
of havoc and stunned incredulity after
three days in East London marked by
drinking bouts and riotous behaviour at

hotels and nightclubs. They left broken
hotel doors, broken glasses by the
dozen, unpaid liquor debts and girls in
tears because of outright rudeness’.”
Jim Telfer has his own take on it: “It
was originally a small group of about
eight or so enthusiastic Wreckers, led by
the captain and manager, and more than
20 Kippers, but people started realising
that resistance was futile and swapped
sides. Dare I say it but it was the worst
kind of public schoolboy behaviour.”

SLE E P TOO T I G H T ~ 1 997

starts talking and talking and talking. He
pulled the curtains closed – it was quite
an old hotel, big heavy curtains that let
no light in – and I said, ‘Will you set an
alarm?’ and he goes, ‘Oh, no, no, I’m up
every day at half-six, don’t worry, I’ve
got kids, I’ll be awake at half-six.’ So,
good old naïve Irishman, I believed him.
“I woke up and it was one minute past
nine and we had a team meeting at nine.
‘You f***ing arse, Bentley.’ Clothes on,
down the corridor, boom-boom-boom,
into the team room. If I’d been a bit
cuter I’d have let Bentos go in first but
I ran in. Late for the first-ever meeting.
“Fran Cotton goes, ‘Well, boys, this is
not acceptable; this is not the way we
want to start the tour, Jeremy and John,
I hope we don’t see this again’. I was
like, ‘F***, how can this happen to me?’”
You might say that Davidson recovered.
He was magnificent from that point on.

L ET T ER S H O ME ~ 1 8 96
Alexander Todd, of Cambridge University
and Blackheath, was a heroic figure.
Three years after being a Lion in South
Africa in 1896, he returned to the country
to fight in the Second Boer War. On the
outbreak of the First World War, he was
part of an attack on Hill 60 in Ypres. He
died of his wounds in April 1915.
His gift to rugby was the letters he
wrote to his parents from the 1896 tour.
“On Thursday morning we got up early
and saw the most magnificent sunrise
on Table Mountain, the whole range

Big Irish lock Jeremy Davidson was one
of the unexpected superstars of this
tour, but his trip didn’t
exactly get off to a flier.
Lock takes stock
“It was pretty
Jeremy Davidson secures
intimidating coming
possession back in 1997
into the room and
seeing all these
legends of the game in
one place, but you get
over it pretty quickly
– you have to,” he said
of day one in camp.
“Then I got roomed
with John Bentley. He

“ I n t h e last te n mi n ute s I ’ d
gladly h av e cha n ge d pl ac e s
w it h a c orpse . The groun d
w as like a bri ck wa l l ”

38

The Lions
felt like “the road with most of the
stones taken off. For the match today
there are only ten able-bodied men, four
crocks and one invalid playing for us”.

RADIO COMMS ~ 1 997

Surprise meet
Mark Twain

going a bright terracotta,” he wrote. “On
Thursday afternoon and Friday, we ran
about and trained on the field and finally
played our first match on the Saturday.
Oh goodness, it was awful. We played
on a ground like a brick wall… In the last
ten minutes I would gladly have changed
places with a corpse. The papers rather
slated us the next day.”
Todd wrote of team-mates
losing “square yards of
skin” on the hard surfaces
and of meeting Mark
Twain, the writer, at a
function along the way.
He describes rail journeys
lasting from Sunday night
to Tuesday morning, then
playing on a ground that

There can’t be a more powerful image
of a Lions tour than Nelson Mandela
listening to the 1974 Tests on the radio
of his prison guards on Robben Island.
Another great image, 23 years later,
was that of Steve Tshwete, then South
Africa’s minister for sport, greeting Ian
McGeechan and Fran Cotton as they
arrived with the 1997 Lions.
Tshwete had been on Robben Island
with Mandela and had cheered for
McGeechan’s and Cotton’s Lions of ‘74.
Both tourists were deeply moved when
Tshwete revealed his huge knowledge
of the tour and what it meant to him.

AY E FOR AN EY E ~ 1 974
Legend has it that on the ultra-violent
tour of 1974 the Lions had a secret call

– 99 – that was their cue to unleash hell
on the South African player standing
next to them, a kind of ‘get your
retaliation in first’ job after some
bruising affairs earlier on the trip.
The myth has grown steadily over
the years. The problem is that a lot of
players who were on that tour say it’s
nonsense. “I don’t remember ‘99’ ever
being called,” said Roger Uttley. The
great Irish flanker Fergus Slattery is also
dismissive of the call: “I always regarded
it as a load of ol’ crap.” Ian ‘Mighty
Mouse’ McLauchlan, plays down the
legend too: “It’s rubbish. It didn’t exist.”
It’s a great story, though. Sometimes
truth will never get in the way of fiction.
And that’s not to say there weren’t
altercations during the tour. The late,
great Gordon Brown famously told a
story about the mayhem of the third Test
in 1974. Of how he punched Johan de
Bruyn in that game and the Springbok
lock’s glass eye flew out, of how players
from both sides joined in the search and
of how de Bruyn simply popped the orb
back in when it was found.

Management team
Cotton and McGeechan

SCA PEG OAT ~ 1 96 8
When the Lions went to
play Eastern Transvaal
in Springs in late June
1968, there was a sense
of foreboding in the air
and a suspicion that the
locals were so wired
to inflict pain on the

On the ball
Gordon Brown gets
ready to pass in 1974

39

The Lions
visitors that they had released one
it and decided to ban my involvement
SHOW OF H O SPI TA L I TY ~ 1 95 5
of their more psychotic forwards from
but the farmer shot it anyway and gave
The 1955 tour was a blast, a drawn series me the cured skin. It was not so
a life ban just for the day.
with marvellous rugby and a tremendous politically incorrect in those days…
The violence kicked off soon enough.
welcome wherever the Lions roamed.
When the Lions scrum-half that day,
“On another occasion, a farmer came
Clem Thomas, the great Welsh forward,
Roger Young, was attacked by an
to our hotel in Johannesburg, and
said the warmth and generosity of the
Eastern Transvaal player, the Welsh
presented me with a lion cub. Siggins
locals was overwhelming – and you can
prop John ‘Tess’ O’Shea retaliated,
insisted on my donating it to a local
see where he was coming from.
a move that sparked mayhem as the
zoo, which I did with some relief.”
“One farmer, whose wife was the
home forwards rounded on O’Shea
daughter of my tutor at St John’s
and piled into him. O’Shea was sent
A L I F E-C HA NG I NG T R I P ~ 1 98 0
College, Cambridge, actually kept a
off, a singling out of a Lion that
Irish scrum-half John Robbie was
leopard – which had been decimating
incensed the tourists.
a Lions tourist on the controversial
his cattle – alive for a couple of weeks
Ronnie Dawson, the Lions’ assistant
tour of four decades ago. With an
so that I could shoot it,” wrote Thomas.
manager/coach, recalls the episode: “It
“Jack Siggins (tour manager) heard about inquisitive mind, he was determined to
was entirely wrong that John O’Shea
see a bit of the real South
was sent off. He threw a punch
Africa while he was there.
but there was a hell of a lot
“I made an early decision to
of punches that had been
see everything that I could,”
thrown beforehand, most
he said. “I used to get up in
of them by their guys.”
the morning about 7.30, have
Willie John McBride calls the
breakfast and then just go for
red card “a piece of nonsense”
a walk. I walked the streets
and a “disgrace… He had to
of every town we visited…”
walk all the way around the
He saw things that
pitch to the tunnel and the
changed his life. “Should
South Africans were throwing
I have thought that touring
oranges and beer cans at
apartheid South Africa was
him. Then this bugger ran
wrong? Absolutely. Did I know
out and belted him and I had
that what was happening
taken enough at that stage.
there was wrong? I did.
I jumped in and hit the guy.
I have lived to regret that
I’m not that sort of person but
Cheers! Clem Thomas (centre) with fellow 1955 Lions at South Africa House
decision my whole life.”
I couldn’t take any more.”

PICS Getty Images, Inpho & PA

Lion’s new home
John Robbie settled
in South Africa in 1981

40

The Lions
goal that we all set ourselves – to join
them in the history books.”
The 2009 series was a stunning one,
but the Lions fell agonisingly short,
losing narrowly in the first two Tests
before winning the third.

TA K I NG A STA ND ~ 1 974
Moral decision
John Taylor toured NZ in 1971
– but not SA three years later

In 1981 he was offered a sales
position with an engineering firm in
Johannesburg. He went for a year and
stayed. He played provincial rugby for
Transvaal, sometimes in front of 50,000
people. In 1987 he was voted one of
the top players in South Africa.
He became a radio presenter and
developed his show until it became
the most popular in the country.
“I look back now and at times I cringe.
I once wrote an autobiography and
I’d love to gather every copy and burn
them all. You lived in a bubble and
you knew it was wrong.
“There was a huge amount of
propaganda going around and a lot of
fear. I was living in this privileged bubble
of playing for Transvaal with my job, but
eventually I started speaking out.”
Robbie hosted his breakfast radio show
for almost two decades and highlighted
political issues in South Africa. He met
some notorious figures from the
apartheid establishment, men like former
police colonel and assassin Eugene de
Kock, nicknamed ‘Prime Evil’, who was
sentenced to 212 years in prison in 1996.
De Kock revealed to Robbie that the
apartheid-era police had ordered him to
assassinate Robbie with a crossbow.

CA PTA IN’S CALL ~ 2009
A European Cup champion in 2006 and
2008 and a Grand Slam winner in 2009,

Lead roles Paul O’Connell and Ian McGeechan

Paul O’Connell was a standout choice
as captain of the 2009 Lions tour.
Standout to most, apart perhaps
from the Limerickman himself.
Around the time that Ian McGeechan
was due to select his leader for that
year’s trip to South Africa, O’Connell
started getting unsolicited calls from
a businessman keen to interest him
in a new investment opportunity.
“I came home one night and found five
missed calls on my phone,” O’Connell
said. “There had been a guy on an
English number trying to sell me shares

John Taylor was a Lion in South Africa
in 1968. The Welsh back-row had
serious misgivings about going on the
trip but he wanted to be a Lion so badly
that he allowed himself to believe in
what he was told – that the Lions’
presence in South Africa would help
build bridges between black and
white, that the trip would help weaken
apartheid, that they would be a force
for good in the country.
“As soon as I got there, I realised that
was nonsense,” he said. “Apartheid then
was essentially being strengthened.
They were pretty much finding ways
to push the blacks out of the specific
areas that they wanted to.
“So it was really when I came back
from that tour that the decision on
touring there in the future was made.
The rugby establishment took this

“Pe op le at the c lub like B rian
Ca rn ey an d F ran k ie S he ahan w e re
a lw ay s m ak in g c ran k c alls”

over the last few weeks, so I was
avoiding his call. Then I saw the number
again on the Tuesday morning.”
The voice on the other end said he
was Ian McGeechan, but O’Connell
wasn’t so sure. At Munster at the time
there were some notorious wind-up
merchants. “People at the club like
Brian Carney and Frankie Sheahan
were always making crank calls.”
O’Connell made a judgment call and
decided that the voice was too realistic
and that even on their best mimicking
day Carney and Sheahan couldn’t do
such a convincing McGeechan.
“Once I was sure, we had a chat and,
straight out, he asked me to be captain
and I said I’d be delighted to do it.
“The results secured by Willie John
McBride and those fellas back in 1971
and 1974 has made all those players
legends. The same can be said about
the guys in ’89 and ’97. That was the
41

attitude that rugby guys were terrific
guys, no matter what, that it was bigger
than anything and therefore it was
wrong in any way to break ranks on that.
“I obviously took a different point of
view and thought man’s inhumanity to
man was far bigger. I said, ‘I will go back
to South Africa when Nelson Mandela
invites me back’, and eventually that
happened, which was wonderful.”
Taylor declined to tour in 1974. Think
about what a huge call that was at
the time. “I was convinced that the
rest of the sporting world was right
(to boycott South Africa) and that
there was this arrogance in rugby
that the brotherhood of rugby, the
fraternity of rugby, meant more than
the brotherhood of man – that they
couldn’t be bad chaps because they
played rugby. It was very much that
sort of arrogance that I deplored in
rugby. I had no doubts at all.” n

Red Roses

n
i
k
c
i
K
WORDS SARAH MOCKFORD

//

MAIN PICTURE NAOMI BAKER/GETTY IMAGES

Kicking in the women’s game has improved hugely in
recent years, but it’s not as prevalent as in men’s rugby.
Perhaps that is a good thing…

OX-KICKING boredom. Tedious kick-fest.
Endless kick-tennis killing the game.
All of these expressions were used to
describe the rugby on show during the
Autumn Nations Cup last year. Words
like ‘turgid’, ‘ponderous’ and ‘aimless’
were also thrown around – perhaps
more often than the ball in some Tests
– with the prevalence of kicking
unappealing to many viewers.
42

Eddie Jones described critics of
England’s style as “disrespectful” while
saying rugby was going through a
defensive cycle. Yet entertaining
spectacles at club level would disprove
that assertion. Take the 11-try encounter
between Bath and Wasps or Harlequins’
43-36 semi-final win at Bristol.
People might point to those matches
as anomalies but in women’s rugby as a

g
n

n
o
Kick-start
Emily Scarratt is renowned
for her ability with the boot

whole it would certainly be rare to see a
long sequence of kicks back and forth,
as there is generally a far better balance
between the kick-pass-run options.
This hasn’t always been the case; in
the early days of the women’s game and
perhaps even as recently as a decade
ago, players’ kicking out of hand lacked
the distance and accuracy to be truly
effective. In more recent years, however,

there have been huge strides made. Top
players now have more time to focus on
technique and strength in training so
they can kick better and further.
“When I came into the England set-up
in 2014, I thought we could make
massive gains in the set-piece and the
kicking game,” says Red Roses coach
Simon Middleton. “We’ve now got a
fantastic array of kickers and that’s

Air raid
One of George Ford’s
16 kicks against France

Red Roses
not by chance. We’ve invested a lot
of time in players and their ability to
kick. We’ve got the strongest kicking
game in the women’s game – that’s just
a fact, not me blowing our own trumpet.
“One of the trends I’ve noticed over
the past two years is that the kicking
strategy is rising. When we played the
Super Series in San Diego (in 2019), the
US and Canada started to kick a lot
more. France have developed a strong
kicking game. It’s very dependent on
the team you’re playing; the top three or
four teams in the world kick the ball a lot
more than other teams, and kick better.
In the away game against Italy (in 2020),
we kicked 21 times and Italy kicked 12
but away against France we kicked 32
times, they 27. Against Italy we kicked
far less but still far more than Italy.”
So how do kicking strategies compare
between men’s and women’s rugby?
We took the two Tests played between
England and France at Twickenham in
autumn 2020, and compared the figures
when it came to kicks out of hand in
open play. The men’s Autumn Nations
Cup final went into extra-time, so to
create a more accurate comparison in
the ‘map’ opposite we have focused
only on kicks in the regular 80 minutes.

The graphic makes it clear England’s
men kicked far more than the women so
let’s break it down a little further. The
men kicked nearly twice as many times
in the first half, with 17 compared to the
Red Roses’ nine. Of those 17, six were
by Ben Youngs whereas Red Roses
scrum-half Leanne Riley kicked only
once all game – more on the different
box-kicking strategies later.
Over the course of the 80, Jones’s
side kicked 40 times compared to 23
for Middleton’s team – a vast difference.
George Ford kicked 16 times and if you
add the four he made in extra-time, he’s
nearly putting boot to ball as often as
the entire Red Roses squad.
Where the two teams kicked from on
the pitch was also interesting. A little
over half of the Red Roses’ kicks
originated from between the 22 and
halfway lines in their own half whereas
this rises to more than 70% in the men’s
match. The men also kick more from the
centre of pitch whereas more of the
women’s kicks were on the edges.
The differences in strategies is also
evident in the percentage of possession
kicked in the two games against Italy
that secured their 2020 Six Nations titles.
The men kicked three times more often.

“We’ ve g ot the stron ge s t k ic k in g
g a me in t he wome n’s ga m e . We’ v e
invest ed a l ot of ti me i n p lay e rs”

So why this stark contrast? Here’s
Wasps Women director of rugby Giselle
Mather: “In the men’s game now there’s
a lot of kicking in the middle area of the
field whereas in the women’s game we
tend to run it more, we’re looking at
handling and carrying. In the men’s
game, the defence side of things is so
strong that a lot of men’s teams prefer
not to have the ball, to advance up the
pitch without the ball and by kicking.”
Test centurion Katy Daley-Mclean, who
called time on her England career last
December, believes there’s a better
balance when it comes to kicking in the
women’s game because there’s more
room to keep ball in hand. She says:
“There’s space on the pitch so you’ve
got both options; there’s still the
opportunity to move the ball to the

Right options Katy Daley-Mclean, here in her final Test against France, believes there’s a better kicking balance in women’s rugby, where there is space to run
44

ENGLAND V FRANCE 2020
Number of kicks out of hand when the men and women faced the French at Twickenham
l Women (1st/2nd half) // l Men (1st/2nd half)

2
2

2
2
2
2

2

2
2

2

2

2

2
2

2

2

2

2

2

2

2

2
2

2

2

2

1

2
2

2

2
2

2
1

1

1

1

1
1

1

2

1

1

1
1

1

2

1

1
1

1

1
1

1

1

2

2

2

1

1

1
1

1

45

Red Roses
Wet-weather rugby
Wales fly-half Robyn Wilkins
clears in terrible conditions
against Ireland last year

PICS Getty Images & Inpho

edge and make space or go through
the middle. The guys look like their only
real option is to kick long and press.
Then you see the Bath-Wasps game…
“The kicking game is just not as good
to watch. The one I hate is the long
kicking battle in the 22s. We don’t have
as many people on the pitch with the
same length of boot in the women’s
game, but we find that more space will
open up after the second or third kick.”
Who kicks is another area where there
is a disparity. England men kick a lot
more from nine – Youngs actually kicked
more often than Ford against Wales last
November – whereas the women use
the box kick minimally. Middleton says:
“I’m not a massive fan of box kicking. All
our nines – Claudia MacDonald, Leanne
Riley and Mo (Natasha) Hunt – can
box kick really well, but you only have
to be a little bit out for the opposition to
counter-attack. That’s why I’m wary of it.”

“ The k ic k in g g am e is jus t n ot as
good to w atc h. T he on e I hate is
the l ong k ic k in g b attle in the 2 2 s”

That’s not to say box kicking is rare in
the women’s game. For example, Mather
uses it a lot at Wasps: “If you kick from
nine, chasers have to be on the back
foot of nine; from ten, the forwards can’t
move until they’re put onside.”
Although she does serve a warning
about caterpillar rucks and how having
a lot of forwards concentrated in one
part of the field means that teams can
then be caught short of numbers if the
opposition shift the ball quickly. As an
aside, many would like the caterpillar to
turn into a butterfly and fly away.
There are other areas that could see a
shift in focus when it comes to kicking.
Daley-Mclean thinks the union version
of league’s 40:20, the
so-called 50:22 kick
where a team that kicks
indirectly into touch from
their own half into their
opponents’ 22 or their
own 22 to their
opponents’ half would
throw into the lineout,
will help to create
space. “That could really
change the game,” she
says. “It would keep
wingers closer to that
touchline and would also
Off nine Wasps scrum-half Claudia MacDonald prepares to box kick
make kickers more
46

accountable. At the moment they’re
kicking long, the other team kicks back,
but it’s not done anything, you’re almost
waiting for an error. For us, it’s always
about finding grass or competition,
some form of challenge.”
That ‘challenge’ could be the next step
forward when it comes to kicking in the
women’s game. While that contest under
a high ball is common in men’s rugby,
it’s not so in women’s. England players
like Emily Scarratt and Abby Dow are
adept at chasing those high kicks and
competing to catch them, but they are
more an exception than the rule.
Mather says: “On the whole players
wait for them (opponent) to catch it and
land, then smack them. Defensive takes
players are okay at but the chasing take
is a harder skill. We’re doing competitive
aerial work now and in five years I think
you’ll see it all over the place as players
become more professional.”
The hope is that women’s rugby does
not resort to kicking at the level we’ve
seen in the men’s game, though.
Spectators like to see the ball kept in
hand, sweeping attacking moves and
powerful carries through the middle of
the pitch. Yes, the weather can lead to a
need to play more of a territorial kicking
game, but some tactics we’ve seen in
certain men’s Tests could be filed under

l MEN l WOMEN
‘kick first, think later’ such has been
their apparent aimlessness.
Jones is right that rugby goes in cycles
and perhaps the stricter breakdown
laws, making the risks of taking the ball
into contact higher, have seen teams
retreat to more boot options. After all,
in the 2019 World Cup final England
kicked the ball only 19 times. Look at
the breakdown of kick-pass-run in
the most recent men’s and women’s
World Cup finals (see panel) and the
figures are quite similar.
The kick-fest wasn’t so prevalent in
the men’s 2021 Six Nations while the
women’s championship gained more
traction in the public consciousness
after moving to a standalone window
later in the year, with the BBC providing
coverage. That followed a combined
audience of 1.91m tuning into the Red
Roses’ two November fixtures against

Tactics Italy’s Sara Barattin kicks against England

Possession Kicked (%)
Italy v England 2020
15

ITALY

10
18

ENGLAND

6

Who Kicked?
France and Daley-Mclean says: “It’s
letting more people access it and it’s an
opportunity to change the perception of
women’s team sport. For the people that
say ‘I don’t care’, I’d challenge them to
watch 15 minutes of those BBC games.”
Given the negativity around kicking in
men’s rugby, the women’s game could
be a welcome antidote. n

Half-backs in last 2020 away match
15
14
13

Helena Rowland (10)

2
Leanne
Riley (9)

Ben Youngs (9)

George Ford (10)

Fancy footwork
Zoe Harrison works on
her technique in training

WALES v ENGLAND FRANCE v ENGLAND

Kick/Pass/Run (%)
World Cup Finals

MEN 2019
6
42

12
42

ENGLAND
52

SOUTH
AFRICA
46

WOMEN 2017
6
40

7
51

ENGLAND
54

47

NEW
ZEALAND

42

F

I

L E

W A

L E

S

P R O

48

WORDS
SARAH MOCKFORD
MAIN PICTURE
ATHENA PICTURES/GETTY IMAGES

Louis
Rees-Zammit
The speedster has made rapid progress for Gloucester, Wales and
the Lions. Here the winger reflects on a whirlwind journey

T

O MARK winning his first Wales cap
against France last October, Louis
Rees-Zammit sang Robbie Williams’s
Angels in front of the team – yet he
wasn’t even born when the song was
released! In fact, he arrived in the world more
than three years after that 1997 hit. It’s a stark
reminder of just how young he is.
It may seem like the 20-year-old’s progress has
been as rapid as the pace he shows when put
into space on the wing, but there have been a
few hurdles along the way. At 12 he was told he
wasn’t good enough to make it as a pro rugby
player, while at 16 he was told he’d never win a
Wales cap. Yet at 18 he had scored five tries in
his first three starts for Gloucester, at 19 he had
played in four Tests and at 20 he was selected
for the British & Irish Lions – the youngest tourist
since David Hewitt in 1959. He’s certainly proven
those early critics wrong, the knockbacks not
only providing him with motivation but also
resilience. As Rees-Zammit says: “I’ve always

49

believed in myself and thankfully I’m here now.”
It’s like a line from that Angels song:
Wherever it may take me
I know that life won’t break me.
The support of his family has clearly been key.
After a few years away from home, living in halls
at Hartpury College and then a Gloucester
Academy house, he moved back to Cardiff to be
closer to his family and now lives with his older
brother Taylor, a financial adviser. While his
parents couldn’t be in Paris to see him make his
Test bow due to Covid restrictions, they did get to
see the post-match cap presentation via Zoom.
“Mum was crying her eyes out,” he says.
There’s a maturity about Rees-Zammit too. As
with many teens, computer games and watching
his beloved Manchester United are on his agenda
away from rugby, as is playing the odd round of
golf, but he is also an ambassador for the
Sporting Minds charity. “Mental health in young
people is a problem at the moment and I just
wanted to get involved and raise awareness

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that there’s always someone to talk to,” he
says. “I’ve not struggled with mental health but
I know a few boys who have and Sporting Minds
is a great organisation, which helps a lot of
players and people in general.”
He marries level-headedness with innate
confidence. He hasn’t been caught up in the
fanfare that has greeted his arrival on the world
stage, but he does back himself on the pitch –
just as his childhood hero, Shane Williams, told
him to when they chatted on a podcast last year.
Of course, with all the hype comes expectation,
but the speedster doesn’t mind because he has
those same expectations of himself.
“I’d be annoyed at myself if I didn’t do something
when I get the ball, so I wouldn’t be surprised if
someone else is,” says Rees-Zammit. “I don’t put
pressure on myself, but I expect myself to do
something when I get the ball. When I don’t, I’m
hard on myself but learn from it, see what I could
have done if I get the moment again.”
Of course, much of the excitement around
Rees-Zammit centres on his speed. Raw pace is
such a big threat in rugby and it helped him to
ten tries in 13 Premiership matches in his first full
season. The good news for Gloucester and Wales
fans is that he’s getting faster. The reason? He’s
been working on his running technique for the
first time, taking that raw talent and harnessing it.
“I’d never practised sprinting to be honest,
I’d just got it from my dad, Joseph. He played
American Football, not rugby, is really athletic
and he’s passed it on to me. I’ve been doing
sprint training with Gloucester’s S&C coach
Dan Tobin and I’ve got faster.
“It’s the mechanics of sprinting as well as the
natural ability to run and there have been a lot
of changes. My technique to start with was quite
bad, so day by day we’ve changed that to get
faster. My acceleration wasn’t the best, so it’s
working on getting out of the blocks
and having long strides to start with.
Wide berth
It feels weird and it’s hard to explain,
Heading for space in
but I’m not thinking about it as much
Gloucester colours
any more, I do it subconsciously.

W A

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“There are a lot of fast backs at Gloucester and
it gets you faster each day, trying to outrun them.
There’s me, Jonny May, Ollie Thorley, Charlie
Sharples… We’re all quite fast and it is quite
competitive. We have a bit of fun.”
He’s embraced the Rees-Lightning moniker with
which he was christened after stunning defenders
with his speed. Both his Instagram and Twitter
profiles feature a lightning bolt, although he
wasn’t so enamoured to have that design shaved
into the back of his hair during the Lions tour (his
roll of the dice after a fine resulted in the forfeit of
a zero-grade fade haircut, with the lightning bolt
addition not of his choosing!).
Yet there is more to his game than pace. Yes, the
speed with which he can cover ground is what
makes him stand out but he is also adept under
the high ball and makes good decisions around
kick-pass-run. Growing up he played scrum-half,
fly-half and centre, not moving to the wing until he

“ I ’ v e g o t f a s t e r. I t ’ s t h e
mechanics of running as
well as natural ability”
went to Hartpury aged 16, and that experience of
different positions no doubt helps his reading of
the game and decision-making.
His Man of the Match performance against
Scotland in the 2021 Six Nations highlighted more
of his all-round skill-set. There was the step inside
for his first try, the assist to set up Liam Williams
and then, the pièce de résistance, the kick ahead,
the chase and the touchdown for the victory. He
finished the championship with a try tally of four
– only fellow Lion Duhan van der Merwe scored
more – and a winner’s medal as Wales clinched
their sixth title of the Six Nations era.
Yes, there are still improvements to be made.
Take last year’s Autumn Nations Cup, where he
impressed with how he kept England in check out
wide but was caught out defensively for Johan
Meyer’s try for Italy in Wales’ final match a week
later. Or how Cheslin Kolbe sent him the wrong
way in the Lions match against South Africa A
(although, in fairness, the Springbok World Cup
winner has done that to many a top player).
However, Rees-Zammit is only a year into his
international career and continues to take the
learnings from his experiences to date.
“It (Test rugby) is a big step up – it’s much more
intense, there are a lot more kicks, a lot more
kick-chase, but I’m loving it. I treat it like any
other game, although in the back of my head
I know it’s a lot more intense and you’re playing
the best players in each country.
“All the players have helped me loads and the
coaches have played a massive part too. Neil
Jenkins (Wales’ skills/kicking coach) has been my

50

50

Blurred vision
Showing his pace
while on club duty

51

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Roaring forward
On the attack for the
Lions in South Africa

mentor, he’s been teaching me everything, how
to play international rugby.
“My high ball and my defence work have
improved massively and I’m trying to make that
the number one focus for me. Ultimately defence
wins you games and I don’t want to let the team
down defensively on the edge, so I’m working
to improve that. I want to keep on top of my
defence and on top of everything really, to get
better every day. I want to improve everything;
I’ve not shown my full speed yet.”
Just as Rees-Zammit is promising there is more
to come, so are Wales. Wayne Pivac’s first year in
charge was bookended by victories over Italy, the
first far more comfortable than the second, albeit
that his team scored five tries in both. The second
year has brought a Six Nations title and a big win
over Canada before a draw and a defeat by
Argentina. Pivac has been both criticised and

praised during his tenure so far, and while
performances on the pitch have been mixed, he
has been able to increase the depth of his squad.
Rees-Zammit was one of 11 players capped by
Pivac last year and a further seven have made
their Test bows in 2021, so the coach has a wider
pool of players to select from as the build-up to
the 2023 World Cup intensifies. Plus, he has a raft
of players, like Rees-Zammit, Adam Beard and
Wyn Jones, who will have benefited from a
summer touring South Africa with the Lions.
The winger certainly enjoyed the experience,
albeit that looking after the Lions’ cuddly mascot
as the youngest player in the squad was a
stressful task. He says: “BIL is a big responsibility
because everyone tries to steal him from me.”
A glance through the stats from the warm-up
games illustrates how big an impact Rees-Zammit
makes with ball in hand. As well as three tries in
four matches, he set up another score, made 226
metres from just eight carries (an average of more
than 28m), beat ten defenders and made eight
breaks on the gain-line. Not a bad return.
“I’m really enjoying my rugby. Everything has
happened so quickly and I’m loving it.”
Quite. And don’t
expect his progress
A tight corner
to slow down any
Rees-Zammit scores his first
time soon. As he
try for Wales against Georgia
(below) and looks to make a
said, he’s actually
break against England (left)
getting faster. n

PICS Getty Images

53

Q & A

DOWNTIME WITH… FINN RUSSELL

“I’d be Hoggy for
his pay cheque but
then you’ve got to
have that hair!”
The Racing and Scotland fly-half talks Maradona, Mastermind and muscles
Interview Mark Palmer // Pictures Getty Images

hat’s the funniest thing
you’ve seen on a pitch?
Alex Dunbar trying an
up-and-under against
Wales in 2015. I’d been
sin-binned, so Alex slotted in at stand-off
and attempted this kick that was meant
for Tim Visser but went backwards 10m
and straight out on the full. The best bit
was Eck turning to Greig Laidlaw and
trying to blame him, for reasons I’ve
never quite been able to understand.
Any practical jokes you can tell us? I’m
still wondering if Stuart Hogg’s hair at the
end of the Six Nations was a practical
joke. Ryan Wilson and John Barclay used
to give him frights, but he’s getting his
own back on all of us with that wig.
What really annoys you? There’s not
much that really gets to me. The boys at
Racing ask me why I’m always happy,
but that’s just the way I am: pretty chill.

W

WHAT’S
ON YOUR
PHO NE

Last person
you phoned
My mum, Sally

Any nicknames? At Racing, Simon Zebo
If you could have one superpower,
called me ‘White Chocolate’. Back in the
what would it be? I’d love to be able to
day at Glasgow, Chris Fusaro had boys
control time, to go back to moments
referring to me as Finn ‘The Muscle’
where you were really happy or you’d
Russell as I didn’t do much in the gym.
like to change, and then to be able to
Embarrassing moment? On a rugby
fast-forward to being out of lockdown.
field, there are maybe things others see
Any superstitions? I used to strap my
as embarrassing which wash over me.
wrists before games but at a certain
Off the pitch, it’s probably something on
point I stopped because I understood it
a night out, but nothing I can remember.
doesn’t really make a difference. It was
Who’d you like to be stuck in a lift with? more of a routine than a superstition.
I’d rather be in there by
If you could be one
myself, if I’m honest. A few
team-mate, who would it
boys got stuck in the lift at
be? I’d be Hoggy for his pay
the Scotland team hotel a
cheque but then you’ve got
DoB 23 Sep 1992
couple of years back and
to have that hair! Jonny Gray
Born Stirling
were all going on about how
could be alright because he
Position Fly-half
uncomfortable it was having
sleeps half the day, but he’s
Club Racing 92
to squash together on the
always got sore shoulders or
Scotland caps 55
floor. The worst person to
knees. I don’t fancy being a
Pts 182 (7T, 39C, 23P) forward. Maybe Duhan van
be trapped with would be
Insta @finnrussell92 der Merwe; he scores a lot
someone tall – or Wilson.

FACT FILE

Last person
you texted
Emma, my
girlfriend

Most important
person on phone
My mum and
Jacky Lorenzetti,
the owner of
Racing 92
54

Last photo taken
Me with Hoggy
and Ali in the
dressing room
after we beat
France in Paris

Favourite
music app
I use Spotify the
most, but I like a
lot of songs on
SoundCloud too

The cap fits!
Russell enjoys this
year’s Calcutta Cup win
with Stuart Hogg (left)

Food fight
Conor McGregor
of tries, gets a lot of the glory and is in
real good shape. He’s 110kg and super
fast – you can’t go far wrong with that.
What’s the silliest thing you’ve ever
bought? Probably my Wattbike because
I never use it! People would probably
see a lot of what I buy as silly because
it’s expensive, but it’s not silly to me.
If your house was on fire, what’s
the one item you would save? The
Supreme motorbike that I bought when

Last app
downloaded
The Rugby
Network, to watch
Adam Ashe play in
MLR for LA Giltinis

Guilty
pleasure app
I play Candy
Crush quite a bit!

“Half the advice I receive goes in
one ear and out the other! What’s
stuck with me is to be yourself ”
I shared a flat in Glasgow with Ali Price.
It’s cool and stylish. I don’t have much
that’s sentimentally valuable in Paris,
but I’d probably grab my PS5!
Who would be your three dream
dinner party guests? Rihanna looks like
good fun, and Conor McGregor would
be a real laugh too. If I’m allowed to pick
someone who’s no longer with us, I’ll go
for Maradona. He’d have loads of good
stories and then it could turn a bit wild.
The best advice you’ve ever received?
Half the advice I receive goes in one ear
and out the other!
The thing that’s
most stuck with
me is just to be
yourself, be happy
and enjoy yourself.
Be you and don’t
try to change.
Favourite
What’s your
Whatsapp group
guilty pleasure? I
My three oldest
play PlayStation a
pals from school.
lot but I don’t feel
We’re back and
forth every day
guilty about it! I
55

love sweets but I’m trying to ease back.
The same goes for French baguettes.
I’ve been here three years and I’ve had
comfortably enough to last a lifetime.
What would be your Mastermind
specialist subject? Cars or sport,
although I don’t know anywhere near as
many random facts about the latter as
someone like Ali or Mike Blair.
Any hidden talents? My whole family can
juggle. Me, my dad Keith and younger
brother Archie can do it with fire as well.
What would you like to achieve
outside of rugby? I’m designing an app
at the moment to do with photography,
so hopefully that will be successful.
How’d you like to be remembered?
As a real serious guy who never had fun
at the weekend. Nah, joking aside, I’d
want to be remembered as a guy who
enjoyed playing rugby. Who played at
a really high level but had good fun
doing it. Who wasn’t too serious, didn’t
go about shouting at folk or having a go
at them. A guy who was dead relaxed
but could turn it on when he had to. n

D E B AT E

FACE-OFF

Should the Six
Nations introduce
relegation?
BERNARD JACKMAN BARNEY PARR
WHY SHOULD the team finishing
bottom of the Six Nations be guaranteed
re-entry the following year? Money and
stability are nice – the CVC deal means
status quo for now – but I don’t see the
current situation as being healthy for the
competition… Or Italy, who have become Ex-Ireland hooker, London-based
now RTÉ analyst freelance writer
perennial wooden spooners.
They haven’t won a match in the
tournament since 2015 and it seems a
foregone conclusion their opponent will
win with a try bonus. Despite hope that
Benetton would become competitive in
the Pro14, that proved a false dawn and
in 2021-22 both Italian sides
play Challenge Cup rugby.
I believe the bottom team
in the Six Nations should
face a play-off against the
winner of the Rugby Europe
Championship. I’m open to
the Six Nations team playing
only one leg, at home, but
there should be the carrot
for every country in Europe
to play on the top stage.
The Premiership and Top
14 have relegation and clubs
What next?
like Quins, Northampton,
We have the same
Bayonne and Lyon have
yearly debate about Italy
bounced back strongly from
the drop. A season spent
winning can galvanise a team. It should
not be the end of their journey, as some
suggest. Also, sides lower down have an
opportunity to develop and grow – that
would be good for rugby across Europe.
Before 2000, Italy earned the right to
enter the Six Nations but I feel that 21
Send your views to
years is a sufficient period to adapt and
rugbyworldletters
develop. Ringfencing hasn’t made the
@futurenet.com
competition stronger, so I’d advocate

WHAT DO
YOU THINK?

a promotion/relegation play-off.
56

RUGBY’S MOST tedious annual debate
rears its ugly head at the end of every
Six Nations. I don’t care for the bleating
quite as much as I worry about the
dangerous caveat it sets.
This maelstrom of thought isn’t so
much about the issue of relegation
as it is about the ‘Italian question’,
accentuating their seemingly eternal
quest to find a competitive edge in the
competition. I’d put it like this: would
rugby fans accept England, France,
Ireland, Scotland or Wales not playing at
the pinnacle of European competition?
Although not a simple
conundrum to solve, I’m all
for the likes of Georgia, a
team central to the debate,
being given a chance in an
expanded tournament, not
one threatening relegation.
In a period where global
development of rugby is
begging for a wider appeal,
is it necessary to prop up
one team at the expense of
another? Expansion of the
game must surely rely on a
team’s aspiration to climb
and stay on the ladder,
rather than the constant
threat of falling off.
Despite dominating European rugby’s
second-tier tournament, Georgia have
failed to show any inkling that they
would provide more stable and
competitive opposition. World Rugby
rankings fail to tell the full tale here.
Italy joined the competition 117 years
late. Time to stop maligning a growing
team with the constant threat of the ‘r’
word and give them (and potential new
friends) the space and time to flourish.

P R O

I N S I G H T

HOW TO GO
LONG AT THE
LINEOUT
Lyon and USA hooker Joe Taufete’e explains how and when to deliberately overthrow
“We
will use the long
throw if we spot a team
who doesn’t come up quickly in
the midfield at lineouts. If you have
a powerful centre who can get over
the gain-line, the overthrow gets the
ball to them early. We have that in the
national team with Paul Lasike. If the
centre is running before the ball has
been thrown it gives the play away,
so the centre has to look at the
hooker and read when he
is about to throw
the ball.”

WORDS Sam Larner. PICS Getty Images & Inpho

“The focus when
I try to overthrow is to
keep the same flow. There
are times you feel you need
more power so you yank at it, but
that’s not the goal. It will go wrong if
you try too hard to generate power.
Focus on your form and speeding
up your hands and arms to get
that distance. Get good
technique and the power
will come.”

“Professional
teams universally
defend with a hooker or
flanker as tail gunner to cover
those overthrows. That has made
it a lot harder to execute because
it now needs to be at least an
18-metre throw to get past that
tail gunner. That is on the hooker,
though, and hookers
are evolving to throw
that distance.”

“You can use
an overthrow on
lineouts on your own
five-metre line. Your back-line
will be only five metres back but
the defence must be ten metres
back. In that situation I take off
height so it gets to the receiver
quicker. The big advantage is
they’re further back and we
want to take that
space.”
57

T H E

A N A LYS T

HOW TO PICK
AND GO LIKE
EXETER CHIEFS
Sean Holley explains the details behind the 2020 double winners’ greatest weapon

HAVING COACHED in the English
Championship with Bristol, trying to get
to the Premiership and establish a club
in the top tier, I can only admire Exeter’s
achievements over the past decade.
They can go toe to toe with the best in
any area, but their forte is what I call the
‘third set-piece’ – the pick and go from
a tap penalty near the opposition’s line.
The Chiefs’ signing a few years ago of
Thomas Waldrom, a phenomenal carrier
and try-scorer, was a catalyst for them
to take this facet of the game to a new
level. Rob Baxter has made this tactic an
artful weapon and this was showcased
in the 2020 Champions Cup final
against Racing, when Chiefs scored two
tries from close range that went a long
way to sealing their first European title.

Why are Exeter better than anyone
else at the pick and go? They are better
coached and organised. It’s clear they
spend more time on this area than
other clubs because they see the value
in it. They also recruit and select players
who understand the skill and thrive at it.

And their culture is very team-based,
they buy into what is required. I see
other teams with big players and big
personalities who get isolated and don’t
grasp the team element of these plays.
I’ve used the Racing match to show
what makes Chiefs so difficult to stop…

1

Luke Cowan-Dickie often taps and charges for the line, but here he
moves the point of contact by passing to Sam Simmonds. Defences
will compete hard over the ball, so the attack must have their carriers
and clean-outs in the right position. Exeter’s forwards take over. If they
can score on any phase they will but contingencies exist in ensuing phases. Another
forward pod is on the other side of the penalty mark to spread the defensive line.
Simmonds accelerates onto the pass with Dave Ewers and Jacques Vermeulen
either side, ready to clean out. He stays low (inset) so defenders can’t hold him up.
The arriving support players stay close to protect the carrier and recycle the ball.

THE
SET-UP

58

2

The set-up of this phase – taken here from Exeter’s second
pick-and-go try v Racing – includes some deception. The flow of
play is going in the same direction. Jonny Gray plays scrum-half.
Jonny Hill positions himself laterally as if to receive a pass from the
base by Gray. The defence is kept guessing because Gray now has three options:
he can pick and go forwards towards the line; he can pass to Hill; or he can pick
and go but run diagonally towards Hill, so that Hill becomes his outside clean-out.
Harry Williams, the eventual scorer, positions himself on Gray’s hip and can either
latch onto him to drive him forward or clean out the defenders on the inside of Gray.

THE
APPROACH

THE
INSIDE
LINE
Practise the art of pick
and go at your own club

1

Low-flying missile
Staying low, with powerful
leg drive, makes Simmonds
hard to hold up over the line or
for a maul to be held up. Practise
this carry using a try-line and a
mix of defenders – some with
tackle shields, some with suits
so they can use their arms and
try to hold the ball-carrier up.
Once Simmonds hits the floor,
he must work his body position
to place the ball away from
potential jacklers. The clean-out
players must stay on their feet
and not go too far past the ball,
to stop defenders getting at it.

2

3

As defenders fold around the corner due to the waves of attack,
they leave a potential soft edge on the short side close to the ruck.
Returning to Exeter’s first try as my example, Simmonds now comes
back to carry again as he is one of Chiefs’ best carriers. Ewers
binds on to Simmonds as he picks and goes against the grain. The extra weight,
tight bind and thrust that Ewers creates by latching on to Simmonds creates a 2-v-1
contact against Antonie Claassen on the short side and he crashes over for the try.

THE
STING

Lateral thinking
If Gray carries diagonally,
he has to get to Hill, who
can latch on and drive him
forward and then double up
as the outside clean.
Carrying more laterally offers
an option of a pop pass to Hill,
it pulls out defenders, and you
attack a weaker shoulder or
space as the defenders are
condensed close to the ruck. As
Gray is tackled, he falls to the
open side to present the ball
– where Hill can protect him.

3

59

ILLUSTRATIONS Artlife

Latch and thrust
The role of Ewers as a
latcher is vital as he can
give extra thrust. Simmonds’s
ball carry is similar to his initial
first-phase carry – low, good
leg drive, protecting the ball.
The difference is he knows he
is carrying to score so getting
the ball down is imperative.
Practise these phases with a
group of forwards working on
the points illustrated. It’s good
to do this under fatigue as
decision-making and execution
can be affected when tired.
Identify your best carriers and
clean-out guys. And overload
the defence to ensure your
players develop patience.

I N

F O C U S

INSIDE THE MIND OF…
ANDREW BRACE
Interview Alan Dymock // Picture Craig Watson/Inpho

The young IRFU referee talks Belgium, violin playing and World Cup ambitions
“People call
me ‘United
Nations’. I was born
in Cardiff. I’m in Ireland.
I also went to Plymouth’s
University of St Mark
& St John for my
degree.”

“I had a lot of injuries and setbacks as a player. I was
losing the motivation to play and my glass ankle kept
going on me. Whilst I didn’t make it into pro rugby as a
player, reffing was a different avenue. It got to a stage
when I was playing, coaching or reffing seven days a
week. I was playing All-Ireland League and couldn’t ref
at the same level. I realised I couldn’t do everything.”

“My father’s
side is Belgian. I
played five Tests with
them. As a player I started as
a nine and pushed into almost
every position in the back-line.
With Belgium I played on the
wing. With the language
barrier, back three
probably suited me
better.”

“I’ve
been at the
World Cup as an
assistant. I’ve achieved the
goal of the Six Nations. Now
it’s about getting to World
Cup 2023 and hopefully not
just being a referee. The
aspiration is to be there
as a knockout
referee.”

“After my degree in
sports science and
coaching, I was lucky to get
set up in Ireland, with Tralee
and then Old Crescent. I also
managed to get some work
with Munster as a coach
development officer.”

“The coaching
side really interested
me, and Johnny Lacey
was working with Munster at
the time I was there. He was
probably sick of me giving out
“When
about refs, so suggested I
first reffing,
put my whistle where
maybe I thought
my mouth is.”
everyone would be my
mate. You ref teams you’d
played and knew. The first
year was challenging, the
transition from a team
environment.”

“The first Tier
One Test I refereed
was Argentina v Wales
(2018). The intensity of Test
rugby is crazy. It’s completely
different from any club game.
Ball-in-play time is higher, rucks
are quicker. Three-second
rucks mean less time to
process those
decisions.”

“I got to grade
eight on the violin.
My claim to fame was I
used to play with Gethin
Jones – his mother, Sylvia,
was my violin teacher. We
were in the orchestra
together.”

“In Europe, you go as a team
of four officials – if you’re with
Frank Murphy, George Clancy,
Joy Neville or Sean Gallagher,
you are all in the same boat. It’s
good travelling with the Irish
team, to have consistency.”

60

“I’ve learnt a lot more French now
because I do think it’s important
to have a few phrases. I think it’s
important that you at least try. But
you’ve got to be fair to both sides.
It’s key people remember English
is the World Rugby language.”

T O U R

TA L E

WHAT GOES ON TOUR…

[ Goes in Rugby World ]

NDREW MARTIN, of
Edwards Coaches,
has driven the Wales
team’s bus for the
past 13 years. He
recalls his standout memory from
the 2015 Rugby World Cup…

WORDS Rhodri Jeremiah. ILLUSTRATION David Lyttleton

A

My favourite occasion has to be
driving back from Twickenham
after that memorable win (28-25)
over England. The team wanted
to head back to the Vale (hotel)
that same night. The buzz on the
bus – well, it was like nothing
else. It’s the best bus journey I’ve
done in 35 years of driving.
When we left, we were going
through Whitton and one of the
players was fascinated with the
bus horn. It was just after midnight
and this horn was blasting. The
call came… “Andrew, please go
round the block again!”
The following week I had a
letter along the lines of, ‘Although
we appreciate you’ve won,
Twickenham is a residential area
and not everyone likes rugby!’
When we reached the Severn
Bridge, this Network Rail van
pulled up alongside. The night
workers slid their side door open
and were taking photos of the bus
and cheering and waving. We
reached the tolls and the TAG fob
that I use to automatically lift the
barrier decided not to work. We
couldn’t get back into Wales!
I told one of the bridge
supervisors I had the Wales team
on board but they weren’t budging
and insisted we had to pay! The
Network Rail lads tried to lift the
barrier – it was like something out
of Gavin & Stacey! No one on the
bus had any cash, so in the end
the Network Rail lads paid for us
to get back in. This was at around
three o’clock in the morning! n

WE WON’T TE LL ,
PROMISE…
We love hearing your stories and want
to celebrate the characters of our great
game in What Goes On Tour… If you have
an amusing tale to tell, drop us a line.
Mark your email ‘Tour Tale’ and send it
to rugbyworldletters@futurenet.com

R E A L

L I F E

Words Alan Pearey // Photos Getty Images

WHAT IT’S LIKE TO…
LIVE IN A CAVE
Former Springbok Gcobani Bobo discusses a life-changing experience
REMEMBER HAVING a
discussion with my mates and
saying that once we make
this decision it comes with
consequences. Are you
willing to take the consequences?”
Gcobani Bobo, the former Springbok
centre turned TV pundit, is addressing
one of the most unusual questions
Rugby World has posed at the start of
an interview. Why did you live in a cave?
The mates Bobo refers to, twins Oginga
and Samora Siwundla, had played rugby
with him at Rondebosch Boys’ High
School in Cape Town. Bobo, however,
was the star; he had captained South

I

Safely grounded
A try for Bobo during the
2007 World Sevens Series

Africa U17 to France in 1996, had roomed
with John Smit for SA Schools the same
year, was being touted to lead the
Springbok U19s at a Junior World Cup.
This was all not long after South Africa’s
first free elections and the rise to power
of Nelson Mandela. The opportunities,
the attention and adulation, all got a bit
much for Bobo. He was leaving school
and wanted to press the pause button.
“There was a lot of consciousness for
youths trying to figure themselves out,
now that we had opportunities to make
sense of what we wanted to do with
our lives. I started asking a lot about
self, getting a lot of self-knowledge

and self-appreciation. I wanted to know
who I was without the rugby.
“So I got into Rastafarianism, which
helped me to find who I was. It’s a way
of life more than religion, it’s about
Africanism and origins of Utopia, the
only place that was never conquered
by colonial powers. Being Rastafarian
spoke to me and spoke to my mind.
“I was not Gcobani Bobo, I was Gcobani
Bobo the rugby player. I wanted to find
who Gcobani was and that’s why I took
on this journey. And it came with the
knowledge that I was willing to lose it all
to gain more. That was my mindset. It
was about character, even if I played the

game people would take me
for my character. Having
basic values and principles
would hold me in good stead.”
And so Bobo and the twins
went into the mountain
Shirt swap
above Muizenberg, finding
Ugo Monye
a cave right at the top. They
washed in waterfalls and
used the water for cooking, they made
fires to fend off the cold they felt in their
sackcloth clothing. Bobo sometimes
wore an all-brown defence force
uniform. He went bare-footed, grew
Memorable day
a massive beard and dreadlocks that
Bobo in action for Western
resembled the shrub of a tree.
Province against the 2009 Lions
Their diet was strictly vegetarian and
for food they went down to the market.
Selling herbs or their remaining
weight. Within four years he was making Lions played WP in 1997, and John
possessions brought them money to
his Springbok debut against Scotland at
Bentley went up against James Small.
buy bread or potatoes, and sometimes
Ellis Park, an occasion that brought an
So having the chance to play against
people would be charitable. “You could
emotional reunion with his father.
the Lions was very special.
say I was a bergie (vagrant),” says Bobo,
He was at the infamous Kamp
“It was very tribal, four home unions
whose weight dropped to 72kg.
Staaldraad in 2003, which left several
joining up to go and conquer Africa.
Bobo fell out with his family. Although
Boks traumatised but which Bobo, as
The warriors from the safari fronting up
saddened by that, he was independent
a former cave dweller and Xhosa man,
for the pride of South Africa. I swapped
in spirit. He went to boarding school
took in his stride. He missed the 2003
a jersey with Ugo Monye, who had
from the age of nine and in holidays
World Cup through injury but was to win
a brilliant tour for the Lions.”
had lived with his grandparents in
six caps, the last of them the year before
Bobo played in the Premiership for
Engcobo, in the old Transkei. They were
the 2009 Lions toured his country.
Newcastle before retiring. He has
methodist priests and his parents felt
Bobo was playing for Western Province worked for SuperSport, in the studio
he would benefit from their influence.
by then and vividly recalls their clash
and commentary box, for ten years, and
Then, six months into his reclusive
with the Lions. “I remember driving to
is engaged to his life partner, Simoné.
existence, Bobo had an epiphany after
Newlands for a team meeting and seeing Their son, Osu, is three years old.
descending the mountain and passing
a sea of red. Infiltrating, dominating the
Bobo would have loved Maro Itoje
a store that sold television sets.
whole of Cape Town.
to captain the tourists this year – “Can
“There was an advert playing for
They were out in
you imagine a Nigerian captain of the
Super 12 rugby, with The Wild Boys
droves. You could feel
British & Irish Lions? That would have
(Duran Duran) theme. And I saw
the atmosphere.
resonated with so many people.”
John Smit, who was now part of the
“I’d been a schoolboy
He adds: “It was disappointing not to
Sharks team. And I knew this (rugby)
when the British & Irish see the Red Sea, or hear the chant of
Bobo is a published
was something that I needed to
the Lions. For the
author having written
finish. It was my purpose in life. I
first Test in 2009
a novel called The
walked down to the SARU offices, I
Durban went dry,
Rise of the Dagger.
was pretty close to Rian Oberholzer
there was no
Another sideline
(managing director) at the time, and
liquor to be sold!
is coaching for the
told him I was ready to play rugby.”
“South Africa is
ShadowBall Academy.
To change his environment, SARU
such a beautiful
Business partner Gary
packed him off to the Lions in
country and you
Crookes invented a
Johannesburg, where Jake White
want people to
ball designed to
had a gift for him. “He said, ‘There’s
experience a
rebound off a wall
an opportunity for you to become
safari, the nature,
back to the passer to
something quite special in South
the people, to
facilitate solo passing
Africa, but you have to show me
live that South
and catching. Bobo
true commitment. Here’s 50 rand,
African dream. It’s
created a programme
go and cut your hair’.”
very unfortunate
At full stretch
for its use (see shadow
Bobo smartened up and ditched
but still the rivalry
Defending for Newcastle, 2010
ballacademy.com).
the veggie diet, regaining his lost
is there. Every
time we’ve been
world champions, the British & Irish
Lions have rocked up.”
And when he reflects on that time
living in the cave, does he think it was
worth it? “Yeah, I’d do it again. With not
even a flinch, not even a doubt.” n

DID YOU
KNOW?

“ Rast afa ri a n i sm he l ped m e to
f i nd out who I wa s. I w as w illin g
t o los e i t a l l to ga i n m o re”
63

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Rugby World brings the England wingers

64

L

England

MET

JONNY
together to talk tries, teams and targets

IKE ANY typical
British conversation,
talk has turned to the
weather. “Every time I used to
wake up at the Petersham Hotel in
Richmond, I just prayed it wasn’t raining,
otherwise it would be a forward game,” says Rory
Underwood of his match-day memories with England.
There is also chat about Underwood’s Zoom background
– displays of the shirts and caps from his career. Current
England wing Jonny May’s collection of shirts is still in bags,
but: “My first cap is framed with my shirt. My parents have that.”
With 49, Underwood has led the way as England men’s
record try-scorer since retiring 25 years ago. May is a way
behind on 33 tries but he is still closer than anyone has got
before. We brought the two together to compare notes…
65

England
Jubilation
Underwood enjoys
the 1991 Grand Slam

What’s it like to score a try? Is it an
addictive feeling?
Rory Underwood: Crikey, both of us,
we love scoring tries. You can tell with
Jonny. You’re a much more expressive
generation nowadays than we ever
were; it was a very polite handshake in
our day. But it doesn’t detract from the
enjoyment you get from scoring tries,
especially at Twickenham when you
get the crowd roaring, it’s fantastic.
People ask what I miss most about the
game. My first answer is the camaraderie
of the team you’re playing with at the
time. But I must admit scoring the tries is
a great feeling and I miss that. Definitely.
Jonny May: I’d agree with that. The tries
are the rewards I guess, opportunities
we get to take, so they justify the hard
work. They are the game giving back to
you for all the other stuff we go through.
They’re great moments, the tries.
But like Rory says, the main thing is
remembering it’s a team game. I build
my game around doing selfless things
for the team first, but of course I’m over
the moon when I do get a try because
that’s a nice moment to experience.
Has it been weird with no crowds?
JM: It is strange but we’ve adapted.
Once we’re out there playing it almost
feels like a new normal. The weirdest
bit is the drive in, the empty streets.
The anthem is strange but when we’re
in the game we’re just cracking on.
RU: I remember playing in front of
65-70,000 against Wales one weekend
and the following weekend I played for
the RAF against the Navy at Twickenham
in front of 650 people! I’ve played many,
many times at Twickenham for the Air
Force against the Army or Navy, so I’ve
played in front of hundreds of people as
opposed to tens of thousands.

As Jonny says, especially as these
guys are professionals now, once you
get into the game you just focus on the
game. Even if you’ve got 82,000 people
there, there are times you’re so zoned
in you don’t even know you’ve got a
crowd there. Then there are other times
you come out of that, when there’s a
break in play, an injury or whatever,
then that’s when you hear the crowd.
Jonny’s not played at Twickenham in
the old stadium. When I first played, the
nearest spectator was about two or
three metres away from you. They were
sat down there and as you were stood
on the touchline they would speak to
you. They’d just try to call your name
out, ask how it’s going, just have a
general chat. Whereas now they’re
ten, 15, 20 yards away from the pitch.

“ Tri e s are the re w ard s , s o the y
j ustif y the hard w ork . T he y are
the g am e g iv in g b ac k to y ou”
Do you work on finishing?
RU: The correct answer is Jonny has
to work on it as he’s a professional!
JM: Essentially it’s putting the ball down,
isn’t it? So it’s not something you need
to overthink or practise. For me, it’s a bit
like footwork or taking on defenders, it’s
an instinctive skill that you get enough
exposure to in training and playing. It’s
just a natural instinctive thing for me.
There are certainly lots of parts of the
game I need to practise, for instance
kicking, basic catch-pass, high-ball
stuff, the tackle… Those skills you can
practise and refine, but I don’t want to
think too much about finishing, I just
want to be doing that instinctively.
RU: I’m the same. I can honestly say I
never ever practised it, ever. As Jonny
says, you’re just trying to do everything
you can to get the ball over the line.
I was going to ask you, Jonny, if you
were trying to take flying lessons after
that try of yours (against Italy) – crikey!

Coach’s corner
May with Eddie Jones
Zoom in The England wingers chat on a video call
66

England

JONNY MAY
DoB 1 April 1990
Born Swindon
Position Wing
Club Gloucester
England caps 66
England tries 33
Instagram handle
@j0nny_may

Airborne
May’s acrobatic
finish against Italy
JM: To be fair that is the one
bit of finishing we have
messed around with, kind of
practised. I remember the
last World Cup camp we got
the crash mats out. A lot of
the rugby league players are
doing that, on their fifth set if
they’re five metres out they
will just give it to the winger and it’s a
tough thing to defend if you jump. You
can’t really stop it if you execute it well.
RU: You do see a lot of that in the NRL.
It’s fantastic rugby league down there
and the number of tries you see in the
corner, just squeezing in…
JM: That’s a common thing, weekly
they’re doing that. Their wingers get it
on the fifth; it’s your opportunity to have
a free shot really because the ball is
going to the other team after that
anyway, so why not have a go at it.

other things. Jerry was
outstanding; not only the
timing of the pass but the
weight of the pass, and
obviously where he put it
too. I think he’s given me
most scoring passes. Who
do you reckon has given you
the most scoring passes?
JM: Put me in for the most? I don’t know.
It’s quite a good spread. Elliot (Daly)
has been brilliant at full-back. I think JJ
(Jonathan Joseph) is similar to Jerry –
run, kick, pass, timing, understanding…
RU: I agree.
JM: Sladey (Henry Slade) is similar. Then
inside we’ve got George (Ford) and
Owen (Farrell), and they’re just world
class at making decisions at the line,
catching and passing, so I’ve been
surrounded by lots of good players.
RU: I must admit either JJ or Henry
Slade, both of them are very talented
players. I’d have been quite happy to
play outside either of those two.

“I wa s goi n g to as k y ou,
J on n y, i f y o u w e re tak in g
fl yi n g l e ss on s af te r that
try of yo urs – c rike y !”

You both took a while to find your
try-scoring groove at Test level.
Does it take time to adapt?
RU: No. I started playing in a very
average England team basically. If we
won both home games (in the Five
Nations) it was deemed to be quite a
good season. It wasn’t until 1987-88
when Geoff Cooke came in and took
over as coach that things started to
change really, so I scored four tries
in my first four years I think it was.
JM: If you look at the statistics for me,
it’s a try every two games, so I really do
see it as a flip of a coin kind of thing.
Like Rory alluded to, we’re very reliant

on our team-mates, the style of play, the
weather… The opportunity may or may
not come, so for me it’s a flip of a coin.
You can flip heads eight times in a row
and not score in eight games, or flip tails
eight times and score eight times in a
row, so sometimes they come in flurries
and sometimes there will be a gap or
two. You need that opportunity to score.
Like I said, try-scoring is instinctive, it’s
something I’m confident I can do if given
the opportunity. That’s why I’ve learnt to
structure my game around my kick-chase
and edge defence, because that’s not
a flip of a coin, that’s going to happen
every single game. I try to build my
focus around that and when the
opportunity comes I’m ready to take it.
Is there a player you like/liked playing
with? Rory, you’ve said that Jeremy
Guscott was great at setting you up…
RU: Jonny will know, any player who
can stick the pass to you in the bread
basket makes it so much easier for a
winger when you’re trying to set up the
opponent or beat the man. Having to
worry about where the ball is and trying
to catch it, you’ve got to worry about
that first before you start thinking about
67

Do you think you’re similar players?
JM: From what I’ve seen of Rory, he has
a little more frequency, faster feet, a
good step on him. I’m a little bit rangier
than Rory I’d say. From what I’ve seen of
Rory, he’s sharp, high frequency, good
step, strong, maybe a lower centre of
gravity. I’ve seen people getting hold
of him and then falling off him because
he’s got a strong balance on his feet.
I’d probably say we’re not that similar.
RU: I agree with you, Jonny. My blessing
was my 0-60, so my first five to six

England
metres I was very sharp
but as soon as I got over
ten, 20 metres, I just had to hang
on. There was one try I scored against
Wales, I got it in the 22 and I was
running out of steam by the time I was
getting to the try-line at the other end.
Then there’s Jerry running beside me,
just jogging quite happily because he
was more of a rangier runner.
Jonny is a better all-rounder than me.
His ability in the air is much better than
mine. That’s an area I was never as
good as I should have been, going for
the high ball, especially in the Eighties
when the game was very much ten-man
rugby and I just chased the ball but
wasn’t very good at it.
Do you think you could have thrived
in each other’s era?
RU: Oh yeah. We’ve both got talent and
obviously it does help if you play in a
good England team. I’m sure if Jonny
had played during the Nineties when
England were really dominant, playing
outside Will Carling and Jerry Guscott,
then you’d have got plenty of chances.
JM: It’s a hard one to comment on. I
remember watching Jerry at Twickenham
when I was quite young, but I just
missed Rory. So the people I grew up

Captain’s presentation
May receives his 2020 Six
Nations medal from Owen Farrell
never been a discussion until Jonny
because people have got to 29-30 and
that’s it. Records are always going to get
beaten and at some point it will be.
Do you have that as a target, Jonny?
JM: I don’t think I was even aware of it
until I got to the high 20s, then people
started talking around it. Realistically,
I don’t think I’ll catch up to Rory. When
you think about it, what Rory achieved

“B efor e a ga me I wa s e y e s c lo s e d
i n t h e c ha n gi n g room, f o c us in g
and c leari n g my mi n d of c lutte r ”
watching were Jason Robinson, Jonny
Wilkinson, Will Greenwood, Ben Cohen,
Josh Lewsey… They were a dominant
team also if you look at the 2003 World
Cup. So they were exciting to watch. I
just missed that era, that team, before.
It’s interesting that what’s remembered
is the teams. The team I just listed off,
then Rory and Carling and Guscott and
those guys, then hopefully we’re sort of
creating our legacy now with
the boys we’ve got here.
That’s special. It’s what Rory
was saying before, it’s that
companionship, that team,
the experience and
memories you go through
with that group of people –
that’s what’s special about it.

Do you think Jonny will break it?
RU: I’d have said yes before last season
started because of the rate that he was
going. If he stays fit, keeps his pace and
gets to the next World Cup, the rate he
was going you think he’s going to do it.
It just depends. If England play the way
they do at the moment it might not work
that way. He’s definitely got the capacity
to do it. Despite what I said, he’s playing
in a good England side and if he carries
on one in two (Tests) he’s got a chance.
JM: If I go eight tails in a row we could
be looking at an opportunity, but just as
likely… It’s dependent on a lot of things.
What are you like off the field?
RU: I’m quiet, teetotaller, not a party
raiser. Jason Leonard put me in his

PICS Getty Images & PA

Rory, did you think you’d
hold the try record so long?
RU: It’s not the sort of thing
you think about. You finish
your career and you move
on, and it’s just there. It’s

was incredible, it’s a very impressive
record. He’s exactly right, if you get to
around 30 it’s good going and there’s
been a lot of people around there and
Rory’s a standout. What’s impressive is
what it takes to get selected for a Test
match and the consistency of caps,
that’s the challenge, and the tries come
off the back of hanging around so long.
Rory must have got around 80 caps…

RU: Yeah, 85.
JM: That’s very impressive, especially
for a winger, to stay fit, to hang in there.
It shows determination and commitment
to being the best version of yourself and
that’s what I have a huge amount of
respect for because I know what it takes
to get ready for one Test match and 85
is tough going. It takes some doing.

Club and country May breaks for Gloucester while Rory and Tony Underwood lift the spoils of their 1995 season (right)
68

England
But like Rory said,
I treat every game the
same. It doesn’t matter if I’m
back at Gloucester playing in a
Challenge Cup game or if I’m playing
the All Blacks, my prep is focused on
being the best I can be each week.
Also, similar to Rory,
I’m pretty quiet. If I
can shut my eyes on
the bus before the
game, brilliant, and
the clearer my head
DoB 19 June 1963
can be… That work in
Born Middlesbrough
the week allows my
Position Wing
head to be clearer
Club Leicester
come game time. I
Earning his stripes
England caps 85
think that’s key for all
Underwood launches
England tries 49
wingers; you want a
a Leicester attack
Lions caps Seven (1T) clear head because
you just want to go
difference which team I played or which
out there and do what you’re good at.
opponent I was against, I respected
them. Therefore I always had to make
Rory, is it nice hearing about all that
sure I was tuned in, locked into the
recovery stuff you didn’t have to do?
game, and that anything they did I was
RU: When I first played for England, I
ready for. So it was very much about me
found out I was playing on the Sunday
concentrating on myself rather than
night. I met up for a training session at
worrying about the opposition, that’s
Stourbridge on Monday night, I met
very much the way I played the game.
the lads at the Petersham Hotel on
If you ask any player from my
Thursday lunchtime and we trained
generation, normally before a game
Thursday afternoon. We trained Friday

RORY
UNDERWOOD

all-time world drinking XV in the back
of his autobiography – as the bloody
driver! That’s me – family man. I’m
quite a reserved, quiet character.
JM: In a team you’ve got lots of different
personalities, lots of types of people,
and that’s exactly what you need. The
key is getting all those personalities
and ingredients to come together and
produce great team performances.
I’m certainly a bit different to my
team-mates, hopefully in a good way.
I’m very focused, I’m a thinker and I take
what I do very seriously. I work hard, I’m
disciplined, and I think my team-mates
respect that. But at the same time I can
have a bit of a joke and take the mick
out of myself. Sometimes I get people
laughing at me, but I’m happy with that
as long as it adds to the group and
helps push the team forward.
The England team I’m with now,
it’s the tightest team I’ve ever been
a part of and the most talented, so
it’s a special thing to be part of.
Rory, any advice for Jonny?
RU: Not really. I agree with what he
says. He’s doing everything he can to
score as many tries as possible and
sometimes it’s Lady Luck on your side
or sometimes it’s not. There’s no doubt
when the chances come he’s a great
try-scorer, he takes his chances. It’s just
a question of whether he gets those
chances to take. Good luck!
JM: Thank you very much.
I’d like to ask Rory what was your
focus, your thought process gearing into
a game? Did you have targets to hit or
a mindset you wanted to get into?
RU: I didn’t have a target; generally you
just wanted to win as a team and if tries
came along that was a bonus. For me,
my mentality always was it didn’t make a

“Rory ’s ac hie v e m e n t is in c re d ib le .
It s ho w s d e te rm in atio n an d
comm itm e n t to b e in g the b e s t”

Losing cause
May in the RWC 2019 final
I was eyes closed on the changing room
bench just focusing, clearing my mind of
clutter and getting ready for the game.
JM: My week is very much I want to
refine certain skills and practise my
craft, high ball mostly. I want to run
fast in the week, that’s important, and
recovery is huge, so I spend all hours
of the day looking after my body, doing
resilience work in the pool, in the ice
bath, so basically when I get to the
startline of the game, I feel like I’ve done
everything possible I could have done
to be as prepared as I possibly can be.
69

morning and we played Ireland on
the Saturday. That was my first cap.
By the time I retired in 1996, they’d
allowed us to train on a Sunday after
club matches on a Saturday. Then
we were allowed to meet 72 hours
before the match so we’d meet on
the Wednesday night at Quins, train
Thursday and Friday. With Jonny, it’s
the whole week, it’s professional,
he’s there now for, what, six or
seven weeks for the Six Nations?
JM: Yeah, it’s a complete block of time.
RU: Your food is prepared, you’re tested
from when you get up to when you go
to bed, recovery is as important as how
much exercise you do… It’s a massive
difference. The sort of stuff Jonny’s
talking about we didn’t even think
about in our day and the thought of
doing an ice bath – no thank you!
Thank you both for your time.
RU: Jonny, good to chat and all the best.
JM: Cheers Rory, I hope you and your
family are well. Good to see you. n

Rugby Records

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TATISTICS ARE part and parcel of
modern rugby. Numbers pop up on
screen when watching matches on
television. Newspapers print graphs
and tables to illustrate how teams
and players are performing. We love
a graphic at Rugby World too.
It can be difficult to keep track of
all the facts and figures. People know
the major records, such as Alun Wyn
Jones being the game’s most-capped
player or Dan Carter being the top
point-scorer in international rugby.
Yet there are many unusual records
in the game too, some celebrated and
others unwanted. Over the following
pages are 25 rugby records – perfect
tidbits of information to drop into
conversation with your mates down the
pub. From splendid tries to space travel,
cards to kicks, we have you covered…

S PAC E I N VA D E R
USA hooker Anne McClain is
unique in Test rugby. Having gained
two caps for the Eagles in the Women’s
Churchill Cup in 2004, she then
qualified to become an astronaut and
went on to spend 203 days on the
international space station in 2018-19.

DO U B L E U P

WINNING ST RE AK

At St Helen’s, Swansea in 1930,
Wales scored a try against Ireland.
Referee David Helliwell could not
determine whether it was Howie Jones
or team-mate Harry Peacock who had
got the first touch, so it remains the
only jointly awarded Test try in history.

New Zealand (below) won 47
straight matches on the World Sevens
Series, to lift an unprecedented seven
consecutive titles, between a semi-final
defeat by Fiji in Adelaide in April 2007
and a loss to South Africa in the final
of the same event 12 months later.

Y EL LOW F E L LOW
The most yellow cards shown to
one player in Test rugby is nine, issued
to Wallabies flanker Michael Hooper
(left). On a more positive note, Hooper
was the youngest player to win a
century of caps before George North,
also 28, overtook his record last season.

72

Rugby Records

F OR YOU R SINS
The first-ever sin-binning in Test
rugby was actually a mistake! It was
handed out to Australia centre James
Holbeck by referee Paddy O’Brien
(below) in Pretoria in 1997. The problem
was that
although
yellow cards
had been
introduced
for the first
time in Super
Rugby a few
months earlier,
they had not
yet been
approved for
use in Tests.

GOOD NOLLI
The most tries scored by anyone in
the men’s or women’s Six Nations is 28
by Danielle ‘Nolli’ Waterman (above)
for England between 2003 and 2018.
Ireland’s Brian O’Driscoll tops the men’s
charts with 26 tries from 2000 to 2014.

S E EI N G RE D

T R I CK S H OTS
Before this summer, three Tier One
starting men’s hookers had scored a
Test hat-trick – Keith Wood (Ireland v
USA, 1999, above), Julián Montoya
(Argentina v Tonga, 2019) and Jamie
George (England v Georgia, 2020).
Another two hookers added their
names to the record books in July 2021
– Ronan Kelleher (Ireland v USA) and
Jamie Blamire (England v Canada).

Only two players have been sent
off on their Rugby World Cup debuts.
Feleti Mahoni was red-carded for
stamping against France in 1995,
although Tonga claimed it was a case
of mistaken identity and that the player
responsible had been rucking. In 1999,
Marika Vunibaka (Fiji) was given his
marching orders after headbutting
Canada’s Kyle Nicholls in a pool game.

FAST SHOW
In 2013, Doncaster Knights wing
Tyson Lewis (below), who is now the
club’s academy coach, scored a try
against Old Albanians after just 7.24
seconds – a Guinness World Record
before they stopped monitoring it. If
you know of a faster try, let us know!

F UL L HOU SE
Three players have played for each
of the four current Welsh regions in the
Pro14 (and the competition’s previous
guises) – Tal Selley, Liam Davies and
Tavis Knoyle. As yet no one has played
for all four Irish provinces in the Pro14.

HIG H SC ORE R
The most individual points scored
in just one half of a Premiership match
is 26 – scored before half-time by
Gavin Johnson for Saracens at London
Scottish in September 1998. He got two
tries, five conversions and two penalties.

SIX PAC K
In the summer of 2016, World Rugby
introduced an experimental scoring
profile where a try was worth six points.
The first such try-scorer was Argentina
lock Ignacio Larrague against Uruguay.
Thirty-seven six-point tries were
scored in seven Tests, including two
for Romania’s Otar Turashvili.
73

CA S E IN POINTS
The most points scored by anyone
on their first European Cup appearance
is 31 by Iestyn Harris (above) for Cardiff
against Glasgow in October 2001.
Stade Français speedster Thomas
Lombard had an amazing introduction
to the European Cup too, scoring a try
in each of his first five appearances
during the 1998-99 pool stages.

B AA- B AA B OK
Former Springbok Bobby Skinstad
(above) calls himself “the most-capped
modern-day Barbarian” after playing 32
games for the invitational side – many
of them during the mid-2000s when he
played amateur rugby for Richmond.
In the book Our Blood Is Green, the
back-row says: “I had the best time ever
and fell back in love with rugby.”

S O LO RU N

More than 850 players have played
for the British & Irish Lions since it all
began in 1888. Of those, the shortest
career is Cardiff flanker Stuart Lane
(above right), who, 50 seconds into his
debut against Eastern Province in May
1980, ruptured the ACL in his right knee
in a tackle. He never touched the ball
and didn’t play again on tour.

HIG H J INKS
Wooden Spoon, rugby’s children’s
charity, set a world record for a sevens
match played at the highest altitude.
Shane Williams and Ollie Phillips
captained the two teams while England
centurion Tamara Taylor refereed the
game, which took place at 6,322m
(20,741ft) on Mount Everest in April 2019.
The group also played the highest
game of touch on that trip.

74

PICS Doncaster Knights, Getty Images, Inpho, PA & Wooden Spoon

M E M O RY L A N E

Rhys Priestland (right) broke the
Premiership record for most consecutive
successful kicks in February. It was jointly
held by Jonny Wilkinson and Mark van
Gisbergen with 28, but the Bath fly-half
slotted his 29th at Northampton and
extended the run to 36 before missing.
Paul Grayson also had an interesting
streak in a five-game spell in December
1997 to January 1998, when he scored
57 successive points for Northampton
in the Premiership without any other
team-mate getting on the scoresheet.

Rugby Records

TAL L O R D E R

HARD TO STOP

Wednesbury RFC hold the Guinness
World Record for the tallest rugby posts
on the planet. The West Midlands club,
who are celebrating their centenary,
have posts 38.35m high (125ft 9.8in)
– that’s more than 20m taller than the
posts at Twickenham and over ten times
the minimum height required (3.4m).

Scotland winger Duhan van der
Merwe (left) broke his own record when
beating an average of 5.6 defenders
per game for Edinburgh during the
2019-20 Pro14 season, during which
he also scored seven tries and set
up three. He set the previous mark
of 5.3 defenders beaten in 2017-18.

G O T H E D I STA N C E

M A S S GAT HE RING

SE VE N HE AVE N

The Guinness World Record for the
longest successful drop-goal in rugby
union history measured 77.7m (85yd). It
was kicked by Springbok full-back Gerry
Brand during South Africa’s 7-0 win over
England at Twickenham in January 1932.

More than 7,500 people gathered at
Lakeside Village Green, Rotorua, during
the 2017 Lions tour to New Zealand to
set a new world record for the largest
haka. They smashed the previous mark
of 4,028 set in France in 2014.

Former Reds full-back Chris Latham
scored a try in seven Super Rugby
games in a row in 2002 – a record.
He also holds the record for the most
tries by a Wallaby in a match, scoring
five against Namibia at RWC 2003.

PAS S M AST E R

FAT HE R- SON DAY

Joe Simpson set the record for the
fastest throw of a rugby ball in April
2011. The Gloucester scrum-half, then
of Wasps, recorded a throw of 48mph in
a speed cage, beating Nic Berry, Kenny
Logan, Mark Robinson and Tom Varndell.

The last 12 minutes of the match
between Scarlets and Dragons in
October 2015 were unique because
Regan King was joined on the pitch
by his son Jacob Cowley (both left).
Another father and son were named
in the same
Saracens team
for a 2008
pre-season
friendly against
Western Force
– but that time
Owen Farrell
replaced his dad,
Andy, as the latter
got injured. n

START WITH A BANG
Wasps’ Alfie Barbeary (right)
marked his first Premiership start last
September by scoring a hat-trick. Only
Lesley Vainikolo, the Gloucester winger,
has achieved the same feat on debut
in the league’s 24-year history.

75

STUART BARNES

The former England and Lions fly-half turned analyst

“He is as close to the
per fect passer of a ball
as the spor t has seen ”
Main Picture Hannah Peters/Getty Images

All Blacks scrum-half Aaron Smith has rediscovered his
best form. Stuart Barnes looks at how he’s done it

I

F YOU want to understand
the influence of Aaron Smith
on much of this rugby century,
then rewind to Japan’s epic
day at Brighton five years ago.
The Springboks were run off their
feet. The man who orchestrated
the game’s staggering tempo was
little Fumiaki Tanaka.
Tanaka learnt his trade in Dunedin.
The understudy to Smith. Tanaka was
back-up when the Highlanders won

their one and only Super Rugby title.
Always there to come off the bench…
when Smith had run himself into the
ground and the opposition ragged.
Japan would not have beaten South
Africa without the immense influence
of the 5ft 7in All Blacks scrum-half.
The greats leave their shadows in the
most unexpected of places. Smith’s hero
was Fourie du Preez. If there has been a
better scrum-half than Smith in the 21st
century, it is the Springbok. The former
76

Blue Bull dominated the 2007 World
Cup and made the plays that mattered
against the Lions in the 2009 series.
Du Preez was the only role model. But
not one upon whom he could build his
game as Tanaka did on Smith’s (and
Yutaka Nagare on Tanaka’s in 2019).
Du Preez was a different sort of nine.
Both brilliant readers of the game, the
Bok the better kicker, the All Black the
infinitely greater passer. One man ran a
team who were content to keep the

Stuart Barnes

Finishing touch
Smith scores a try
for the All Blacks
pace of a game down, the other
thrives in overdrive. Dan Carter may have
been King of the ABs in their golden
period but Smith was the loquacious
chauffeur. Smith is a fly-half’s dream.
He is as close to the perfect passer
of a ball as the sport has seen, Gareth
Edwards included. It is no coincidence
that Smith found another gear to his
game in lockdown. When New Zealand
Rugby decided to accelerate the speed

Super Rugby magnified the major matter
of the breakdown. Smith surged back to
his very best. The Highlanders aren’t the
strongest franchise but this one-team
man made them into an attractive,
intelligent and awkward side to play
against, such was the influence of Smith.
The first man on the scene of the tackle,
the purest of passes. In 2020’s North v
South Island match, Smith was rested in
the first half. Within minutes of being on

“ He neve r shuts up. No r d o e s he
st op movi n g. Pe rpe tua l m otio n ,
d ar t ing ey e s a n d compu te r b rain”
of the game in Super Rugby Aotearoa, it
played to his strengths.
Phase ball was so fast that it was
being placed into space where
previously it had been secured by
players piling off their feet. Quick ball is
great ball with which to attack but only if
it can be whisked away before opposing
defences latch onto it. The pressure on
the scrum-half is intensified. He has to
be fit and fast enough to be at this
breakdown, that one and the next if the
attack is not to break down with a steal
or a tighthead throwing a loopy old
pass behind the first receiver.
Think Japan v South Africa, think the
All Blacks at their best; the essence of
these attacks is speed. Too much of it
for defences to defend on the front foot.

the field in the second, we witnessed
what makes him the maestro he is.
First, he fizzed a pass to his fly-half at
a speed to enable the North to cross the
gain-line. Second, he picked up the ball,
made a metre ‘around the corner’ of the
ruck and drew the open-side defender.
He took the tackle, Anton Lienert-Brown
took the gap created by the subtle play.
Third, another superb service helped
the offence get beyond a defence by
now in chaotic retreat. As the attack
raced upfield courtesy of the wide
channels, Smith sprinted from midfield
to put himself into position to take the
inside scoring pass that I swear he
knew was coming his way. Perfection.
The South claimed the win with the
final play but not before Smith had
78

picked the right runner from three to
dive over the try-line with a scorching
flat pass. It was classic Smith. The brain
is as fast as the pass. A scrum-half with
a searing service and no brain is a
threat but he is flawed. A scrum-half
with a great brain but a poor pass can
be got at. A scrum-half with both is
central to any side in which he plays.
On that same weekend in September
last year, I watched Antoine Dupont, the
heir apparent to Smith’s mantle as the
world’s greatest scrum-half, sprint and
dummy half the length of the field to
finish off a fabulous move in a classic
Clermont Auvergne v Toulouse fixture.
I thought the Frenchman
had overtaken the 30-plus
Smith but with the game
going through the gears in
New Zealand, Smith has
sprinted and passed his way
back to the top of the tree.
Faf de Klerk had a colossal
World Cup but he is very
much a forward’s scrum-half;
often ambling to the
breakdown, the box kick the
obvious, inevitable option
given the slow nature of
possession. Still, a superb
player but Smith is just that
little bit sharper.
All three men are tigerish
in defence. Smith probably
makes fewer tackles than his
peers but those he makes

Stuart Barnes

tend to be try-savers. Scrum-half – the
chauffeur – has to steer players around
the field. He cannot do that on the floor,
no matter how quick he bounces back
from the tackle. Too many tackles, in
the end, became a weakness, not a
strength, of England’s Jonny Wilkinson.
He evolved into a warrior when the
half-backs, first and foremost, have
to be thinkers, readers of the game.
The very best are speed readers.
A defence expects Smith to spin that
sublime pass into the waiting arms of
the first receiver? Then he’ll dart around
the fringes where there’s room for a
quick-heeled break. Worried about the
break next phase? He’ll see where the
defence is most stretched and send
the ball in that direction. If the fly-half
reads the game equally well – as Carter
did – you’ve the fastest, most fluid
attack of the century. That’s why New
Zealand won so often and played so
wonderfully in Smith’s prime.
His box kick, like a Central Otago Pinot
Noir, has improved with a little age.
While his game management also
includes the constant chatter, aimed not
just at his team-mates but the referee.
Arms flailing, screaming for this, pointing
out that – Smith is a one-man band.
It’s not the prettiest part of his game
but putting the referee under pressure
is expected of any good scrum-half. He
infuriates officials and opponents. He
never shuts up. Nor does he stop moving.
Perpetual motion, fast feet, quick
wrists, darting eyes and computer
brain. All the component pieces come
together to make Aaron Smith the
greatest scrum-half since his own idol,
du Preez. Any smart young scrum-half
could do no better than to model his
aspiring game on the Highlander. n

A detailed look at the All Black’s skill-set

THE EYES
It’s always the eyes, especially for a half-back. You
can be the fastest or strongest but one man can’t
take on a whole team. A nine’s job is to maximise the
opportunity for the other 14 blokes. That requires
speed of decision-making. Smith is summing up
what’s on where as he heads to the tackle area.
That extra half-a-second is the difference between
exploiting a gap and the defensive hole closing.
THE MOUTH
Everyone knows what needs to be done when Smith
is calling the shots. There is no more valuable player
in the world. He barks and bellows orders to those
arriving at the tackle. Props are pulled where they’re
least likely to be exploited; more athletic souls are
dispatched left and right. He is constantly telling the
referee what’s happening. The traffic cop who keeps
it all moving, in complete charge of proceedings.
THE LUNGS
It is a lung-busting effort to be the first man after
the tackler and support man to the breakdown
again and again and again… If you’re a split-second
late, that quick phase ball is rolling back, fair
game for all. Smith has to be there ahead of all
opposition. Otherwise the possession has to be
slowed down with maybe a prop ambling to throw
the pass to the fly-half. It’s a sure way for speedy
possession to become a problem for the side on
attack. Smith is always on the scene of the tackle.
THE WRISTS
Now it gets to the technical part. The speedier the
ball, the less leeway for error. Attacking sides are
not sealing or securing, they are producing ball to
use while the defence is backpedaling. But it is prey
to defenders on the fringe. A wound-up pass and a
flanker or other scrum-half will disrupt possession.
The split-second speed of Smith’s pass comes from
the wrists. No swing, just the sharpest service
around, essential for teams that play with the
pace of the Highlanders and the All Blacks.
THE LEGS
Strong enough to ride the tackle when he darts
himself. That capacity to scythe through defences
around the fringes keeps them tucked into the
breakdown, offering more time for the first receiver.
Many great passers are nothing more than
distributors; Smith is a lethal runner with a clever
kicking game. Visionary, chopsy, fit as a fiddle,
technically superb and sharp as a razor blade.
He’s one of the best rugby players on the planet.

PICS Getty Images

NZ rival
TJ Perenara

H E AD TO TOE

79

Q & A

DOWNTIME WITH… SHOTA HORIE

“There was a weird
force – it wasn’t
a human being”
The Japan hooker discusses superpowers, superstitions and the supernatural
Interview Sarah Mockford // Pictures Getty Images

hota Horie is a hugely
popular figure in Japanese
rugby, having played for the
Brave Blossoms for more
than a decade. He was part
of both the famous win over South Africa
in 2015 and the historic World Cup
campaign on home soil four years later,
when Japan reached the quarter-finals
of the tournament for the first time.
In 2021, he also helped the Panasonic
Wild Knights squad coached by Robbie
Deans, and featuring a couple of familiar
faces from the UK in George Kruis and
Hadleigh Parkes, to a sixth Top League
title. Here the experienced hooker gives
us an insight into his life…

S

What’s the funniest thing that you’ve
seen or heard on the pitch? This is a
difficult question! I have dreads and in
one match one of my dreads came off

WHAT’S
ON YOUR
PHO NE

Last person
you phoned
Yoshihito Sato,
my personal
trainer

and ended up lying on the ground.
What’s your favourite WhatsApp
Timothy Lafaele, the centre for Japan,
group? The Outdoor Group – me,
saw it in the middle of the field and
Rikiya Matsuda, Ryuji Noguchi and
thought it was a dog s***! He then
Shota Fukui. We go camping, SUP
realised it was my hair – it wasn’t
(stand-up paddle-boarding), have
very complimentary to me!
campfires. We go to Lake Chuzenji,
If you could have one superpower,
which is an hour and a half’s drive.
what would it be? To fly. Scoring tries
How did you feel about Japan playing
would be a lot easier!
against the British & Irish
What really annoys you?
Lions in Edinburgh this
When I lose a game.
year? It was a huge privilege,
Who are the jokers in the
a massive privilege (for the
DoB 21 Jan 1986
squad? At Panasonic, Kwon
team – Horie didn’t play).
Born Osaka
Yuin is the joker in the team.
It was a once-in-a-lifetime
Position Hooker
He is always making jokes,
opportunity and an
Team Panasonic
always exaggerating stories.
exciting moment.
Wild Knights
Half of his stories are full of
If you could be one
Height 5ft 11in
s*** but it’s all part of rugby!
team-mate, who would it
Weight 16st 5lb
Any practical jokes you
be? Kenki Fukuoka. Because
Japan caps 66 (10T) he scores a lot of tries.
can tell us? We’re not a
Instagram handle
joking country to be honest
Do you have any
@shotahorie_no.2
– we need ideas.
superstitions? Before a

FACT FILE

Last person
you texted
A Wild Knights
player, Masaki
Tani

Most important
person in phone
My wife

80

Last photo taken
Some team-mates
camping – Rikiya
Matsuda and
Ryuji Noguchi

Favourite
social network
Instagram

Knight at the helm
Horie is one of his team’s
most experienced players

“I’ d like to c oac h y o un g e r
pl a y e rs b ut b e f ore that I w an t
to p lay rug b y un til I ’ m 4 0 !”

Fab four
The Beatles
game I think about my ancestors. I talk
to my dad and my grandfather, who
have both passed away.
What’s been your most embarrassing
moment? I tend to forget bad memories
so I don’t have one.
What are you scared of? Ghosts.
Have you had any supernatural
experiences? When I was in New
Zealand (he played for Otago in 2012),
I was doing a flat share with a friend.

Music app
Apple Music

Last app
downloaded
Zoom

I was sleeping one night and my friend
came into my room in the middle of the
night to say, “We’re going out drinking”.
Then the next week I thought it was
my friend coming in again, but there
was something holding me onto the
bed, I couldn’t get up. When I opened
my eyes there was a weird force, it
wasn’t a human being. I rushed out
of bed. It was a weird experience.
Who would be your three dream
dinner party guests? One, The Beatles.
Two, Aiko – a Japanese singer. She’s
a good friend.
Three, Kemuri
– they are a
JapaneseAmerican punk
band who were
formed in
California.
Last song
So you’re a big
you played
music fan. Do
Psychoanalysis
you play any
by Ego Wrappin’
instruments? The
guitar and ukulele.
81

Do you ever play songs for the team?
No, I’m pretty shy.
Who’d you like to be stuck in a lift with?
Haruka Ayase, a Japanese actress.
Every Japanese person is fond of her.
If your house was on fire, what one
thing would you save? People and
pets are safe. Money – cash!
What’s the silliest thing you’ve ever
bought? Mutant Ninja Turtles toys. I got
six toys and a small car quite recently –
I like them but my wife doesn’t!
They’re vintage toys. I like vintage stuff.
I have an old car – a 1977 Volkswagen
Campervan. It’s white and sky blue. We
take it when we go camping.
What’s the best advice you’ve ever
received? It’s probably from my mum
– don’t push yourself too hard.
What would you like to achieve outside
of rugby? To coach younger players,
bring up younger ones. I’d like to go
into coaching, but before that I want
to play rugby until I’m 40!
How would you like to be remembered?
As cool and respected by people. n

D E B AT E

FACE-OFF

Should the
Lions tour
France?
BENJAMIN KAYSER JON CARDINELLI
THE BRITISH & Irish Lions is an
institution. And we adore it. We tour for
the adventure, the thrill, the quality of
rugby, yes – but also for the amazing
fan experience and being confronted
by the best. If you want to package
Former France Freelance rugby
an amazing destination, regional pride,
hooker turned writer based in
a lot of cultural diversity and, at the
media pundit South Africa
moment, quality rugby, that’s France.
France would create something so
exciting while still fitting the tradition of
the Lions – challenging yourself against
the best in a country that will give you
a lot of stuff to do during the week.
When we were discussing
alternative 2021 Lions plans
Flashback
in Australia or at home,
The Lions played France
which didn’t happen, they
in a one-off Test in 1989
were expecting the Lions to
play a French team during
the week and I thought,
‘This is exactly what world
rugby needs!’ It’s exciting,
new, fresh… Every single fan
in the world would turn their
TV on for that. The Lions in
France would create such
an event. I think it could be
absolutely extraordinary.
France bring something
different to the table. The
Six Nations needs that
specialness because Scotland, Ireland,
Wales and England are not as different.
So imagine if then you can combine all
those Six Nations countries into this
institution with a Lions tour to France.
We love to hate each other and we
hate to love each other. If you want to
Send your views to
create entertainment, quality rugby and
rugbyworldletters
history, I think it must happen. France
@futurenet.com
deserves it now. I hope it will happen

WHAT DO
YOU THINK?

one day, even if it’s just one Test.
82

A TOUR to France would not be as
meaningful as the existing sojourns to
Australia, New Zealand and South Africa.
It’s the rarity of the tours – once every
12 years – that make them so special.
A top player from the home unions may
enjoy two or three opportunities to tour
with the Lions. Elite players down south
get one shot at facing the fabled side
from the North. The locals’ desperation
to succeed against rugby’s most famous
tourists makes for a potent product.
Surely that product would be diluted
if the Lions toured France? The home
unions play France each
year in the Six Nations.
Their players face French
clubs in the Champions and
Challenge Cups. A tour to
France, in the colours of the
Lions, would be overkill.
And what would it cost
other nations? Would France
displace a traditional tour
to Australia, New Zealand
or South Africa – rugby
nations less financially
secure than their northern
hemisphere counterparts?
South Africa, for example,
were counting on a big cash
injection from the Lions
tour. Without a Lions tour in the future,
they would lose millions. This would
impact on their future planning and
structures. Player retention – already
a major issue – would be impossible.
The Lions would do well to consider
staging fixtures against Fiji, Samoa and
Tonga ahead of a series in Australia or
New Zealand. That would boost the
island nations in so many ways and
provide great preparation for the tourists.

P R O

I N S I G H T

HOW TO
DEFEND THE
PICK AND GO
Cardiff Blues forward Josh Turnbull gives his tips on stopping teams close to the line
“When the
opposition are
using latchers, if you have
someone who can make a low
hit, the second defender could give
the support player a little tug so they
come off their feet. You can also tell the
ref he’s not supporting his bodyweight.
We speak to referees before the game
and discuss how they will deal with
latching players, and make sure we
know if we can jackal for the ball
once the support player has
gone off their feet.”

WORDS Sam Larner PICS Getty Images & Inpho

“When defending
a pick and go, you’re
generally trying to get two
men into each tackle. The first
reason is to stop the player and
the second is to stop the offload. If
you’re in a one-on-one, it’s good
to hit them back towards the
breakdown so the carrier
can’t get beyond your
outside shoulder.”

“It’s about getting as
low as possible. We use
‘kneecaps’ and ‘ankles’ calls to
get that trigger to lower your height.
As many people as possible will be
calling that out to keep everyone
focused on where they should be making
those shoulder hits. It’s a tough place to
be but sometimes you can have
game-changing moments when you
put a positive hit in and your
buddy comes over and
steals the ball.”

“After making
a tackle, get back
on your feet as quickly as
possible and scan what is in
front of you. Most of the time
teams pick the same way but they
can come against the grain. You
have to be switched on, low and
in a three-point stance. Get
your fringe defenders tight
to double up on
tackles.”
83

T H E

A N A LYS T

WHY TADHG
FURLONG IS THE
ACE IN THE PACK
The Lions tighthead has an all-court game, says Sean Holley

SENIOR PLAYER, leader and fans’
favourite – that’s Tadhg Furlong, the
two-time British & Irish Lion who starred
in the Test series of 2017 and 2021.
His stature and physique are perfect
for a modern-day Test tighthead. At 6ft
and 122kg (19st 3lb), his running and
ball-playing skills belie the figure he
carves on the field. The fundamentals
of his game are intact and now that
he’s in his late 20s he’s entering his
prime. He reminds me of a player I
coached – Wales legend Adam Jones,
who came of age as a Lion on the
2009 tour to South Africa.
What makes the Leinster tighthead
prop so special? He has an all-court
game, bringing added value for his
feats outside the scrum.

He’s a barnstorming ball-carrier, with
subtle offloads and an acute awareness
of space that his Gaelic football days
with the Horeswood club would surely
have taught him. His defensive reads
are a legend within the rugby fraternity,

Furlong calling himself ‘The Jukebox’
because “the hits keep coming!”.
And on top of all that, he has an
uncanny try-scoring ability.
Here I’ve picked out the three most
impressive areas of Furlong’s game…

1

Furlong’s ability to explode onto a pass makes him hard to stop. Any
tackle above the waist is brushed off with that farmer’s strength but he
can also play, so he’s aware of his support players to provide a subtle
tip pass. His awareness of his orientation in the tackle allows him to
make effective offloads, and his amazing agility for a big man brings him lots of tries.
This is aided by his astonishing footwork. This year he bamboozled the Scots with
a couple of sidesteps (below) reminiscent of Phil Bennett for the 1973 Baa-Baas!
Transferring his weight onto the right foot, Furlong steps George Turner, squares
up to run, sees the oncoming Finn Russell from his outside and steps him off his
right foot – brushing off Russell’s despairing tackle – before getting a pass away.

CARRYING AND
FOOTWORK

84

2

Furlong takes huge pride in this facet of the game. His celebrations
after big scrums have become a TV director’s dream! But it’s also
an area he has improved on, scrummaging more technically and
getting squarer and being patient, recognising that it takes an
eight-man effort to enforce the pressure in the scrum. For a tighthead who has
his opposite prop on the outside right shoulder, he could be inclined to be forced
in towards the opposition hooker in what tightheads call “going into the hole”
– which can make you liable for penalties. Furlong has become a much squarer
scrummager, reaping benefits in penalties for his team and ‘big statement’ scrums.

SCRUMMAGING
NOUS

3

Even the best front-five ball-carriers must also do the hard yards,
clearing rucks to prevent a turnover. Perception, timing, reading
each situation and then arriving and dealing with the jackler are all
part of the process. Furlong is a real weapon in this department.
One of the most revered cleanouts in modern times came in the Australia-Ireland
series in 2018, when David Pocock was set to win a vital turnover (below). That was
until Furlong launched himself at the Wallaby, stooping at pace and engaging his
shoulder onto Pocock’s back, wrapping his arms and driving him away.

PRECISION
CLEANOUTS

THE
INSIDE
LINE
Develop some Furlong
traits, says Sean Holley

1

Carry with momentum
In a team’s attacking shape,
props tend to be used as
support players. In Furlong’s
case, he’s used as a ball-carrier!
Carriers should take the timing
of their runs from the speed of
the ruck and the No 9’s pass.
Momentum is key for the bigger
guys. Gauge their distance and
timing by practising different
speeds of ruck time, and vary
their start position so you can
coach where they need to be on
receiving the ball. Use cones to
define an area to arrive at and a
pole to run around so the player
squares up to run straight by
accelerating off the outside foot.

2

Shape of success
For tightheads, the process
starts with the bind to get
the best shape for engagement.
This requires stability, good feet
position and a good grip bind
on the back of their loosehead,
with a long arm bind to keep
him at bay. On engagement,
the best thrust into position is
required again to get into the
best shape when in the scrum. If
the tighthead at this point can be
square, it maximises the transfer
of the locks’ weight behind him.
It’s then about getting your
chest down and forward on top
of the loosehead’s neck, with
legs at a 90 to 100-degree
angle at the back of knee.

3

85

ILLUSTRATIONS Artlife

Keep your height down
Arrival at the tackle is key
here. If the player can get
square and reduce his height
gradually as he approaches the
target, he has a better chance.
Get them to brush the ground
with their hands before contact
to check their height. With their
chin off their chest and backs
straight, they need to get their
feet close so they don’t launch
off their feet and get penalised.

I N

F O C U S

INSIDE THE MIND OF...
STEF EVANS
Interview Sarah Mockford // Picture JMPUK

The Bristol Bears prop talks hashtags, horses and holidays
“My
dream holiday
is anywhere with a
beach. In a past life, I
think I was a lizard on a
rock because I like
somewhere
warm.”

“When the Women’s Six Nations was postponed
and people posted on social media that no one
cared, I knew it could be disproved. If no one corrects
that and it’s the only thing people see about women’s
rugby, it’s not helpful. I hoped #ICare would get
traction but was surprised how fast and wide it went.”

“I’m
Canadian but I
married a Brit so this is
my home now. We met in
Canada – he’s in the Army
and was out there on a
posting. I really enjoy it here;
it doesn’t feel massively
different in terms of
lifestyle.”

“I started
playing rugby at 14 in
high school – before that I
wasn’t even aware of it being
a sport. After uni, I got a job that
meant I was travelling a lot, so I
thought I’d take a season off
rugby to get settled. I ended
up taking nine years
off!”

“I want
to take rugby as
far as I can, to find
where my ceiling is. I’d
rather someone tell me I
wasn’t good enough than tell
myself that. It’s always better
to know than to wonder –
don’t let a fear of
failure stop you.”

“Reading
about Florence
Nightingale, she not
only invented modern
nursing but did it at a time
when people didn’t respect
her gender. She was a
“I rode
pioneer, creating space
horses
for women in the
competitively when
workforce.”
I was younger and for
most of my 20s I worked
in that field. It was a
wonderful job and I got
a lot of business
experience.”

“There
are so many
technical aspects to the
front row and Rocky Clark
is the hardest to scrum against
as she’s so experienced. I’ll think
I’ve got one part figured out and
she does something different.
She’s like a library, so pulls
something else out of
the catalogue.”

“When my
husband got posted to
the States, I started rugby
again and played for
Boston Beantown. I really
loved the environment,
the intensity and the
challenge.”

“One of the reasons I wanted to
join Bristol is to learn from the
best tighthead in the world,
Sarah Bern. Coach Tom Lindsay
had also recently retired and is
quite tall for a front-row, like me
– I’m 5ft 11in – so I thought I’d
learn a lot technically from him.”
86

“I got frustrated that kit didn’t fit
properly, so I set up Ruggette
(ruggetterfc.com). It’s rugby
clothing for women. I took
hundreds of measurements from
women who play rugby so I had
the data to work out the average
leg opening of a size 14 short, etc.”

T O U R

TA L E

WHAT GOES ON TOUR…

[ Goes in Rugby World ]

N EARLY 2014, myself
and photographer Dave
Gibson headed to
Castres for a photoshoot
with Scottish lock Richie
Gray, writes RW’s Alan Dymock.
Gray – at 6ft 10in and with a
peroxide shock of hair at the time
– didn’t exactly blend in, but locals
were respectful of his space.
Although he’d had a few run-ins
with a local hairdresser who made
him “look like Eminem” while
attempting to redo his dye job,
the goodwill from residents since
he had signed had touched Gray.
Most of the time they would leave
him to it. At least that is until we
set up for a crucial shot…
The plan was to recreate an old
image of Gregor Townsend, who
had posed by the Agoût river
during his spell playing fly-half for
the club in 2000-02. So we found
a prime spot for Gray to stand,
with the water idly rolling behind
him, as Gibbo fiddled with his
camera and assessed the lighting.
Just then a scooter flew past.
Something must have been amiss
because the same scooter quickly
burnt round the block and was
abandoned at the corner opposite.
“Oh no,” Gray muttered, his
confidence melting to bashfulness.
“He is the worst for this…”
Hiding behind some scaffolding,
Brice Dulin could barely contain
his delight. As he peered around
a pole, camera at the ready, the
impish full-back conducted his
own guerilla photoshoot. And
then, just as quickly, giggling
Dulin hopped on his bike and
swayed back towards traffic,
delighted with his work.
It would be a nervous wait for
Gray, knowing the incriminating
photos would appear on the
Castres’ group chat eventually. n

ILLUSTRATION David Lyttleton

I

WE WON’T TE LL ,
PROMISE…
We love hearing your stories and want
to celebrate the characters of our great
game in What Goes On Tour… If you have
an amusing tale to tell, drop us a line.
Mark your email ‘Tour Tale’ and send it
to rugbyworldletters@futurenet.com

R E A L

L I F E

Words Mat Youkee // Pictures Cafeteros/Gaspafotos SLAR & Mat Youkee

WHAT IT’S LIKE TO…
PL AY PRO RUGBY
IN COLOMBIA
Cafeteros Pro is the South American country’s first professional team
N AN artificial pitch in
the Colombian Andes,
Facundo Ferrario sends
a ball spiralling over the
perimeter fence and into
the local neighbourhood of breezeblock
buildings and corrugated iron roofs.
Not so long ago, it would have been
a dangerous task to go and collect it.
Once dubbed the murder capital of the
world, Medellín – Colombia’s second
largest city – was synonymous with

O

cocaine cartels, kidnappings and guerrilla
bombings in the 1990s and early 2000s.
Today the city wins prizes for urban
regeneration and social policy. It is also
the epicentre of South America’s most
unlikely rugby growth story and, since
last year, the headquarters of Cafeteros
Pro, Colombia’s first professional team.
Mauricio Henao, director of the
Colombian rugby federation, recalls the
roots of the city’s rugby revolution. “In
1998, the Medellín government started

an initiative to build sports schools in
the poor neighbourhoods,” he says.
“We convinced the state that rugby
was the ideal sport to get the most
vulnerable boys and girls away from the
clutches of the violent gangs. We opened
one school, the next year we opened
five more, the year after that a further 12.”
The model was replicated across the
country and Colombian rugby is reaping
the benefits. The national team, the bulk
of which hail from Medellín, moved up
Prep work
Rodolfo Ambrosio addresses
his Cafeteros Pro squad

88

to 33rd in the world rankings
– from 71st in 2011 – following
back-to-back victories in the
Americas Rugby Challenge,
the region’s second-tier
international competition.
A Colombian franchise in
Superliga Americana de
Rugby (SLAR) – the region’s
new professional league – became
impossible to overlook.
“Professionalism allows us to give
money so the boys can dedicate
themselves to training and can see rugby
as a career option, but it’s just the tip of
the iceberg,” says Henao. “Cafeteros Pro
will make rugby more visible, but below
that we are expanding the youth and
women’s rugby structures that have seen Coach Rodolfo Ambrosio, who played
fly-half for Italy at RWC 1987, says:
player numbers grow exponentially.”
“We’ve seen a great development in
On a sweaty, overcast day at the Rene
Colombian rugby in recent years, what
Higuita Sports Facility – named after
we need now is to make a leap in terms
the scorpion-kicking goalkeeper – the
of performance. It’s a great opportunity
Cafeteros players run through lineout
for the Colombians to learn and for the
drills and backs moves dressed in their
distinctive brown and yellow kit, inspired Argentinian players to grow together.”
Ferrario is one such Argentinian. “Two
by Medellín’s fame as a coffee producer.
years ago I wouldn’t have believed that
In the Southern Cone, rugby remains
Colombia would have a professional
an upper-middle class sport with an
team, but I think it’s a beautiful thing for
elitist image. In contrast, many of the
rugby in the region,” he says. “I’m happy
Cafeteros players grew up in Medellín’s
to have this opportunity and show the
toughest comunas or in the humble
agricultural villages that populate the
level of rugby we’re capable of. There is
lush green hills that surround the city.
a good vibe in the team, the Colombians
Until 2017, Diver Ceballos, a rangy
are a lot of fun, always joking around.”
back-rower, worked as a bricklayer
The odds were
for his dad’s small business,
stacked against
combining construction duties with
Cafeteros in SLAR.
training and matches in the city.
With the Argentinians
His promotion to the national team,
arriving in February,
los Tucanes, allowed him to focus
they only had 20
Over the past ten
on his rugby full-time and he was
years, the number
rewarded with a contract with
of registered players
Uruguayan side Peñarol in last
year’s Covid-aborted SLAR.
in Colombia has
grown from 800 to
“Seeing professional rugby there
18,000. One in four
opened a new world to me,” the
of those are women.
25-year-old says. “Seeing how the
The Colombian
players dedicated themselves
women’s sevens team
totally to the game, you are
competed in the 2016
improving in every moment. I was
Olympics and played
training with World Cup players
in the repêchage
and learning so much.”
event to try to qualify
Now the same invaluable
experience is available to the
for the Tokyo Games,
Making ground
but they lost 47-0 to
19 Colombian players contracted
Facundo Pueyrredón
France in their final
at Cafeteros Pro, with the squad
on the attack in SLAR
so missed out.
bolstered by young Argentinians.

DID YOU
KNOW?

“ In five ye a rs C ol ombi a w ill hav e
player s who a re physi cally at the
h ig h est l e ve l i n South Am e ric a”
89

Passion project
Cafeteros training at the
Rene Higuita Sports Facility

training days to work together before
the tournament. And the schedule was
unrelenting, with ten matches in six
weeks in Chile and then Uruguay.
Ambrosio insists they remain three
steps behind the other teams – from
Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Uruguay and
Paraguay – who have been together for
over a year. Cafeteros found it tough to
deal with the physicality of the Argentine
and Uruguayan packs, and struggled to
notch a win, but they were competitive.
They showed plenty of creativity and
handling skill – and Colombian wingers
Jhon Arley Urrutia and Alejandro
Navarro terrorised sides with their pace.
It’s such natural talent, in a diverse
population, that will allow Colombian
sides to become more competitive as
the sport grows, according to Henao.
“The racial mix here means we have
the bodies with the physical size and
strength to compete at any level, we
have players who
are 1.9m tall and
weigh 120kg.
What we need is
the infrastructure
to empower this
physical talent,”
he says. “I’m sure
that in five years’
time Colombia will
have players who
are physically at
the highest level
in South America.”
The younger
players have
fully bought into
the federation’s
long-term goal of qualifying for the 2031
World Cup. If Colombian rugby continues
on its current trajectory, teenagers from
the comunas now picking up a rugby
ball for the first time could one day find
themselves on the biggest stage of all. n

Wales

The making of

Justin Tipuric
WORDS SARAH MOCKFORD

//

MAIN PICTURE HARRY HOW/GETTY IMAGES

A back-row with the skills of a centre, the Osprey is an integral
member of Wales’ Six Nations-winning team. We chart his
route from a small village to the top of the rugby world

E

VERY SUNDAY morning he asked me if he could
play No 10 and every week I refused,” says Chris
Penhale of his days coaching a 13-year-old Justin
Tipuric at Trebanos RFC. “One week, when a few
players didn’t turn up, we did start him at ten and
he did a decent job – he’d do a better job now!”
It’s a recurrent theme with Tipuric, how his
skill-set wouldn’t be out of place in the backs,
but it’s his work-rate up front that helped Wales
win their most recent Six Nations title – he was
the top tackler, with 86, as they lifted the trophy in 2021.
His modesty and humbleness are other common threads
when talking to those who have been involved in his journey,
as is his love of Trebanos. The blue scrum cap is worn in their
honour while he has long coached various teams at the club,
with chairman Penhale saying: “He knows where his roots are
and likes to give something back. He hasn’t changed at all.”
We talk to others about Tipuric’s route to the top…

Wales

Wales

T he Me n tor
Justin Jones was Tipuric’s first rugby
coach at Trebanos RFC in the 1990s
“I first came across Justin when he’d just
turned eight. I’d played for Trebanos and
was about to start a junior section there.
I was taking my two sons to the park and
they said I should do an up-and-under
for Justin. I kicked the ball up in the air
and this eight-year-old came up on
roller blades to catch it with two hands.
I did a few and he caught every one.
“His father, Andy, used to captain the
first team when I played. He had a bet
with Justin that he’d never get on the
(honours) board as Trebanos captain like
him; it was quite shrewd – he’s gone all
the way but hasn’t captained Trebanos!
“I remember my boys would be out in
their Swansea kit but Justin was always
watching Super Rugby, so he’d have
one of those kits on, like the Hurricanes.
His favourite player was Richard Hill –
a quiet guy who got on with his work.
“One thing that sticks in my mind is
that whenever I was speaking, he was
always staring right at me, listening,
while the other 20 eight-year-olds were
climbing trees! The other thing that
stood out is that he was very skilful and
had a natural tackling technique; he
always found it very easy to tackle.
“I remember we played Bonymaen
U11 and they had this guy ‘Big Jamie’,
who was 5ft 10in at 11. No one could

Creative force
Tipuric breaks to set
up a try against Italy
tackle him, he was ploughing through
everyone, but Justin never missed him,
he always got him round the ankles.
“He could kick, pass and tackle, and
he’s ridiculously strong like his dad. We
played him in the back row and at ten
and 12 because he’s so, so skilful. If you
put him in the back row, he’d stand at
ten and if you put
him at ten, he’d be
going into rucks!
“I coached him
right through to
the U15s, when
he’d settled in the
back row, but then
we started losing
numbers and had
to fold. We sent
players to other
clubs but he loved
Trebanos so much
he didn’t want to
play for another
club. He gave up

PICS Getty Images & Inpho

FACT FILE

Best of Britain & Ireland Tipuric toured with the Lions in 2013 and 2017

DoB 6 August 1989
Born Trebanos
Position Back-row
Region Ospreys
Height 6ft 2in
Weight 14st 10lb
Wales caps 85 (10T)
Lions caps One
92

rugby for a year and played football;
people say he could have made it as a
goalkeeper. He then came back at 16-17
when we had a youth team.
“I’ve gone full circle now and started
coaching again with my youngest and
Justin does three or four sessions a year
for me. He always does skills and has
helped me out a lot with coaching. He
makes time for the village and the club.”

T h e Teac h er
Dan Cluroe taught and coached
Tipuric at Swansea College
“He was very quiet and shy when he
came to us, but he was also quite
mature in a way and got jokes some of
the other 16-year-olds didn’t. He came
to life on the rugby field and had some
of the biggest hands I’d ever seen!
“He did a BTEC Level Three Sport
and you’d have to really push him to
take questions or say something in
class. He didn’t like any attention but
he’d never not do his homework.
“At the time we didn’t have a separate
rugby course, but we were almost
running an academy structure. He came
into a strong, well-established team –
Leigh Halfpenny was there – and had to
work his way up from the second team,
although it was very clear he was a
first-team player after a couple of games.
“His skill-set was just another level. He
played centre a number of times for us
as well as back-row. He had an awesome
rugby brain and would read the game

Wales
Stalwart Early days at the Ospreys – he’s now approaching 200 appearances

“He always produces high-impact, big
moments – in attack and defence. Then
there’s his leadership now, his set-piece,
he can kick the ball… He’s one of the
best players I’ve ever worked with.”

T h e Team- mate
Dan Lydiate has played both with and
against Tipuric over the past decade

very well – not
many boys can
transfer between
the back row and
centre at 16-17.
“He was very
skilful but there
is one blooper
I remember from
a tournament we
played at Warwick
University. Against Colston’s, Tips did
one of the worst clearing kicks I’ve ever
seen, straight down the throat of their
full-back, who scored a try.
“He started training with the Ospreys
during that first year and established
himself in his second year. They tried to
bulk him up but that didn’t suit his game,
he’s very athletic. Then he played sevens
and they stripped it right off him, so he
was back to the machine you see now.”

T he Coa ch
When Tipuric made his Ospreys debut
in 2009, Sean Holley was head coach
“Justin had played through the academy
and was really impressing. We always did
due diligence, so me and the coaches
knew about the academy players and
we’d spend time watching the Welsh
Premiership where we’d farm boys out
– we sent Justin down to Aberavon
– and Wales U18 and U20.
“I remember (performance director)
Andrew Hore not making much of how
he looked. He’s never been unfit – he’s
got a brilliant engine – but he didn’t look
like a professional rugby player. Andrew
said that if Justin ever played for the
Ospreys first team he’d eat raw eggs, so
after we’d picked him I brought some
eggs to the next management meeting.
He ate them to be fair!
“From Justin’s first game we could see
his impact; he was very effective. He
was also very quiet and unassuming. In
those early-ish days, we made him

captain for games when internationals
were away to bring him out of his shell
and develop him as a leader.
“Both Marty Holah and Filo Tiatia did a
lot to help develop Justin, doing extras
after training and going through games.
Filo and Marty would always be first out
and last in, and Justin picked up on that.
The first port of call with New Zealanders
is always the catch and pass. They also
looked at the jackal when it first came to
prominence; Marty was brilliant at it –
grappling, reading the hit, the nuances.
“We used to train the sevens with the
backs if they weren’t needed for certain
lineout work and if we went for a six-two
split on the bench we knew Justin could
cover the backs. I always came up with
a contingency for if we had a yellow or
red card; if we lost a back and needed
somebody in defensive or attacking
situations, like off scrums, we’d put
Justin in the backs and play with seven
forwards; we had a good front five then.

“I first remember Justin from Wales’
World Cup training camp in 2011. He
was always killing fitness, he was fitter
than anyone. I remember thinking,
‘Jesus, he’s got a hell of an engine’. He’s
just a naturally fit bloke; when he runs
he looks like it’s effortless whereas the
rest of us forwards are trundling along.
“I have one story of playing against
him. As we were setting a scrum, we
were chatting, ‘Alright Tips’, ‘Alright Lyds,
how’s it going?’ Then the next minute he
comes flying up the side of the scrum
and lifts me over the top of it. I was
tamping! He’s the ultimate competitor.
“He’s one of those annoying guys who
is good at everything. He’s technically
gifted – he was a goalkeeper as a kid so
his hand-eye coordination is quality and
he’s one of the best passers in the team.
People don’t give him credit for how
good he is around the contact area. He
doesn’t look like a massive guy, but it’s
how strong he is and the work he gets
through. Especially in the last couple of
years with Wales, it’s the unseen work.
“He’s comfortable carrying in the wide
channels and his decision-making is
on point; he’ll fix the player and give
someone else the space to go round.
He’s got a good kicking game and as a

“Pe o p le d on’ t g iv e him e n o ug h
cre d it f o r ho w g ood he is in the
con t ac t are a, the un s e e n w o rk”

Roots Holding the shirt of his beloved Trebanos
93

lineout forward he’s the best jumper I
know. I’d probably go as far as saying
he’s the best player I’ve played with.
“He’s a really tough bloke and he’s a
good leader as well, especially over the
last couple of years at the Ospreys and
he’s had the chance to captain Wales on
occasions. He’s quite a calming influence
and he obviously knows his rugby.
“He’s got 80-odd caps and been on
Lions tours, but he’s so humble. He’s
happy going about his business, letting
his performances on the field do the
talking for him. He’s a massive family
man, a really private bloke – he doesn’t
have social media – but he’ll always be
there for you. I can’t speak highly
enough about the guy.” n

94

Marketing Rugby

RUGBY ’S FIGHT FOR

GEN Z
Words Alan Dymock // Pictures Getty Images & ViacomCBS

If rugby is to grow, it needs new, younger fans. But how do the sport’s
efforts to win over the kids compare to competitors in the global
marketplace? And is rugby doing enough for existing fans?

ACK IN September 2020, Mark Cuban,
the billionaire businessman and owner of
the Dallas Mavericks NBA team, tweeted
out a piece from the American outlet
Morning Consult, simply dubbing it: “The
future of sports media in one article.”
The article, called The Sports Industry’s
Gen Z Problem, foretold of difficulties on
the horizon for US sports because far
fewer from Generation Z – a term loosely
bracketing those born from the mid-90s
to the early 2010s – identified as sports
fans, compared with millennials and older
adults. Furthermore, their polling showed “Gen Zers are half as
likely as millennials to watch live sports regularly and twice as
likely to never watch”. Rounding into 2021, US sports noticed.
Here in Europe, by early 2021 a pandemic-hit sports media
landscape was taking stock. As the Financial Times hosted

their Business of Football summit in February, talk turned to
shrinking broadcast deals. Andrew Georgiou, president of
Eurosport, spoke for more than just soccer as he proclaimed:
“The underlying demand of the consumer is something that
everyone needs to be worried about, not just the competition
between the broadcasters.” That is, demand amongst kids.
If no sport is an island, rugby must be vigilant. At clubs
across the land you will hear tales of young rugby talents
drifting away, but what about those who never loved the
sport in the first place? Other business-savvy sports are
talking about it. The Washington Post ran a piece entitled
Sport has a Gen Z problem. The pandemic may accelerate it.
Quoted in it was Tim Ellis, the NFL’s chief marketing officer,
who said: “There’s no strategy for bringing in a 35-year-old
fan for the first time. You have to make them a fan by the
time they are 18 or you’ll lose them forever.”
Rugby must win new, younger fans too. But before tackling
teenagers, the sport must recognise the battleground…

95

Marketing Rugby

OW N I N G THE IS S UE
“We’ve not changed since the way
the sport started marketing itself back
in the 1990s,” says Ged Colleypriest of
Underdog Sports Marketing. Growing
disgruntled with the same-old rugby
approach, he set up his own agency.
“Take a look at any of the Premiership
or Pro14 jerseys. They are covered in
logos. And the reason is because there
is not the interest to charge a huge sum
of money to one sponsor. So you’re
constantly having to take on more
sponsors for less and less money.
“But the reality is there is a whole
digital world where
you’ve got people
spending time. That’s
where the younger
audiences are.”
It is fine saying the
answer is right there,
on the internet, but
leveraging what you
have is the real quiz.
Sean Verity has worked
throughout rugby, with the Premiership
and World Rugby. Co-founder of
Antourage, tech that enables sports
bodies to build a community on their
own platforms, he sees some big
failings in return on investment.
He says: “The technology we use
measures engagement on social media
over a six- to 12-month period. And
typically the engagement rates on
Instagram will be below 2%. On
Facebook they’re usually below 0.2%,
maybe 0.1%. Twitter is maybe 0.02%.
“And it’s easy just to think of those as
numbers but in a business context you
are using social platforms to maintain a
relationship with your fans, customers,
and ultimately your revenue. In context,
if you subsequently engage with one in
every 1,000 or one in every 10,000 fans,
then the reality is you don’t have a
connection with your fans – you don’t
have a connection with your customers.”
The age of saying ‘we have X number
of followers on social!’ and nothing else
must be over, particularly as sponsors
yearn for deeper intelligence. And
organisations using, say, ‘views’
across all their social platforms
as their key metric for
success is modern folly
(a ‘view’ on Facebook and
Instagram is watching three
seconds of video, on
Twitter it’s two, on TikTok
it is one. They are not
views at all, really,
but impressions).
You can target

set viewer numbers, and Facebook and
Twitter will help you do this, but they
can just as quickly throw another video
at punters from some totally different
area of interest. Where is your ROI?
“I think we can always do better in that
space,” says Marissa Pace, the Chief
Marketing Officer at World Rugby, when
asked if existing rugby fans were being
leveraged well enough. “We saw this in
Japan so beautifully at the World Cup,
where the existing fanbase sort of
merged with a new fan base.
“I think there is a lot more we can do
to bring old fans into the fold. But as a

fans actually are. The trick is successfully
drawing those captured into playing or
purchasing tickets and merchandise.
Having expanded their marketing
department two years ago, Pace says
World Rugby’s first step is appealing to
existing fans, then bringing newbies in.
“We’re now really bringing focus to
key players and targeting the way that
we present that to Gen Z, so that they
can engage with it. Without heroes, they
won’t care about what they’re watching.
“So we need to start building up some
of the players so that they feel more
personal, more accessible. And the
good thing about rugby
is it’s not like Formula
One, it’s not like the NFL.
They’re not inaccessible
at the moment and they
are very willing. So the
first step of the ladder is
to get people familiar
with who the stars are.
Especially in something
like the Sevens Series,
where some of these athletes, both men
and women, are superheroes really.”
World Rugby are looking at the format
in sevens, Pace says. Does it best
present the sport, with a lightning-fast
product stretched out over long days? In
all cases, she says, the body will try to
preserve “the spirit of rugby”, but making
the game at all levels easier and quicker
to ‘get’ will be vital going forward.
According to Pace, World Rugby would
like to see a spirit of sharing among
major competitions for footage, and
then building out a syndication platform
for highlights and analysis, but video
rights are tricky to navigate. And looking
to other sports, there could be big wins.
Fantasy rugby is a huge one. Pace
sees the journey through an NFL game
(the “end-to-end experience”) from
pre-game to fantasy to Red Zone and
beyond, and says: “That’s where we
need to get to. We’re on our way.”
But who are the other combatants?

“If you re a c h on e in e v e ry
1,000 or on e in e v e ry 10,0 0 0
fa n s, the n y ou d o n’ t hav e a
con n e cti on w ith y o ur f an s”
sport we’re probably not unified enough
– we’re very fragmented. Between
Six Nations, the Lions, World Rugby
tournaments and everything in the
southern hemisphere, it’s just so
fragmented and actually our job is to
promote rugby. If we’ve got people in
any channel, any swim lane, then that’s
the end objective. So that’s where new
audiences come in. I always tell people,
my job is to make rugby mainstream.”
As part of a new strategic plan, World
Rugby want audience engagement.
Data aggregation is key too, so they can
build accurate profiles of who rugby’s

DIGITAL DR EAM S
The opportunity in eSports is exciting.
And according to Oliver Weingarten, the
founder and CEO of LDN UTD eSports
and formerly a lawyer with the Premier
League and the Formula One Teams
Association: “You look at the size of
what the industry looks like now and
the numbers are staggering.
“I often get asked if eSports is in a
bubble but we’re certainly not. Fortnite
has got 250 million gamers, and Twitch
a few years ago had 355 billion (minutes
of) views and project that they’re going

to double that by the end of 2022.
The revenues continue to go up.
“And that’s why I think you’re finding
that the traditional sports bodies, when
they’re pitching to brands, find they are
pitching against eSports organisations
as well. Everyone is fighting over the
same pounds or dollars now.”
The image of eSports is changing as
organisations are on the march. And the
fanbase is chattering while dipping in
and out. Take WhatsApp away, can you
have the same experience watching an
80-minute match as you would with
headset-wearing gamers? Gen Z
consumes content differently.
Weingarten is a fan of F1 but questions
if young gamers really want to jump in
and do laps for two hours. For some,
FIFA is not regarded as one of the top
eSports compared to, say, League of
Legends. As Weingarten adds, the smart
play by bodies like Man City was to move
into League of Legends and build brand
recognition – not rely solely on FIFA.
But is anyone in rugby on this now?
“The best example of that is Munster
Rugby with League of Legends,” says
Weingarten. “There’s no obvious place
for them to engage from an eSports
perspective, there isn’t a rugby game
out there. So they’ve looked at brand
recognition and now Munster (after
recent image issues aligning with
another organisation) are getting all
this exposure to a new demographic,
and doing things the right way.”
Square pegs hate round holes, and
young people like what they like.
CR OS S ING LA NES
The NFL were willing to try something.
Think less primetime, more slime time.
At the start of the year, US broadcaster
CBS reached their highest audience in

seven years for an NFL Wild Card game.
Some 30.6m viewers tuned in to see the
Chicago Bears-New Orleans Saints bout.
The show wasn’t tailored for legacy fans.
As a Nickelodeon-run broadcast, it
was awash with bright colours. Graphics
of SpongeBob SquarePants sat between
the posts. Clips of popular child stars
flickered between plays, explaining
laws. And when there was a touchdown,
computer-generated slime cannons
popped out of the ground to douse
the field in pretend goo.
Before the match, Brian Robbins,
President of ViacomCBS Kids & Family
Entertainment, said “Nick’s sensibility of
surprise and fun at almost every turn”
should shine through. Outside of the
States, the partnership was hailed.
So what was the intention with this?
As an NFL spokesperson tells Rugby
World: “We saw it as a way to draw in
new viewers and hopefully future fans.
We saw it as a conversation starter for
viewers and a way to present a game
in a completely different way.
“We are very open to (ripping up
traditional approaches to broadcasts)
and this is certainly not the first time
we have experimented in this area.

“Reaching the next generation of
fans is important to the NFL, which is
why there is so much attention on a
younger audience. The Nickelodeon
example is an obvious recent one but
our marketing department has been
focused on doing many integrations into
areas that younger fans are interested
in – namely music, fashion and gaming.
An example is the work we have done
with the popular game Fortnite.”
Why is this interesting? If you look for
comparable work in rugby from prestige
broadcasters, it can be slim on the
ground. While CBBC has done content
from Wimbledon in recent years, fronted
by their Hacker T Dog character, when
asked if they would consider the same
for the Six Nations, a spokesperson told
Rugby World that the BBC had “no
immediate plans to do children-facing
video content in the way Nickelodeon
have just done with the NFL”.
The tools may well be there. It’s about
actively searching for the best use. If
Louis Rees-Zammit blowing up on TikTok
opens teens to rugby fandom, excellent.
But there must be many other avenues
explored. Bipartisanship across all of
rugby could well be the best weapon. n

Read about what rugby
can learn from F1’s
Drive to Survive series
on rugbyworld.com

Blooming marvellous
Rocky Clark is ‘chaired off’ after
her 114th England cap in 2016, which
equalled Jason Leonard’s then record

STEPHEN JONES
Ru gby’s m ost ou t s p o ke n an d in f lu e nt ial journ ali st

“Few carry that
number one status
with such modesty
and heart and soul”
Stephen Jones pays tribute to England’s most-capped
player, Rocky Clark, and gets the prop’s thoughts
on the current state of the women’s game

ORLD RUGBY
has unveiled a
new international
tournament for
women. Called
WXV, it will bring the top teams
in the world together, in three
divisions, in each season save
for World Cup years.
It is a great boost for the elite
end of the sport and also for the
emerging nations, who have the
incentive that there are 16 places
available at the 2025 World Cup
as the tournament expands from

W

the usual 12. Yet if the tournament
has an eye on the future then it is
also a tribute to all those who put
the women’s game where it is –
so many heroines, almost always
unpaid, almost always speaking
beautifully on behalf of their sport,
selfless and passionate.
And a tribute perhaps especially
to the force of nature, indomitable
athlete and indestructible prop that
is Rochelle ‘Rocky’ Clark. She is the
record holder, the most-capped
England rugby player of all time
of either sex. She wore the Red
99

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YOU THINK?
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World Magazine

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Rose an incredible 137 times – in
any position that is sensational
but in the front row it is almost
beyond comprehension.
How long could she stay at the
top? England captain Sarah Hunter
ended this year’s Women’s Six
Nations on 126 caps. She would
have been closer at the end of
this calendar year had not the
World Cup been postponed to
2022 and you hope she will feel
able to carry on the extra year.
Jason Leonard, on 114, is the
most-capped England men’s

Stephen Jones
player but the nearest active player
in the men’s game is Ben Youngs, who
played his 109th game for England
against Ireland, at 31. If Youngs carries
on until the next World Cup when he will
be 34, if he avoids injury and if he is still
the first choice in the intervening period,
then he could eclipse Clark at France
2023. My own feeling is that all these
heroes may, just, fail to catch Clark.
“It’s a really nice title to hold but it’s
one that just came upon me,” Clark says.
“It wasn’t something I was going for.
I just wanted to play every match, so
it’s been nice to feel that all my hard
work added up to something. I got the
recognition, I enjoyed it so much, but it
was never about just adding another cap.
“It was so much of my life and I made
so many wonderful friends and amazing
memories. It was brilliant to be able to
play for England so many times, I’m very
fortunate.” And all the greats who have
become centurions have their own place
in the pantheon, whatever happens.
Where is England’s record holder
now? Out on the rugby pitch. She has
still been playing at the top level of the
club game for the successful Saracens
team in the Allianz Premier 15s – and is
impressing with her try-scoring tally.
“I can’t remember them all but against
Wasps I had the ball a metre out and
saw that there was quite a small
defender so I just used my bodyweight,
picked up and drove over the line.”
Most props can recall all their career
tries, so it is something to have scored
in three successive games aged 39 and
forgotten some. But her achievement
at still being so highly competitive last
season is probably even better than
that. I put it to her that because of the
temporary law changes in the league
due to Covid, there were dramatically
fewer scrums – her natural habitat.
“It has been a bit of a transition but it is
nice on a Monday not waking up feeling
like you’ve had ten car crashes. It’s kind
on the body in terms of the neck and
upper body, but
around the park
it’s more running,
so it’s more based
on fitness.
“I’ve become
obsessed with
rowing and Wattbiking, so that has
helped me to improve my fitness. What
I found over my career is that you get
used to any changes, you get hardened
and you adapt. I think that adaptability is
one of the reasons for my longevity.”
We spoke about her original transition
from Test player and world champion to
ex-England. These days the sport, and

Power surge
Sarries prop Clark heads
for the try-line v Worcester

those responsible for medical and
psychological care, recognise the
problems an athlete can face. If you
have played so much rugby and
become so enveloped in your career,
then transition must be very tough.
“I did find it very, very hard. Nothing
prepares you for how hard it is. It takes

Gradually, she has pieced together
parts of a new career. She operates
bootcamps, does personal training
and four days a week she coaches
at Oaklands College, who are in
partnership with Saracens, so she’s
bringing through young players of
potential. She is also player-coach
at Sarries. She
contemplates
coaching abroad –
what an attraction
she would be
for so many
teams in WXV.
Yet you do feel that she is searching
for something else, possibly to join the
ranks of broadcast summarisers. Frankly,
you sense that someone as honest and
straight-talking as Clark would be
excellent value. It can get a little jarring
when summarisers of either sex simply
agree with the commentator. Anyone
who revels in the insight of David

“It woul d ha ve b e e n lo v e ly to b e
pa i d for 13 7 ca ps , n ot jus t te n , b ut
i t’s be e n a phe n om e n al jo urn e y ”
at least a couple of years and a year or
two ago when I retired from England
I was probably at the lowest point, in a
really down place, and 2019 was a really
bad year in terms of my mental health.
“When you come out of the team you
suddenly have no focus, you don’t feel
you belong to anything and that is when
the insecurity and the anxiety creeps in.”
100

Stephen Jones

1991 right up until the next one are
phenomenal. Would she have liked to
be coming up through the ranks now?
“I will always maintain I’m very happy
to have lived through the transition
towards professionalism. Obviously it
would have been lovely to have been
paid for all of my 137 caps, not just ten,
but it has been a phenomenal career
and journey, and one that I wouldn’t
change. I wanted to win the World Cup;
I did that. I got an MBE, I got 137 caps, I
absolutely loved it, I made all the friends
I made. I wouldn’t twist, I would stick.”
Everybody realises that, especially in
England, there is a new generation who
Next generation
Ellie Kildunne breaks
for the Red Roses

Flatman on television on the play up front
would spot a female equivalent here.
It is wonderful to hear that she is now
feeling better, emerging from the kind of
post-career trauma that has afflicted so
many. You feel for the women’s players
who have just left the game or are about
to because it is clear that, despite the
privations of the Covid era, elite players
will be making a decent professional
living shortly, then on into the future.
The sacrifices that the generations
made since the first World Cup in

are going to elevate the game, and how
profoundly you pray that their coaches
will not instil the kind of cynicism that
besets parts of the men’s game.
“There are people who are growing up
now and they are going to go straight
into professional rugby and they are
never going to have had a job. I just
think that’s mental compared to what
I went through, but it is exciting.
“You see Ellie Kildunne and Megan
Jones, how good they were when they
came in. These kids have no fear, they’re
101

exciting, electric, they’ve got views and
ambitions and that’s wonderful to see.
I have always gone on about youth and
experience being the perfect blend, and
I very much still think that. But you see
these young players coming in and just
going for it, like baby Nollies (Danielle
Waterman) or baby Scarratts. So much
potential, and with youth on their side.”
She believes that the great Sophie
Hemming was the best prop she played
against, and she chooses two games
from the 137. “Probably one of my best
games was the World Cup semi-final in
2014 against Ireland; all of us just played
the perfect game in my opinion. And
then another time was in New Zealand
when we beat the Black Ferns in 2017
on a trip during the Lions tour.”
Correct. I was lucky enough to be at
both those games, at Stade Jean Bouin
in Paris and the Rotorua International
Stadium in New Zealand. Clark was
stupendous in both; in that semi-final in
Paris, it was as if there were three of her,
it seemed every carry was made by her.
The women’s game has come so far
but, she believes, too slowly. She
expresses regret that the World Cup has
been postponed through Covid, finds it
somehow predictable. “It is the same
storyline, things are improving but not
enough, it needs to be quicker and back
up the steps forward that the game is
taking. You see a lot of people jump
on the bandwagon for International
Women’s Day but what counts is when
it’s done all the year round.”
Very few sportsmen or sportswomen
have experienced the giddy feeling of
being number one, of being above all
others. Still fewer have carried that
status with such modesty and heart and
soul. Because in the end, it is not the cap
statistics that have put her on top; it is
the dedication, talent and indestructible
business of being Rocky. n

MAIN IMAGE Steve Bardens/Getty Images. PICS Getty Images

Champions!
Clark (front row, second right)
and England’s RWC 2014 winners

Q & A

DOWNTIME WITH… ADAM RADWAN

“At half-time I’ll eat
a packet of salt and
vinegar McCoy’s”
The nifty Newcastle wing discusses splurges, superstitions and state secrets
Interview Alan Dymock // Pictures Getty Images

ow did you first pick up
rugby? I stayed at a mate’s
one night and he had rugby
training the next day, so I
just went with him. The first
game I played was at No 8 and I didn’t
have a clue what was going on, but my
next game was on the wing and I ended
up scoring seven tries or something like
that. From then, I’ve stayed on the wing.
Do you have any nicknames? Most call
me ‘Raders’ but I’ve got quite big eyes,
so I will get called ‘Ozil’ sometimes, like
the footballer. Or ‘Goggle Eyes’ maybe.
Which of your team-mates would you
like to be for a day? Of all my current
team-mates I’d like to be Toby Flood.
I’d max out all of his credit cards. I’d just
spend all of his money on whatever!
What’s your biggest waste of money?
We got quite addicted to Clash of Clans
(the app) at the club and we had a little

H

WHAT’S
ON YOUR
PHO NE

Last person
you phoned
Robbie Smith at
the club, about
Call of Duty

group. Every month we said that you
it’s been freezing! Training or playing,
had to subscribe. You had to be paying
I’ll always make sure I wear my Exosuit
some money and buying stuff in it.
– their under-top helps with posture as
Do you have any hobbies? I like to
well as keeping me warm – but it’s been
cook. I go fishing quite a lot too. In the
like snow, rain, wind. It gets really cold.
summer I went up the coast a little bit.
Any superstitions? I was thinking about
But I’ve been all over. Newcastle is quite this the other day, actually. I don’t have
a good place for it because you’ve got
any superstitions, but… At half-time I’ll
the sea, then you’ve obviously got the
eat a packet of salt and vinegar McCoy’s
River Tyne. You can do all sorts round
crisps. Not a full packet, but basically
here. It’s relaxing, especially
sometimes I cramp up quite
when the weather is good.
badly. I’ve looked into it
So what do you cook when
loads and a few other
you want to impress? I know
athletes have done it, so at
DoB 30 Dec 1997
it sounds basic but I make
half-time I’ll eat half a bag.
Born Osmotherly
the best cup of tea anyone’s
The first time I ever did it,
Position Wing
ever had! I’ve also got a
Dean Richards gave me
Club Newcastle
pizza oven so I’d make a nice
the funniest look ever.
Height 5ft 10in
pizza. Or a roast, depending
Who are your three dream
Weight 13st 8lb
on what they fancied.
dinner party guests?
England caps One (3T) Probably Barack Obama
What are you like in adverse
Insta @adamraderz
weather? The last few weeks
because he seems pretty

FACT FILE

Last person
you texted
My girlfriend

Most important
person in phone
My girlfriend.
She’ll probably
read this!

102

Last photo taken
A pizza I made
with blue cheese,
mozzarella, onions,
chorizo, peppers

Favourite social
network
Instagram

Hungry for tries
Radwan scores for Falcons

“I c ould as k B arac k Ob am a
l oa d s o f in te re s tin g q ue s tio n s
a b o ut s tuf f like Are a 51”

Animal friendly
David Attenborough
cool and I could ask him loads of
interesting questions about stuff like
Area 51 (a secret Nevada base). David
Attenborough, because I really like
nature. And then I should probably bring
a comedian. Lee Evans is pretty funny.
We have to ask about Area 51. Do you
believe in aliens? Not really, but there
must be loads of secrets we don’t know.
Obama must know all that stuff, like who
killed JFK. But back on Area 51, do you

Last app
downloaded
The Pets at Home
app. I’ve got Pablo,
a cocker puppy

Last song
you played
Hold The Line
by Toto

remember a few years ago when it was
in the news that people were going to
try to ‘storm’ Area 51? (Some internet
personalities converged on an airstrip
in the Nevada desert.) At the rugby club
we had a discussion about if you were
going to pick your team of five to ‘storm’
Area 51, who would you go for?
And who did you go for? So my five
was me, Gary Graham, Ben Stevenson,
Tom Penny and Sean Robinson.
What superpower would you like to
have? It’s not really a superpower, but
I’d like a portal
gun like in Rick
and Morty (so
you can walk
into anywhere).
I would probably
go somewhere
like a bank’s vault
Favourite
first. Or maybe
WhatsApp group
to Buckingham
The Newcastle
Palace? Nah, not
one without any
there, definitely
of the staff!
the bank vault.
103

What’s the best bit of advice you’ve
been given? Gary Graham told me to
never kick a ball again in my life!
Who’s your funniest team-mate?
Well, the prop Jon Welsh thinks he’s
pretty funny, but he probably is so I’ll
give him that. He’s in my top three with
Gary Graham and Jamie Blamire.
Any practical jokes you can share?
When Charlie Maddison came to the
club as a new signing, he asked if
anyone knew someone who could sort
him with a car. I changed my WhatsApp
to look like I was a car salesman and
they gave him my number. I was
sending him forms asking him stupid
stuff like what his shoe size was.
I worked it for a few days, even got him
to send me a happy birthday voice note
for my made-up child! We do it every
year now to new guys. We’ve sold cars,
tried to find a house to rent. All sorts.
And finally, how would you like to be
remembered? As someone quite fun
and hard-working. And on the pitch as
someone who scored a lot of tries. n

D E B AT E

FACE-OFF

Do we need to
overhaul rugby’s
disciplinary process?
NIK SIMON BEN CISNEROS
RUGBY’S COURTROOMS are the
equivalent of the bargain bin in the
corner of your local convenience
store: 50% off all year round.
Unless you are a terrorist, murderer or
equivalent, there is a good chance the
independent panel will find a mitigating
factor to reduce your sanction.
Look at Owen Farrell’s hearing in
September 2020. Irrespective of your
views on his high tackle on 18-year-old
Charlie Atkinson, the disciplinary
process that followed reduced the
game to a laughing stock. His red-mist
moment was judged to be a
top-end offence worthy of a
ten-match ban. That would
have ruled out the England
captain for the start of the
autumn Test campaign.
Yet Farrell walked away
with a reduced five-match
ban. Why? Because he had
a positive testimonial from a
charity, who’ve nothing to do
with his on-pitch actions. His
tackle left Atkinson, just out
of school, unconscious. As
one writer put it, presumably
the testimonials were not
from Save the Children.
Rugby’s disciplinarians
often leave themselves open for
ridicule. In his recent autobiography, Joe
Marler revealed how he was advised to
wear a suit and to cut his hair to reduce
his chances of a long ban being handed
down to him at a disciplinary hearing.
Actions should be judged at face value
but that’s not the case. Instead, you’d
better find yourself a good tailor and
sign up at your local support centre,
then you’re halfway there…

RUGBY’S JUDICIAL system does not
need a radical overhaul – it just needs
fine-tuning. Some people decry apparent
inconsistencies. Yet in any system of
sanctioning, there’s a necessary
element of discretion and with discretion
there is always room for disagreement.
The rugby Trainee solicitor
Any reform should be focused on
correspondent at Morgan Sports
for The Mail Law and tweets at minimising that area for potential dispute.
on Sunday @rugbyandthelaw
One way this might be improved is by
weighting the factors that disciplinary
panels must consider when determining
the seriousness of an offence and
applying the off-field mitigating factors.
Different panels approach
things differently: some
place great importance on
the impact on the victim;
others focus on intent.
Similarly, some panels
are willing to overlook a
player’s past disciplinary
record if they are otherwise
of excellent character.
I would place intent as the
most important factor in the
assessment of seriousness
and would place a guilty
Saying sorry
plea as the most significant
Farrell apologises to
mitigating factor. I’d also
Wasps fly-half Atkinson (left)
change the regulations so
that there’s a limitation
period on past disciplinary sanctions
– for example, only bans from more
than five years ago can be ignored for
sanctioning purposes. These tweaks
would require changes to World Rugby’s
regulations but would go a long way to
eliminating perceived inconsistencies.
Send your views to
On the whole, though, the system
rugbyworldletters
gets to a reasonable and fair outcome
@futurenet.com
in the vast majority of cases. There is
no need for wholesale reform.

WHAT DO
YOU THINK?

104

P R O

I N S I G H T

HOW TO
DEFEND WITH
14 PLAYERS
Defence guru Paul Gustard explains how to keep your line intact during a sin-binning

WORDS Sam Larner. PICS Inpho

“The first
thing to do is
understand the game
situation. Many teams look to
automatically remove a back-row
if a front-row has been sin-binned.
But if we have scrum dominance,
or conditions are keeping the
game tight, I might remove a
winger. Understanding
the context of the
game is key.”

“Most modern
teams will defend with
high line speed to cut down
the time and space of the
opposition. The key things you need
to do are have numbers on feet and
win collisions. With 14 men, you would
be looking to make a tackle and then
get on your feet rather than
competing in the ruck. With 15
men, you would want to be
fighting in the ruck to slow
down the ball.”

“There
can be a huge
energy change in those
ten minutes. If you come away
not losing, or even winning, those
ten minutes, you can receive a massive
boost, so there is a mental application to
doing the next thing well. A good way of
preparing your team for playing with 14
is ‘what if’ scenarios. You might say,
‘We’ve lost a winger, split into groups
and decide how we should defend’.
They will come up with ideas
you probably haven’t
thought about.”

“Defending a
scrum, put your
scrum-half in the boot
(behind the scrum) so they can
support whichever way the
attack go. It allows the backfield
to defend how they would with 15.
Whichever way you choose to
defend, you have to be clear
about what you are trying
to take away from the
attack.”
105

T H E

A N A LYS T

WHY BRISTOL ARE
TURNING HEADS IN
THE PREMIERSHIP
Sean Holley is smitten by his former club’s attacking skills and execution

HAVING COACHED
for three seasons at
Bristol, I can testify
to the ambition both
the club and the city
have for their rugby
custodians. Under
director of rugby Pat
Lam, the Bears are slowly but surely
fulfilling the expectation and potential
that the rest of the Premiership feared.
Bristol topped the Gallagher
Premiership in 2020-21 and won the
European Challenge Cup the
previous year. But it’s the
manner of the success
that has heads really
turning. Lam has
Bristol playing an
all-court game. He
constantly talks about “the
plan” and “our structure”, and it is
often evident. However, his team is also
clearly allowed to go off-plan and is
playing some of the most scintillating
stuff the Premiership has seen in years.
Bristol’s support play is something to
behold. They offload at will and have
a multitude of pace and attacking
options. When they want or need to,
they can be direct, whether that’s in
open play with the likes of Nathan
Hughes and Semi Radradra, or at
set-piece through the likes of John
Afoa, Chris Vui and Steven Luatua. It’s
the combination of these attributes, and
the attention to detail by Lam and his
coaches, that impresses the most.
Bristol score tries for fun. They beat
the most defenders, and made the most
passes and most metres, in the 2020-21
campaign. Charles Piutau and Piers
O’Conor featured high on multiple lists.
Here I’ve analysed one of the Bears’
Premiership tries against Leicester
in February 2021. It was scored by
O’Conor, one their best attackers…

WHO IS
SEAN HOLLEY?
A former Ospreys and
Bristol coach who has also
worked with Wales and
is now a TV analyst

3

Angles of run and skill execution. With the scrum taking place
so close to the try-line, Leicester’s defence must come off the
line fast and hard. Morahan’s support line therefore has to be
shallow behind Lloyd, almost lateral. Leiua drifts outside slightly
before cutting back off his left foot to run an ‘unders’ line off Lloyd.
Piers O’Conor at 13 has the predicament of who to time his run off. He’s initially
set behind Leiua to make it harder for the defence to read. If Lloyd passes to
Leuia, O’Conor must be close to him in support. But if he gets too close and Lloyd
decides to pass to Morahan, O’Conor will be in front of his winger and out of the
play. It’s a pivotal running role, so how does he do it? O’Conor cleverly runs straight
to start and then drifts to the outside, assessing the play as it develops.
106

5

4

2

1

Outside distraction. Again, because Leicester are defending
the full width of the field and with a player light, their spacings
in the backfield are wide. This is accentuated by the fact that
Bristol’s outside backs, Charles Piutau and Siva Naulago, have
held their positions really wide to stretch van Wyk and Kini Murimurivalu. Van
Wyk has too much ground to make up to affect the play. As Morahan is tackled
by Kelly, he weights his pass for O’Conor to run on to and score. Beautiful!

To the line. Morahan times
his run to perfection so that
Lloyd can pass behind the
oncoming Leiua, who himself
has timed his run so that he looks like he can
receive the pass. Lloyd’s pass execution is
sublime as he makes it look like he is hitting
Leiua but then pulls the ball back behind
and suspends it in the air for Morahan to run
on to without pause. Joaquín Díaz Bonilla is
committed to Leiua’s run, so out of the game.
This leaves Tigers centre Dan Kelly, outside
Bonilla, with a problem. He’s treading water
as Morahan enters his eyeline. O’Conor has
reacted to Morahan receiving the ball, taking
the timing of his run off the winger. He drifts
out a little and, as Morahan commits Kelly,
cuts back off into the space between Kelly
and the next defender Kobus van Wyk.

107

ILLUSTRATION Artlife

Start points. Fly-half Ioan Lloyd sets his start position wide from the
scrum. Tigers’ left-wing Guy Porter is defending in the ten channel
because there is no threat down the short side and because Luke
Morahan has crept into the eyeline from behind the scrum off his
right wing. Lloyd’s starting position is designed to make defending his running
threat difficult. Van Poortvliet will have to push hard from the scrum to get to him.
Porter wants to leave Lloyd to get to the centre Alapati Leiua. What Lloyd does as
Uren passes really makes the play. With his first step, he takes the catch square on
to the defenders. It engages both van Poorvliet and Porter, as the wing can’t leave
Lloyd so close to the line and wait for his scrum-half on his inside. By committing
two defenders, Lloyd has made life very difficult for the other outside defenders.

Square scrum. The position
of the scrum gives Bristol
the whole width of the field
in which to attack. Usually
Leicester’s nine, Jack van Poortvliet,
would defend from the inside to create
an extra player in the line. But Tigers
are down to 14 men, with centre Matias
Moroni in the sin-bin. So van Poortvliet’s
first job is to guard against a potential
No 8 pick-up or a snipe by Andy Uren.
Bristol want a square, steady scrum.
That keeps van Poortvliet in check and
flanker Tommy Reffell packed down
attending to his first job, the No 8 pick.

I N

F O C U S

INSIDE THE MIND OF…
TOM O’FLAHERTY
Interview Sarah Mockford // Picture Getty Images

From student life to social media, here’s an insight into the Exeter Chiefs wing
“I like to go
fishing – the
biggest I caught was
a carp when I was a
kid but here I go in
the sea. I like
surfing too.”

“I absolutely loved university – I studied French in
Cardiff. They say they’re the best years of your life;
they were fun. I had a great time in Montpellier in my
third year, then came back to finish my degree. I also
played for the Montpellier Espoirs, their A team. I’m
so glad I’ve done it this way round (uni then rugby).”

“I can still
speak French but I
have to think about it a
little more. I keep on top of
it, watching French telly or
reading French books. I’ve
been watching A Very
Secret Service on Netflix,
which is a French
satire.”

“I was a
removal man in
the summers I was at
uni. It was my worst job but,
perversely, I enjoyed it. Hard
work but good honest work.
Early starts, late finishes.
Sometimes I’d sleep in the
van in the yard, then get
going again in the
morning.”

“I played uni
rugby in my first year,
then for Bridgend in my
second year. I remember it
being quite physical. There
were a lot of big, heavy,
strong Welshmen and
muddy grounds, but I
really enjoyed it.”

“Experiencing
different things is
quite important for me.
I was at the Ospreys for
a while before Exeter and
“My try
I was considering going
against Bath was
to Hong Kong, playing
fortuitous (he
rugby out there and
volleyed the ball from a
working.”
cross-kick). The ball was
out of my grasp and I was in
full stride, so I thought I’d
kick it. Luckily it popped
up in the deadball
area.”

“I went
travelling during
my gap year, to Fiji, New
Zealand, Thailand, Australia. I
was playing for Blackheath and
I think they thought I’d been
playing in NZ, so when I came
back they played me but I
hadn’t done anything for
months and felt
horrendous!”

“My uncle, James
Jones, was a back-row.
He played for the West
Indies and Sale. I’m eligible
for England. And maybe
Jamaica, where my
grandparents are
from.”

“Exeter is quite small so the
players are always socialising
with each other, outside and
inside the club. There’s a good
culture here and everything
culminates on the pitch, caring
for each other, the bond
amongst the players.”
108

“I’ve never had Instagram or
Twitter – I don’t really see the
point in social media. I know
a lot of people spend a lot
of time on it but I don’t like it.
They’re little vignettes of
people’s lives whereas I like
getting on with other stuff.”

T O U R

TA L E

WHAT GOES ON TOUR…

[ Goes in Rugby World ]

EFORE THE 2007
World Cup, England
trained with the
Special Boat Service,
writes James Haskell.
On day one we did a race that
involved groups of five carrying
canoes on our head. Only four of
us would carry the canoe at any
one time, which meant swapping
someone in and out every few
minutes. But because ‘Ronnie’
Regan was in such bad nick and
constantly having to sprint to
catch us up, he’d last about ten
seconds under the canoe before
spluttering, “Hask! Swap out!”
After a mile or so, Ronnie was
trailing behind us, not helping in
the slightest. But when he came
up behind Tom Palmer and his
group, their canoe suddenly swung
round and flew off their heads,
scattering them like ninepins.
As Team Palmer were trying
to work out what had gone on,
Ronnie drew up beside me and
whispered, between lungfuls of air,
“Espionage, Hask. Espionage…”
It turned out he had flicked their
water bailer, which hung from the
canoe on a piece of string, round
a fence post, thus stopping their
progress in spectacular fashion.
As we neared the end, Ronnie
drew up beside me again and
spluttered, “Hask, swap out!” He
took over and then sped up, so
that when he passed the finish line
and fell to his knees, coach Brian
Ashton patted him on the back
and said, “Great effort, Ronnie.”
I was half-dead on my back,
muttering to myself, “Are you
f***ing kidding me, he did f**k all!”
Brian looked at me and said, with
a disappointed face, “You need to
work on your fitness, Haskell…”
l From What a Flanker by James
Haskell, pub by HarperCollins, £20.

ILLUSTRATION David Lyttleton

B

WE WON’T TE LL ,
PROMISE…
We love hearing your stories and want
to celebrate the characters of our great
game in What Goes On Tour… If you have
an amusing tale to tell, drop us a line.
Mark your email ‘Tour Tale’ and send it
to rugbyworldletters@futurenet.com

R E A L

L I F E

Words Alan Pearey // Pictures Getty Images & Martin Lewis

WHAT IT’S LIKE TO…

BE A RUGBY
CLUB CHAPLAIN
Martin Lewis tells RW about his work behind the scenes at Cardiff
T’S TEMPTING to say that
you wouldn’t notice a rugby
club chaplain as he or she
goes about their business
quietly and unobtrusively,
offering words of support to any in need
of comfort. But it’s difficult to miss the
6ft 7in former second-row that is Martin
Lewis, chaplain at Cardiff Rugby. He is
an imposing figure in many ways.
Lewis, 58, played 400 first-class rugby
games over 12 years – for Penarth,
Bridgend and Abertillery – before a

I

snapped ACL ended his playing days at
the age of 42. He had a Christian faith
from a young age, so when he was
asked if he’d like to replace Ian Rees
as the Blues’ chaplain, he accepted the
challenge with alacrity. He recently
passed ten years in the voluntary role.
What started as strolling up the
touchline at academy games, talking to
parents or injured players, evolved into
‘Chat with the chaplain’, where young
players could take 20 minutes out of
training to get problems off their chest.

Then Lewis’s role escalated further,
embracing the senior players too.
“I started alongside people like Dillon
Lewis, Jarrod Evans, Liam Belcher, who
are now all first-team regulars,” says
Lewis, who retired from a banking
career five years ago. “I’d wander into
the gym and Sam Warburton would
come out of the corner, ‘Good to see
you, Mart’, just be available to people if
they wanted a chat. Or some would say,
‘Can we meet for a coffee?’ and you’d
meet them away from the training facility.
Rugby pilgrimage
Lewis watches Namibia
at the 2011 World Cup

“What we offer is that
Helping the homeless
non-judgmental, impartial
Former Cardiff coach John
listening ear, totally
Mulvihill preparing food
confidential, unless of course
there are safeguarding issues.
We’ve got this tagline,
‘Pastorally proactive, spiritually
reactive’. We’re not there to
Club man
Bible bash but try to be the
Martin Lewis
hands and feet of Jesus.”
Sports Chaplaincy UK have
600 chaplaincy roles across the UK, of
which 55 work in rugby union. Invariably
it’s a voluntary position and a labour
of love for all their chaplains. In Wales
there have been two or three chaplains
at every pro region – Lewis’s wife
supports the region’s mixed-ability team,
Cardiff Chiefs – while more than half the
English Premiership clubs have one too.
“We provide chaplaincy support at
jumped to that ‘she’s going to die’ and
“We’re not saying we’ve got every
pro level down to grass roots. We’re
that became a real mindset challenge.”
answer but we can help signpost people
growing all the time in terms of rugby
Addiction is another topic that Lewis
to specialists. And what we promise is
across Wales. We had a club that held
is used to discussing all too frequently.
that we’ll keep walking with that person.
off, understood chaplaincy but weren’t
“Online gambling is one of the biggest
We’re not going to leave them.”
sure. They had a suicide the other week
issues. It’s reckoned that gambling on
Overseas players – South Africans,
and said please come. Suicide seems
your phone gives the same sort of buzz
Māoris, Islanders – are generally far
to be a real problem in South Wales,
as when you’re playing. You can help
keener on having faith support. Lewis
particularly across our rugby clubs,
that person, and the coach doesn’t
recounts with pleasure his experiences
which is really concerning.
need to know because playing on the
with Namibia at RWC 2011, when each of
“The other week I bumped into Gerald
Saturday may well be their outlet.
the 20 finalists was allocated a chaplain.
Davies, chairman of the Pro14, and he
“But you’ve got to look at what wider
“I had a wonderful time with the
said, ‘I’ve heard about you at a meeting,
damage is going on. It could be their
Namibians. They’re an incredibly spiritual
it’s fantastic, we need to have more of
marriage is at risk because their partner
nation, a lot of the guys were saying to
you’. Trying to get that endorsement
doesn’t know. Then it’s a slippery slide,
me, ‘Mart, can you take me to church?
from the WRU is a big step for us.”
what about the house? Because a lot of
Can we have a Bible study, can we have
It’s not just a sympathetic ear that Lewis gambling, if they’re coming to talk about a prayer time?’ That for me was the
provides. He might hold a remembrance it, isn’t just an occasional flutter, often
whole package of chaplaincy because
service, perhaps scatter a fan’s ashes
there’s big debt behind it. From my
it was both strands. I went everywhere
on the pitch. He took the service for
banking days I’ve had enough people in
with them, I’m half Namibian now!”
former Bridgend team-mate Gareth
my office in tears because somebody’s
Subsequent RWC host nations, England
Williams, the ex-Wales and Lions
about to sell the
and Japan, chose not to offer that level
back-row, who he visited every
house or their
of chaplaincy support, but Lewis hopes
few weeks during his dreadful
marriage has fallen
France will recognise the benefits and
MSA illness. And he’s involved in
apart and they just
put something in place for 2023. “Sport,
community work too, with Cardiff
don’t know what to do. and rugby, can learn from having people
players helping to feed homeless
come in from
Sports Chaplaincy UK
people in the city at his behest.
outside and
(formerly SCORE) is
The issues players face are many
seeing life in a
a charity founded in
and complex. They can surround
different way.
1991 by John Boyers,
identity – being seen only as a
That’s the value
who was chaplain at
rugby player instead of as a person.
of what we bring.
Watford FC and later
The uncertainty of selection or the
“We come with
Man Utd. It provides
public ‘shame’ of being dropped.
a different skill-set
spiritual and pastoral
Injury is a dark tunnel that affects
and view of the
care to every level of
nearly every player at some point.
world into that
sport, free of charge.
Bereavements, divorce and family
insular bubble,
See sportschaplaincy.
health issues also crop up regularly.
so we see things
All Blacks at prayer
org.uk for more info,
“There was one lad who was very
that others don’t
Caleb Clarke and Ardie Savea
or call 0800 181 4051.
worried his mum had cancer. He
always spot.
“I’ve had the
odd coach say to me, ‘Well, we’ve let
that lad down, haven’t we? I don’t know
how we’ve missed that’. To think that
we’ve kept people from suicide or what
have you, if you only did that once in
your life, that’s a huge thing, isn’t it?” n

DID YOU
KNOW?

“ Suic ide i s a re a l probl em in S o uth
Wales, pa rti cul a rl y a cro s s our
ru g by c lubs. It’s ve ry co n c e rn in g ”
111

Bristol Bears

Legal
DAVE ATTWOOD has always stuck up for his Bristol team-mates –
and now the former England lock is even doing it in the courtroom
Words ALAN PEAREY // Main Image DAN MULLAN/GETTY IMAGES

112

Bristol Bears

aid

ISCIPLINARY HEARINGS used to be
a sporadic irritation for club
bosses. Now, you better be
primed for combat in the
courtroom. Pat Lam has seen
three of his Bristol players
summoned by the beak in
recent months but fortunately
he didn’t have to look far for
legal representation. Dave
Attwood, an aspiring solicitor
advocate, is currently
supplementing his excellent
work in the second row with
some vigorous defence in RFU tribunals.
Siale Piutau, Kyle Sinckler and Sam
Bedlow have been the beneficiaries
and, if RW’s interview with Attwood is
anything to go by, they couldn’t have
a more diligent counsel. The former
England lock, studying part-time at uni
for a law diploma, is even employing his
own lecturers to keep on top of his legal
studies. On Thursdays and Fridays, he
has a two-hour session at 5am with a
teacher in Sri Lanka. He’s also engaged
a London-based expert on European law.
Representing rugby team-mates is
a way to gain experience and it goes
down well with the RFU, who are not
keen on high-powered briefs throwing
their weight around in a rugby setting.
“They’re more concerned about the
spirit of these incidents than the specific
terminology of the framework,” explains
Attwood. “So if you’re trying to wriggle
out of the incident on a technicality, they
see that. If you say, ‘I know I tipped

Bristol Bears
him upside down and he landed on
be taken out of context. We touch on
his head and broke his neck but he had
the nervousness that players often feel,
his laces undone, so I shouldn’t be
like do you call the tribunal chairman
culpable’, they can see that’s baloney. So ‘sir’ or ‘your honour’? We don’t get
it’s important that players have candour.” around to discussing the biscuits on offer,
It helps that Attwood is at the coalface, something made famous when Brendan
so much so that when Sinckler
Venter was rebuked for eating one with
committed his offence at Sandy Park,
“disdain” in front of a 2010 panel.
the 34-year-old lock was practically
It’s probably just as well. Who knows
standing next to him. “So I was able
where a casual remark about biscuits
to convey to the judiciary panel the
could end up. Attwood could talk the
emotion and the intent and the actual
hind legs off a donkey and the front legs
events as they unfolded,” he says.
too, and that is meant as a compliment.
We discuss Sinckler’s case in depth.
Every topic seems to interest him – bar
The England prop was cited for ‘failing
the 1972 Land Registry Act that he was
to respect the authority of the match
reading about when RW rang – and he
is thoroughly engaging company.
official’ after a no-arms tackle on him by
A new conversation ensues on the
Luke Cowan-Dickie. After initially saying
high-tackle framework, and the spate of
“Are you kidding?” when Karl Dickson
red and yellow cards, that has injected a
chose not to penalise the tackler, he
jeopardy that didn’t exist for the sport’s
repeated the sentiment in juicier terms.
first 150 years. You can be stupid or
That’s the nub of it but delve deeper
unlucky but either way there’s more of
and you discover that the incident was
similar to one that a few
years ago caused Sinckler
Fruits of labour
a season-ending injury. And
His try against Quins
that perhaps Exeter players
had wound him up. And that
maybe we wouldn’t have
violent? “You’ll get people
even heard the swearing
in both camps. The majority
at all if it wasn’t for the
of parents, who are paying
absence of a noisy crowd.
attention to the awareness
“To write events down on
around concussion and
paper can seem very black
degenerative brain
and white but actually what
conditions and its potential
we’re dealing with is an
association with rugby, will
awful lot of grey,” Attwood
be reassured that rugby is
says. That is shown by the
changing the regulatory
huge number of times he utters the word this to come while players learn new
framework to make the game safer. They
tackle behaviours. Attwood knows he
‘but’ in our conversation – there seems
will be reassured by the research going
might have to defend himself one day;
to be a flip side to every point made.
in to how concussion can be identified
in fact, he already nearly did after an
Sinckler received a two-week ban, a
and managed in a more efficient way.
incident against Wasps.
week less than Bedlow for his tip tackle
“There will also be people who say
“I was pretty much level with the floor
on London Irish’s Theo Brophy-Clews.
the game’s gone soft. But then there
when I tackled the ball-carrier, I couldn’t
“It’s important for the (charged) player
have been people saying that since the
have been much lower. But he had just
to show remorse. And one of the things
Fifties when basically you could carry a
survived a tackle attempt and was getting machete into contact. There’s nothing
they raised with Sam was that it didn’t
up. I tried to carry him over the try-line
appear he was sorry about it, he didn’t
soft about 140-kilo Billy Vunipola
but my forearm came into contact with
go and apologise,” says Attwood,
running into 135-kilo Nathan Hughes.
his head and neck area, and the TMO
turning to his most recent hearing.
“The reality is the physical spectacle is
“But Sam made a public Twitter apology came in. The referee awarded a penalty. as pivotal as ever. But World Rugby, the
It will pervade my psyche with how I
and he didn’t injure him. Play carried on
RFU, are trying to make the game safer.
approach the contact area. I’ll have to
for another seven or eight phases and
That comes at a cost sometimes. At the
be more considerate of people’s heads.” minute I don’t think the cost is too high.”
Sam actually tackled the same guy
Does he think the
a further two times. At the first of
At his old club Bath, Attwood used to
current culture, with
those contacts he said to him while
look around in awe at the calibre of the
frequent stoppages
they were on the floor, ‘Sorry about
players around him. He is experiencing
to watch a heavy
that, are you alright?’ That’s not
that with bells on at Bristol.
DoB 5 April 1987
collision multiple
visible or audible to the judiciary
“Semi Radradra and Charles Piutau are
Born Bristol
times in slow motion,
panel, so those are the kind of
two of the best players in the world. And
Club Bristol Bears
is reassuring for
things we can extract from Sam
you can carry on down the list: John
Position Lock
children, or parents
during the hearing to convey things
Afoa, the world’s greatest veteran, Steve
Height 6ft 7in
of children, thinking
that the panel weren’t aware of.”
Luatua, one of the best captains I’ve
Weight 18st 10lb
of playing rugby? Or
We chat about the importance
ever worked with, Chris Vui, Callum
England caps 24
are they thinking this
of players choosing their words
Sheedy is playing out of his skin, Piers
Twitter @Dmjattwood sport is just too
carefully, avoiding terms that can
O’Conor played almost every minute of

FACT FILE

114

Bristol Bears
Chasing shadows
Piers O’Conor leads a Bristol
counter-attack against Leicester

Will Evans and put
Luatua away into
space. The move
swung this way
and that before
Attwood rumbled
under the posts.
It was glorious to
see and typical of
what Bristol are
producing. A lot of
neutrals were left
disappointed when the Bears came up
short in this year’s Premiership play-offs.
“It’s something we practise at Bristol
– making good decisions given what’s
in front of us. We practise drawing and
giving, we practise footwork in contact,
and we do that every training day.
Regardless of where you are on the
field, you can still make the most of an
overlap. You can still take five metres on
the edge by bending the opposition.”

Most days at the club start with a skills
school run by Sean Marsden. In the main
training sessions, all of the phase play is
designed to break the line and score.
Every phase. It explains why 60% of
their tries come directly from first phase.
“We’ve had sessions stopped by Pat
where he says, ‘Why didn’t you pass the
ball?’ ‘Oh, well I thought it was safer to
carry the ball,’ the player will say. ‘We’re
not after safe,’ Pat says, ‘We want to do
the right thing.’ That’s the focus.”
It may be stretching it to say Pat Lam is
rugby’s Pep Guardiola but not by much.
There is risk attached of course, with
the odd try coughed up near their line,
but the upside is moments like Harry
Randall’s stunning try 15 seconds into the
2020 Challenge Cup final against Toulon,
when instead of running into contact,
Radradra shifted the ball to Alapati Leiua.
“When you practise being a threat
from everywhere, teams have to defend

“We p rac tis e d raw in g an d g iv in g ,
a n d m ak in g g ood d e c is io n s g iv e n
wha t’s in f ron t o f us , e v e ry d ay ”

PICS Getty Images & PA

every game last season and was
unbelievable in pretty much all of them.
“We’ve got an abundance of talented
players and when we were missing 13,
14 of those guys during the Six Nations
period, we were still winning, with bonus
points. We finished top of the league and
that speaks to the strength of the squad,
the unity of the team and the alignment
of the players with the coaching staff.”
He’s loving his rugby, and thoughts that
he would call it quits at the end of his
two-year deal have been shelved. After
all, Afoa has signed a contract extension
at 37, so who’s going to chase him down?
Against Quins, Attwood caught the ball
in his 22 as Marcus Smith’s kick bounced
off a post. He beat Joe Marchant, drew

In the dock Sam Bedlow was cited for this tip tackle against London Irish

Reach for the stars Attwood wins a lineout v Bath. “We have the ability to become champions,” he says
115

you from everywhere. There is a very
high expectation on the skill level. It
works because people like Callum and
Piers and Semi practise it all the time.
You couldn’t play this game plan at
Dings Crusaders, they’d get relegated.
“When you’re on your try-line, the
opposition might have nine players in
the frontline. So you have to be able to
take advantage. That’s why we score
so many tries, because teams think, ‘Be
pragmatic, England, Saracens rugby, we
won’t play in our half, we’ll squeeze the
opposition’. And there’s a time and place
for that. But when the opportunity is
there, if the opposition don’t respect
you enough, you must punish them.”
Crime and punishment. It’s an area
which Dave Attwood excels in. n

Fly-halves

WORDS JACOB WHITEHEAD
MAIN PICTURE TOM JENKINS/GETTY IMAGES

Is fly-half still
rugby’s most
important
position?
No 10s have long been hailed,
like Jonny Wilkinson here, but
the modern stand-off’s role is
changing. Rugby World reports

T’S REMARKABLE how much
a line and a circle on a player’s
back can signify. For decades,
the fly-half has been a tactical,
attacking and emotional focal
point, carving the unshaped clay of their
team-mates into a sculpture made in
their own image. Successful teams are
remembered by their ten. Sit back
and listen to the roll call: Kyle, John,
Bennett, Porta, Fox, Lynagh, Stransky,
Larkham, Wilkinson, Carter…
They inspired a generation of modern
fly-halves, as Toulouse’s Zack Holmes
remembers: “Larkham, Wilkinson and
Carter, they were the big fly-halves
when I was growing up. They were the
talisman of the team. They touched the
ball a lot, probably the most of anyone,
and their involvement drew me to the
position, the responsibility of it. You just
got involved in the game all the time.”
Yet the power of the all-controlling
fly-half didn’t necessarily always lead to
the greatest spectacle. Wasps fly-half/
centre Jimmy Gopperth says: “We used
to see ten-man rugby, especially

I

116

Fly-halves

117

Fly-halves
when the weather was poor, and
we had to do that a bit when I was at
Newcastle. It was forwards and then
give it to the ten – he’ll kick it down and
then the forwards will go again. Back in
the day, you got scores of 6-3, 9-6, and
it was a grind. It was ten-man rugby.”
It’s a far cry from the most recent
iteration of the Premiership, which was
one of the highest-scoring seasons in
history – and is demonstrating why the
fly-half may no longer be crucial.
Take Bristol Bears, who possess one
of the most swaggering attacks to have
graced the competition in recent years.
Attack coach Conor McPhillips, who
played throughout the Noughties,
believes teams now need to avoid such
a dependency on a single position.
“Defences are now much better,”
McPhillips explains. “I think that’s the
influence of the mid-to-early 2000s,
when a lot of rugby league defence

coaches came in, meaning line speed
and collisions became much quicker
and harder. Some teams have been
really reliant on their tens, but for us
we don’t want the Bears to be reliant
on one player. All it takes is for that one
player to be injured for six months and
then the walls come tumbling down.”
Instead, a wealth of teams now play
with second receivers in their back-line.
England favour a ten-12 axis of George
Ford and Owen Farrell; New Zealand
can boast Richie Mo’unga and Beauden
Barrett in a ten-15 combination. Fewer
and fewer international sides play solely
through ten. This isn’t just a story of
fly-halves but of full-backs and centres.
Former Saracen Will Hooley plays
full-back for the USA but began his
rugby life as a fly-half. For him, moving to
the backfield isn’t a shift away from the
playmaking role but merely allows him
to see things from a different perspective.

Zack attack
Holmes, here in kicking
mode, talks of Toulouse
playing with “chaos”

“I always had this image in my head
that I should be like Jason Robinson,
stepping people for fun,” he tells Rugby
World. “But after speaking to (Saracens
backs coach) Kevin Sorrell, I realised the
natural attributes of a fly-half – seeing
space, being able to communicate – sit
brilliantly at full-back. I can see even
more space, give even more
communication to fly-halves.
“How can you come up with a plan to
rip teams apart? Ultimately, I believe that
it’s by having two playmakers on the
pitch. I think you’d struggle to find any
team now who doesn’t have that.
“At Saracens, you see the likes of Alex
Goode or Max Malins step into ten while
Owen Farrell is on the other side of the
field. When you have two playmakers on
the pitch, it’s another general, another set
of eyes, taking pressure off the fly-half.”
Bath stand-off Tian Schoeman agrees,
saying: “The fly-half is still obviously
important because he needs to direct
the team around the pitch. It just helps if
he has a few cannons, not just the one.”
One castle full of cannons is Toulouse,
where Holmes shares the ten jersey with
Romain Ntamack and Thomas Ramos.
Holmes and Ntamack are adept at
centre, with Ntamack winning two U20
World Cups from 12, while Ramos has
started for France at full-back. Fly-half is
possibly no longer a specialist position.
“When you look at traditionally
attacking off ten, attacking off the
forwards, it can be somewhat
predictable,” says Holmes. “We prefer
to play with more chaos, more disorder,
to make it harder for the defence. You
want to look at it in terms of lessening
the burden on the ten and allowing
multiple decision-makers opportunities
to play in the shape, not just put all the
decision-making process on the ten.”
In England fly-half Helena Rowland’s
experience, the women’s game is going
through an identical transition. “For the
three teams I’ve played for – Saracens,
Loughborough and England – we’ve
tried to implement that ten-12 dual
playmaker system,” she says. “Centres

“Decisive voice”
Helena Rowland clears

118

Fly-halves

Double threat
Jimmy Gopperth with
Jacob Umaga in support
are starting to think and play more like
a fly-half but just wider out, splitting the
pitch so you have a playmaker each
side. A lot of the load has been taken off
from a communication point of view, and
coaches see value in having more than
one person that can direct the game
and step up in that first-receiver role.”
For Holmes, this could be permanent:
“In my opinion, the way to make attack
more dominant will diminish the role of
the fly-half. A fly-half who touches the
ball lots when other players don’t makes

Simmonds and Marcus Smith, led their
team to the big dance. So, is the age of
the fly-half dead? Perhaps not quite yet.
Schoeman considers how expectations
have changed, saying: “You sign a big
fly-half for a lot of money and you expect
magic, you know? You expect him to
make the breaks, to be the pillar of the
team. But if you come to the UK, it’s a
chess match. It’s a strategic game where
you try to outsmart the other guys.”
This perhaps reaches the heart of how
the fly-half has evolved. Analyst Robbie

“T h e w ay to ma ke a tta c k m ore
dominant wi l l di mi n i sh the ro le
of t h e fl y-ha l f. Te a ms w ill look
t o c h ange the poi n t of attac k , to
m a ke t h e de fe n ce l e ss s tab ilis e d ”
Owen, better known as Squidge Rugby,
has attracted a legion of fans on
YouTube for his innovative interpretation
of the current game and has puzzled
over the exact role of the modern ten.
“Increasingly, the fly-half can be viewed
as just one of the other backs, because
so many teams are so system-led,” he
says. “However, the ten is still making a
lot of decisions, it’s just far less obvious.
Although they’re still an extremely
important cog, it’s more to do with what
they do when they don’t have the ball.
“They have a kind of vision which is
incredibly important and are constantly
involved in managing their team’s shape.
They’re almost a coach on the field a lot
of the time and that’s crucial, not them
providing flashy passes or little kicks.”
Owen picks out Ford, Simmonds and
Bristol’s Callum Sheedy as particularly
adept at fulfilling this new role, and
McPhillips, Sheedy’s coach at Bristol, is
in agreement. He considers the fly-half
119

PICS Getty Images

it easier to defend. Teams will look to
change the point of attack, to make
the defence less stabilised. That’s how
I see rugby going forward.”
No longer the sole conduit of their
side’s attacking games, other positions
could easily be considered more crucial.
While at Leicester, Richard Cockerill said
the highest-paid player should be the
tighthead and the second highest his
replacement. The importance of the
set-piece means that lineout-calling
locks might be most highly prized, or
even a ball-winning openside.
According to Esportif Intelligence data,
fly-half was no longer the highest-paid
position in last season’s Pro14 – locks
had the biggest salaries. And while tens
are still top earners in the Premiership
and Top 14, those big-money signings
at stand-off in the English league have
traditionally struggled to fire their teams
up the table. If you look at last season’s
final, two homegrown fly-halves, Joe

the quarterback of the team, the player
who needs to manipulate structures to
ensure the attack is firing.
“I think it’s evolved for us,” says
McPhillips. “Tens for us are in charge
of the overall structure, but they’re
listening to players around them in the
game and using information given to
them by the coaches in the week.
“Callum knows he isn’t the biggest,
fastest, best kicker or passer, but
through his alignment with the coaches
and understanding of playing the
Bears way, we talk about him being
like that coach on the pitch.”
Modern attacks still place a heavy
burden on the fly-half, but rather than
being the system, in the mode of a
Larkham, Wilkinson or Carter, it is their
job to execute the system. They are less
the builder of the back-line and more
the architect, which comes with a
unique set of mental challenges.
“Forgive us arrogant fly-halves,” Hooley
says, “but fly-half is still one of, if not the
hardest position on the pitch. I believe
that fly-half is one of the most strenuous
mental challenges in the game.”
While perhaps they are no longer
specialists in terms of skill-set, with some
props now capable of throwing flat
30m passes, fly-half remains a unique
psychological challenge, as Rowland
explains. “Although there might be a lot
of people who can make a pass or make
a decision, I don’t know how comfortable
they are to do that phase-in, phase-out,”
she says. “You’re meant to be a fly-half
for a reason; it’s because you can step
up in those situations and make the
right decision. I’ve maybe struggled a bit
with being that decisive voice, saying
this is what we’re doing and why. I’m still
learning now, and I think that’s where
most of the pressure comes from.”
Modern rugby has seen the fly-half
evolve a crucial skill. No longer do they
have to touch the ball every phase, call
every move or be the sole voice. Think
of them instead as analysts with a killer
pass or a coach with a deft boot. They’re
an architect, designing structures. It’s
not about putting the team on their
back. That age has gone. It’s now about
bringing the team inside their brain. n

Teamwork Beauden Barrett and Richie Mo’unga

WORDS
TOM ENGLISH
MAIN PICTURE
BRENDAN MORAN/SPORTSFILE/GETTY IMAGES

Ryan
Baird
The 22-year-old lock is Ireland’s ‘next big thing’ – and he has
some impressive mentors at Leinster to guide him to the top

E

VERYBODY IN Leinster knew about
Ryan Baird from a long way off, from
way back in his school days when
his giant frame, his big stride, his
high knee lift was as obvious to
those watching him as the grass he was eating up
as the star second-row of St Michael’s College.
The Dublin school, where Father Ted (Dermot
Morgan) once taught, is a rugby academy that
has delivered James Ryan, Dan Leavy, Max
Deegan, Luke McGrath, Ross Byrne, Ronan
Kelleher and now Baird to the Test arena.
People in Leinster could see what he was
capable of, but it was really only in late February
of last year when everybody outside of Ireland
began to see it. Baird scored a Guinness Pro14
hat-trick against Glasgow at the RDS that night. A
winger and a fly-half until he was 15, he always
had pace and a desire to attack. His athleticism,
his ball-carrying, his handling were all exceptional.
He was only 20. It was just his second start.

120

Just before the hour mark, Baird exploded onto
a pass from Harry Byrne more than 40m from the
Glasgow line. He was through a gap between
Glenn Bryce and Peter Horne before the full-back
and the fly-half knew what was happening, he
accelerated outside George Horne and there was
nothing the scrum-half could do. He thundered
all the way to the posts. In touching the ball down
he announced himself as a senior rugby player.
Before the 80 minutes were up, Leinster folk
were imagining the glorious future they were
going to have with the dream team in the row –
Ryan and Baird, the thought of it was tantalising.
“All the stars aligned for me that night,” he says.
“The team played incredibly well and I got lucky
with so much ball in hand. It was great fun.”
The remainder of 2020 brought some more
games, an appearance off the bench against
Saracens in the Champions Cup quarter-final last
September, an international call-up in October –
and then an injury that checked his progress a

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little. But not for long. Leinster have a battalion
of outstanding young players and Baird is in the
vanguard of the movement.
“Rugby was always very important to me,” he
says, “but when I was at school, around 12 or 13
years of age, I did a lot of athletics, some shot put,
some other field events, 4x100m relays. I went to
the All-Irelands twice in shot put and finished fourth
and second. I’ve always wanted to try different
things. I’ve always been into different sports.”
Some of his mates were big into NFL and so he
got hooked on it. If he could spend a day with one
athlete from any discipline in the world then it
would be a close call between Tiger Woods (golf
is another big deal for him, with a Sunday at the
Masters high up on his bucket list) and Tom Brady,
the quarterback who achieved immortality with
the New England Patriots.
“I’d love to hear his thoughts about his (six)
Super Bowl wins, the comeback versus Atlanta (in
2017 when the Patriots trailed 28-3 and yet won
34-28 in the greatest comeback in NFL history).
“I’d want to know how many hours he puts in,
I’d want to know about the dedication required to
become the greatest quarterback of all time. That
would be special. God, yeah. When my mates told
me that NFL was right up my street they were
right. I started to look at it when I was about 17
or 18, but I really watch it closely now.”
Baird always had that thirst for knowledge, that’s
what they’ll tell you about his school rugby days.
They’ll tell you something else, too. They’ll mention
the Leinster Schools Senior Cup semi-final of
2018. Donnybrook was the venue, Belvedere the
opposition. Michael’s were coasting it. With ten
minutes to go they were winning 19-3, a place in
the final all but guaranteed. They lost 20-19.
“When you’re 18 and a rugby player at Michael’s,
this is your world, your everything. You’re a team
but you’re with your close friends, guys you’re
living with day in, day out, guys you’ve grown up
with, guys you’ve never really been away from for
that long. You’re more like a family than a team.
“We lost that game and it was devastating. I was
one of the major contributory factors in the loss.
Even with one minute and 43 seconds left to play
we were six points ahead. I think it was one
minute and 43 seconds, but it was
a stupidly low amount of time left
Heave ho!
and I tried to do a tip-on pass when
Baird gets a helping hand
what I should have done, as one of
from Devin Toner at a maul

the biggest ball-carriers, was get
the ball, put my head down and
run. I tried the tip-on and yer
man intercepts it, then I proceed
to go offside while trying to fix the problem. Then,
we go to the lineout on the five-metre line and
four or five lads don’t hit the maul and they drive
us over and score. That was a sore lesson that
I’ll never forget, but you have to learn them.”

“A sore lesson”
In action for St Michael’s
against Belvedere in 2018

“ Yo u a r e l o o k i n g f o r
edges and mindfulness
is an untapped area”
These are painfully early days in his career but
they’re exciting times. He knows how lucky he is
to be at Leinster where the second-row wisdom
surrounds him like the cosiest blanket. Ryan is a
European Cup and Six Nations Grand Slam winner
and an Ireland captain even though he’s only 25.
Devin Toner, another sounding board, has 70 caps
in the engine room for Ireland. His coach, Leo
Cullen, is a former lock himself.
“I’ve got brilliant mentors. They’ve seen
everything, they’re really approachable, they’re
always keen to help and they’re great craic. I pick
everybody’s brain. I want to accumulate as much
knowledge as possible. I mean, I don’t want to be
the guy asking millions of questions and maybe
not acting on them, so you pick your moments.
“The most important thing sometimes is to say
nothing and just look at how the top guys carry
themselves. You can soak up a lot of information
just by looking at them going about their work,
how they train, how they live, what they say, how

122

about visualisation.
You can’t over-rep
your body, you can’t
do a thousand reps,
but you can visualise what you’re going to do
in certain situations so that when you get to the
game it’s not the first time you have seen yourself
make that carry or make that tackle. It’s familiar to
you, you’ve seen it before.”
Whatever he’s doing, it’s working. Not that
he’s getting ahead of himself. Yes, he made his
Ireland debut in this year’s Six Nations and added
further caps in the July Tests, but just getting into
the Leinster line-up is still a challenge given the
savage competition for places.
“Every day I go in there, I’m fighting for my spot.
I’m not thinking about anything other than getting
more games for Leinster. I really want to play
international rugby, but if I’m not focusing on what
I’m doing in the here and now there ain’t gonna be
a future for me. Every now and then I might have
a dream about winning caps, there’s no harm in it,
but the majority of time I’m in the moment.”
He says the most vivid rugby memory of his
youth was the European Cup final of 2009, when
Leinster beat Leicester 19-16 at Murrayfield. He
went to Edinburgh with his dad, Andrew, a former
player, coach and referee and a devoted disciple
of the oval ball. Johnny Sexton played that day
and is the last man standing.
“Johnny wants it now more than ever I think. He
has an incredible hunger and that’s what I mean
when I say that sometimes all you’ve got to do is
look and learn. I remember one Sunday morning
going in for a medical check-up and Johnny was
in there rehabbing. There was hardly anybody
around. He was by himself, just rehabbing. As
a young fella, that’s a fairly powerful image.
“He’d done it all. Grand Slam, European Cups,
Lions tours, probably around 34 years of age at the
time I’d say. That mindset he has is inspirational.
That kind of determination is what makes him a
great player and it’s something that all of us can
learn from. I watched Johnny on telly when I was
a kid and now I get to train with him and play in
the same team. I pinch myself the odd time.”
It might feel like a dream but it’s very much
reality. Baird is only starting out in the rarefied air
of pro rugby but, as Glasgow found out, once he
gets going he’s a really, really hard man to stop. n

Safe pair of hands
Winning a lineout in
Leinster colours

123

PICS Getty Images & Inpho

they say it. There’s an outrageous amount of
second-row experience for me to tap into.”
Mindfulness is something he’s gotten into lately.
At the start of last year he got to thinking about
ways he could improve. He couldn’t do more
weights than he was already doing, couldn’t do
more physical stuff for fear of causing himself
damage. “Physically and tactically I was doing
everything I was supposed to, but I thought about
the mental side. Mentally, could I do more?
“I started working with a psychologist called
Stephen McIvor (a former Munster scrum-half,
capped three times by Ireland) and we worked
on mindfulness. How do the really top athletes
deliver under pressure? How do they achieve
calmness and clarity when the stakes are so high?
“Everybody is getting stronger, everybody is
getting faster, everybody understands the game,
so you’re looking for those edges
and mindfulness is a pretty
Breakthrough display
Celebrating one of his three
untapped area. It’s not even
tries v Glasgow last year
necessarily about meditation, it’s

Trans-Tasman rivalry
Anton Lienert-Brown tests the
Wallabies defence at Eden Park
124

New Zealand

It

e
b
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Words Alan Dymock // Main Picture Brett Phibbs/Inpho

Often the picture of calm, Anton Lienert-Brown
has put in a lot of work on himself to feel
comfortable at the highest level

T

HAT TEST debut
against the Wallabies
is still fresh in Anton
Lienert-Brown’s mind.
Trotting out as an All Black
for the very first time, there
was something surprisingly
serene about the whole experience.
“The legs were going under the water
and on top I probably looked quite
calm,” the centre tells RW of that day
in 2016. “For sure there were a lot of
nerves but for some reason, when I ran
out there, there was a sense of calm.
“In a way I felt as though I was
chucked in the deep end a little bit,
because we had so many injuries. I
thought I’d be an injury replacement
at best (for the first cap) and it turns
out I started, in a pretty big match.
“But I’d been in the same situation
as an 18-year-old, playing for the
Chiefs against the Blue Bulls at Loftus
(Versfeld). I was on the wing then, the
first time I’d played there since school,
a year and a half before. So I took a
lot of learnings at a young age.
125

Full swing
Playing golf

New Zealand
“In that Chiefs game I went into my
shell on my debut. The promise I made
to myself for when I reached the All
Blacks, I said, ‘No matter what happens
tonight, I’m just going to go out there
and express myself.’ That’s where the
calm came from, I think.”
Steady and measured with his
answers, Lienert-Brown talks like the
guy you want deciding whether to cut
the red or the blue wire while the bomb
clock ticks into the last few seconds.
Amazingly still just 26, he plays like
it too. It has become something of a
parody whenever someone says the
Chiefs mainstay is underrated, so often
is the phrase used. And indeed when
asked about the ubiquitous underrated
tag, Lienert-Brown insists that he is not
trying to fit himself into one style of play
or another, or to stand out as a certain
breed of player; he is just doing his job,
he says. The labels thrown about do
not interest him in the least.

Catwalk
Modelling
underwear
well not play the game. Or I’ve got to
make some big changes.’ And that’s
when I really started being passionate
about the mental side of my game.
“I was about 20 at the time. I don’t
want to exaggerate what I went through
but how I felt at the time was that I hit
rock bottom, you know. There was
anxiety and depression of some sort,
that’s what I was experiencing.
“When you hit rock bottom you’ve got
to change things. It was a tough time in
my life but looking back on it I wouldn’t
change it for the world, because you
learn so much through it, and I guess
it’s led me to really focus on my mental
game. And you also realise that there

clear that he still feels pre-match nerves.
The difference is that since his Test
debut, he has learnt to handle them
that little bit better. And in fact, if those
nerves were not there at all now he
would feel like something was missing.
Although raised on New Zealand’s
South Island, the Canterbury-born
Lienert-Brown was lured north by the
brains trust of Dave Rennie and Wayne
Smith. Older brother Daniel still props

“ W h en you hi t rock b o tto m
you’ ve got to cha n ge t hin g s . I t
w as a tough ti me i n m y lif e”
However, he also accepts that what
did concern him, earlier in his career,
became something of a hindrance.
To get to that point though, we begin
by considering how hard it must be to
maintain any semblance of tranquillity
throughout a career. It’s easier said than
done. Lienert-Brown has a process.
“I work on my mental game quite a lot.
So I meditate at the start of the week
and then close to the game I start
visualising my game day in the build-up
to that. I don’t actually visualise what’s
going to happen in the game but more
the times where I feel nervous – it is
always in the build-up, from the
warm-ups right through to kick-off.
“I’m always really nervous before,
until the ref blows the whistle. In that
visualisation, I take the same breath
as I would out in the field. And that
brings me a sense of calm because
it’s like I’ve already been there before.
I’ve already been there in my week.
“When I realised that worked for me
was probably after a lot of learnings
over my career. I started really young
and initially I was an over-thinker.
I over-thought a lot of things and I got
to a stage where I actually got really
sick of rugby. I didn’t enjoy the game
any more and it sort of burnt me out,
because of my thoughts.
“I had to make a decision. I said to
myself, ‘If I’m this unhappy, I might as

is more to rugby as well, and that brings
you a sense of calm too.”
Importantly, he’s happy to talk about it.
His world is one of high-speed
collisions while wearing one of global
sport’s most recognisable uniforms, so
it’s refreshing to hear him say: “I try my
best to be vulnerable – it’s a word I love.”
What he means by this is that he
wants to be open, honest and available
whenever he is asked to share his
feelings on mental health issues. If
friends or colleagues want to discuss
what they’re wrestling with too, he will
strive to be ready and unflinching.
This is not, he says, natural for him
either. Before he reached his big fork in
the road, he would describe himself as
‘closed off’. Lienert-Brown also makes

Taste of success
With the Bledisloe

FACT FILE
DoB 15 April 1995
Born Christchurch,
Canterbury, NZ
Position Centre
Franchise Chiefs
Height 6ft 1in
Weight 15st 2lb
Test debut
v Australia, 2016
Instagram
@anton_lb

New Zealand
on the loosehead in the South, for the
Highlanders. But the younger sibling
says that he wants a long future playing
for Waikato in the Mitre 10 Cup, the
Chiefs in whatever form Super Rugby
takes and with the All Blacks.
There is a lot to be said for finding
somewhere that feels like the right fit.
Of course, for any player considered
a safe pair of hands when Test matches
get frenetic, it is not always easy to
predict who will be lining up beside you
when you next put those mitts to use.
Yet England head coach Eddie Jones
has discussed the possibility that the
sight of centres passing between one
another in attack was getting rarer and
rarer. For one Wasps game, Jones told

realise how they play and it’s about
using your strengths together.
“Sometimes you might build that
connection throughout a season.
Sometimes you get one week. The All
Blacks have rolled out plenty of different
midfield combinations over the past four
or five years. So each week it’s about
building a connection, and I guess the

Time for the fans
Signing autographs

because we were so young and the
least experienced in everything.
“We did really well and became, I
guess, quite a formidable midfield
pack. Because we worked so hard
on the connection, getting to know
each other. I’d say we were the
closest mini unit and no matter who
rolled out there – because you can
only put two midfielders
out there and one on the
bench – the credit would
go to the midfield unit as
a whole because we
worked hard to get the
best out of each other.”
Is the band of midfields still
the strongest unit for the All
Blacks today, you reckon?
“I’d like to think so!”
Lienert-Brown surmises,
leaning back as he replies. n

ALB on his team-mates...
Funniest?
Angus Ta’avao is that guy. I don’t
know how to explain it: he has
funny written all over him.

Smartest?
I reckon Brad Weber is very smart.
Or Michael Allardice at the Chiefs.

Cheapest?
Ha, it’s Damian McKenzie I’d say!

Biggest appetite?
I reckon Scott ‘Scooter’ Barrett.
He is full-on ripped but he’s one
of those guys, I never see him
stop eating. He’s just got that
metabolism, while he can keep
on eating all the time.
Crossing the line
Lienert-Brown scores a
World Cup try against Namibia
longer you play together, the easier it
gets. You want to understand each
other’s strength on attack and D.
“You have gotta trust those people
but we do that – in the environments
I have been in, we do.
“In my first year with the All Blacks, it
was Ryan Crotty, Malakai, myself and I
think George Moala together. We were
a young midfield group and obviously it
was my first year in the team. We have
these mini units – your midfielders,
inside backs, outside backs are units.
And one of our goals was to be the
strongest mini unit in the All Blacks,
127

Ardie Savea, I reckon. Some
others might disagree with what
he wears, but for current style
he is right up there.

Best singer?
Caleb Clarke, probably – I heard
him the other day and he can sing.

Worst singer?
There are plenty. I will go with
Jordie Barrett though.

One you’d like to be for a day?
Great question. I’ve got to go
Beaudie Barrett. He’s just a great
lad and he’s obviously pretty
good at rugby, isn’t he?

PICS Getty Images & Inpho

reporters, he tasked an analyst with
tracking how many passes went
between Jimmy Gopperth and Malakai
Fekitoa. The result was zero, Jones said.
At his best Lienert-Brown can control
so much play around him. So what does
he make of the idea that a link between
the centres could be fading in today’s
game, with the midfielders perhaps
becoming more like American Football
running backs, as Jones has hinted at?
“All I do know is that when I’m playing
with one midfield partner, I want to form
a really good connection with that
person,” the Chiefs star says. “You

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