My Life in Rugby: Phil Christophers – former Bristol, Brive and England wing

After spending a year away from rugby I realised I didn’t want to finish my career on injuries. It was definitely the right choice.
It was a difficult time for me between 2008 and 2010. I first had to have my ankle operated on and was out for six months. I came back and played for six weeks but did my knee and was out for 10 and a half months.
I had been captain for Castres on several occasions but I was just got cut from the team. The set-up changed while I was out and the new coaches had their own players so I was then without a club in the summer of 2010.
It was a real eye-opener; it makes you realise that as a rugby player you really are in a cocoon. For a year I was without work, so I started studying for an MBA in Toulouse.
I got in contact with Olivier Nier, a coach at second division team, Aix en Provence. He was the person I had linked up with at Brive and was looking after the second team.
I contacted him and he was keen for me to come aboard. I played there for two years and last year I started 28 out of 32 games.
I was happy to have finished my career on two years where I was able to play at 100 per cent.
I was born and raised in Germany, in Heidelberg in the South West, and started playing rugby when I was four years old. It was one of the few areas of Germany where rugby is popular.
The plan was always for me to move abroad and learn a language. It was ridiculous to think as a German I could become professional.
I was there until 16 and then moved to Lancaster before going to Loughborough University. In my third year I moved to Brive, in France, where I signed as a second team player.
At the time they had a lot of injuries so I played most of the season – 27 games. That was the breaking point to my career.
Then I moved to Bristol for two years and finished my degree on the side – I drove to Loughborough and back twice a week.
I got called up for England and scored a try on debut – and then I got capped twice more when I was at Bristol, before signing for Leeds in 2003.
I went on tour to Australia and New Zealand in 2004 and although I didn’t play it was a great honour to get picked because I hadn’t played for about two months due to injury.
I would have liked to play more for England but we were world champions and there were fantastic players that played instead of me. Then the fact that I moved abroad didn’t help my international chances.
The following year was difficult. I had family problems – my dad was sick. He was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in August 2004 and passed away in November 2005.
That really changed my view on things; it made me realise there was more to life than rugby.
I had refused an offer from Toulouse in 2004 but I wanted to appreciate life more and have a different lifestyle so I accepted when Castres came in for me.
The first year was hard because there was tension with the coaches but I enjoyed the next couple before injuries set it. And I was pleased to end my career on my terms – that is exactly what I wanted.