MY LIFE IN RUGBY
THE FORMER NOTTINGHAM, STADE FRANCAIS, WASPS, DRAGONS & NORTHAMPTON SCRUM-HALF
I WAS 16 and on a family skiing holiday in the French Alps when my dreams of becoming a professional rugby player took an unexpected turn for the better. One evening at dinner, the hotel owner was doing the rounds and he came over to speak to us and asked me what I wanted to do for a career. When I told him I wanted to be a pro rugby player, he made it be known he was also CEO of Stade Francais! After a two-hour conversation at the bar, he gave me his business card and told me to send some clips over.
So I did that for about a year, showing him video clips of me playing for Nottingham academy, county stuff etc. and eventually my persistence paid off and I was invited to go and spend the week with them. I was gobsmacked. I found myself training with the likes of Sergio Parisse and Juan Martin Hernandez, two of the superstars of the game. It seemed to go well enough and I was offered an academy contract. By the age of 19, I found myself living in the middle of Paris.
With all the razzmatazz at games and the squad we had, It was a special time to be there. I enjoyed the French culture and managed to get some Top 14 games under my belt, though I did have a few injuries while I was there and I did get a bit lonely at times. But the main reason for me going back to the UK was to further my England ambitions as I was in the U20s squad at the time.
I left one club for a load of big names in joining Wasps. It was the tail end of their golden era, and there were still people like Joe Worsley and Simon Shaw in the squad, and Shaun Edwards was still coach. I spent five years at Wasps and they were some of the best years of my life, not only just in my rugby career but as a whole.
As much as Shaun is super, super intense and is a big character and quirky, I did find if you worked hard and listened to him, he had time for every individual. Ultimately, he always had your best interests heart and was trying to get the best out of you. As a scrum-half, I'd say that my defensive game was better than my attacking game and part of that was down to what I learnt from Shaun. It was the little subtle things like making sure I got my feet right to set myself up for a tackle and telling me where I should scan the field to ensure I was one step ahead of the opposition that made a big difference.
Unfortunately, the financial scenario that has happened with Wasps just now nearly happened while I was there, and we also very nearly got relegated. I remember that season at Wasps being a high-pressure environment and one where it was difficult to build confidence. But the reason why we managed to stay up by the skin of our teeth was because we stayed really tight as a group. All the older guys helped the talented youngsters coming through and I think that was the real foundation to where the club grew back up to.
The people I met and the friendships I made with people like Matty Everard, who was best man at our wedding, and Simon McIntyre are the things I looked back fondest on rather than any particular games or tries I might have scored, but if I did have to pick out some highlights from my time at Wasps, I'd say beating Saracens in the London double header in my first time playing at Twickenham and the bonus-point win away to Castres on my Heineken Champions Cup debut.
“By the age of 25, I'd played in all three major club leagues there are in Europe”
When Wasps signed Dan Robson, Dai Young was honest with me that my first-team chances would be even more limited and that it might be a good decision for me to move on. As sad as I was, I agreed with him. Newport came up and as that gave me the chance to potentially push for a place in the Wales squad, I took them up on their offer. I'm half-Welsh – my dad's side of the family come from Porthcawl. I wouldn't say I was sold a dream but opportunities were few and far between at first and I was never really on Wales' radar. Even so, I enjoyed playing at Rodney Parade. I enjoyed the company of the Welsh lads and it was good to have one of my best mates, Ed Jackson, there with me. By the age of 25, I'd played in all three major European club leagues, which was a nice thing to do.
Towards the end of my time at the Dragons the culture started to change and when my contract came to an end there, I was umming and ahhing about whether to quit rugby altogether. I was holiday with my now wife sipping a Mojito and eating a club sandwich when (Northampton team manager) Paul Shields phoned me up asked if I wanted to give it a go there. It was great to be back involved, especially with a club like Northampton.
Saints had Cobus Reinach as their number one and Alex Mitchell as their up-and-coming 9, and they were looking for some senior back-up and someone who could support the younger lads. I arrived with a pre-existing injury from Dragons – I'd had thumb surgery – and possibly didn't get as fit as I could. Cobus was in absolutely ridiculous form that year, Alex was also brilliant whenever he played, so I sort of resigned myself to enjoying watching from the stands. Despite that, I really enjoyed that year, even if the younger lads did call me ‘Uncle'. I'm hoping it was because they appreciated my help, not because they thought I was really old!
At the end of that season, I decided to call it a day and move onto something new, which in my case was giving the music industry a crack. I watched the World Cup later that year but, after that, I didn't really bother with it, it had almost got to the point where I couldn't stand it anymore. But in the last year or so, as coach at Chesterfield, I have got back into it again. The guys have visibly improved their skills and we are now one of the highest-scoring teams in the league and I really enjoy being a part of a community set-up.
– as told to Jon Newcombe
