My Life in Rugby: Alex Woolford – I’d love to get 100 caps for Bedford Blues

Former Northampton Saints, London Welsh and Coventry second row Alex Woolford, who now plays for Bedford Blues, reflects on his life in rugby.

One of the biggest lessons rugby taught me is how quickly everything can change. One minute you feel settled, valued and part of something that is building.

The next, you’re being told your contract is void, the club is going into administration and you need to find a new job.

That was my experience at London Welsh, and even now it is one of the strangest, most sobering moments of my career.

We were a good side – we were third in the Championship, we had a brilliant group of players, and there was a real feeling that the club was moving forward.

Pull the rug 

We had been sold a vision of investment, ambition and long-term growth. Then, all of a sudden, it was gone.

That is rugby. It can give you the best days of your life and then pull the rug from under you without warning.

That period probably shaped me more than anything else because it taught me that nothing in this game is guaranteed.

It also made me appreciate the second chances. When Coventry gave me one and Bedford gave me another, I didn’t take that lightly.

The funny thing is, when I started playing, I never thought rugby would become my job anyway.

I only began at Towcestrians U12s because a lot of my mates from school were playing and it looked like a laugh.

Charge: Alex Woolford playing for Northampton Saints
PICTURE: Getty Images

Direction

I’d gone to watch Northampton Saints as a kid and loved it, but rugby was just something I enjoyed. I didn’t grow up as one of those lads who always assumed they would go pro.

That changed a bit when I got to 16 and started playing county rugby and East Midlands.

Suddenly, I realised I might be able to push for a few representative honours, and that eventually led to me getting a scholarship to Rugby School for sixth form.

Even then, university was still the plan. Rugby was something I loved, but not something I expected to turn into a career.

Then Alan Dickens invited me into Northampton Saints’ academy to train.

I played a few games that winter, then got asked to feature in a Wanderers game against the RAF, and on the Monday after that, I was offered a contract.

It completely changed the direction of my life. I remember thinking that university would still be there if I wanted it later, but a chance like this might not come again.

Daunting

Walking into Saints as an 18-year-old was daunting. I was very late into the academy system compared with others and physically I was miles off where I needed to be.

I was 6ft 6ins and only around 93 kilos (14st 6lbs), which sounds ridiculous now.

For the first couple of years, I was basically told I needed to become a proper athlete and put on about 35 kilos (5st 7lbs).

So much of my time there was spent trying to get big enough, strong enough and durable enough for senior rugby.

And, of course, you looked around and saw who was ahead of you.

You had some serious operators in that environment, and later someone like Victor Matfield came in as well.

When you are a young second row trying to break through and you are looking at players of that calibre, you quickly realise how hard the climb is.

But it was also an unbelievable education. I learned so much in that environment, even if it didn’t quite unfold how I once imagined it might.

Proudest moments

Making my debut for Saints is still one of my proudest moments. As a Northampton boy, running out for the club I had grown up watching meant a huge amount.

It came in the LV Cup against Gloucester and even though I only got about 20 minutes, it was special.

Those are the moments you dream about as a kid.

I also loved captaining the A League side. Those games were brilliant for young players because you were constantly tested.

You might be up against senior pros, internationals coming back from injury, or lads trying to play their way back into first-team contention.

That competition was such a good breeding ground and I still think English rugby misses it.

Eventually, it became clear I needed to go and play more regularly.

That took me out on loan and eventually down to London Welsh, where I genuinely thought I had found the right place at the right time.

Devastating

We had a really good side and a really good spirit. Then the financial reality of the club caught up with us. Payments started coming in late.

There were meetings, reassurances, talk of new money and bigger plans.

Then one Tuesday, we were called in and told the club was effectively done. It was devastating.

Not just because of what it meant for me, but because of what it meant for lads with families, mortgages and kids.

We had staff, volunteers and supporters who had poured everything into that club. It was an awful thing to watch unravel.

To make matters worse, I had badly injured my ankle not long before everything collapsed.

At first, I was told it was a sprain, but eventually, I found out I had ruptured multiple ligaments and badly bruised the joint.

I took a year out, went back home, worked in wealth management and honestly thought that might be the end of my rugby career.

Grateful

But Roland Winter rang me from Coventry and he asked if I wanted to come and give it another go.

I was 25 and thought if I didn’t take that opportunity, I would regret it for the rest of my life.

So I went down on trial and ended up spending three seasons there. I’ll always be grateful to Roland and Coventry for giving me a route back into the game when I thought it had gone.

By then, I had begun thinking more carefully about life outside rugby too, and Bedford offered me the right balance.

Mike Rayer told me I would get individual development, a good brand of rugby and enjoyment. He was true to his word.

Bedford are a brilliant club. Goldington Road on a Saturday is a special place to play.

The support is incredible, but what really stands out is how connected the club are to the town.

You see supporters everywhere during the week and they care deeply about what Bedford Blues means.

That gives the place a real identity.

I brought up 50 appearances in October 2024, and I’d love to get to 100 if I can.

– As told to Ben Jaycock