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My Life in Rugby
/ 10 years agoMy Life in Rugby: Roland de Marigny – former Italy, Leeds, Calvisano, Bangor and Natal Sharks full-back
For me not facing down the Haka hurt more than the result when Italy played New Zealand in our opening match...
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My Life in Rugby
/ 10 years agoMy Life in Rugby: Darren Fox – former Northampton flanker
If I’m brutally honest with myself I didn’t fulfill my potential as a player. Yes, I played 149 games for Saints...
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My Life in Rugby
/ 10 years agoMy Life in Rugby: Chris Cracknell – former England Sevens star
I’ve always been a bit of a nomad so playing Sevens around the world for 10 years suited me. In so...
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My Life in Rugby
/ 10 years agoMy Life in Rugby: Chris Bell – former Plymouth, Harlequins, Sale & Wasps centre
As head of off-field player development at Wasps, I’m relishing the chance to help the next generation of professional players coming...
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My Life in Rugby
/ 10 years agoMy Life in Rugby: Steve Bainbridge – Former Blaydon, Fylde, Orrell, Gosforth, England & Lions Lock
I’m firmly of the belief that National Service or a couple of years of compulsory rugby would help today’s youth understand...
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My Life in Rugby
/ 10 years agoMy Life in Rugby: Ollie Campbell – former Ireland and Lions fly-half
Rugby is not just a sport, it’s a way of life. At nine, my Dad took me to Lansdowne Road for...
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My Life in Rugby
/ 10 years agoMy Life in Rugby: Neil Kelly – Romania defence coach
As defence coach of Romania I’m really looking forward to the World Cup, it should be a great opportunity for Romania...
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My Life in Rugby
/ 10 years agoMy Life in Rugby: Chas Cusani – former Orrell lock
My reputation as a ‘no-holds barred’ player may have gone before me during 20 years with Orrell, Lancashire and the North,...
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My Life in Rugby
/ 10 years agoMy Life in Rugby: Dennis Hickie – former Leinster and Ireland wing
Overall I have to be very thankful for what I was able to achieve in rugby with the help of great...
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My Life in Rugby
/ 10 years agoMy life in Rugby: Bleddyn Bowen – former Wales captain and Swansea centre
Captaining Wales to the 1988 Triple Crown was a huge honour. Not only was it Wales’ first for nearly a decade...
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My Life in Rugby
/ 10 years agoMy Life in Rugby: Robin Cowling – former England prop
With my family background I suppose I was destined to play rugby. My dad came from County Durham and played Rugby...
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My Life in Rugby
/ 10 years agoMy Life in Rugby: Tommy Hayes – former Waikato, Glasgow & Bristol fly-half
When I moved over to Scotland from New Zealand in the late Nineties I was warned to pack plenty of coats...
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My Life in Rugby
/ 10 years agoMy Life in Rugby: Roger Shackleton – former Harrogate and England fly-half
Receiving a letter from then secretary Robin Prescott inviting me to play for England a few days after I’d broken my...
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My Life in Rugby
/ 10 years agoMy Life in Rugby: Tony Bond – former Broughton Park, Sale, Neath and England centre
They say a week is a long time in politics and the same is true of rugby, in my experience anyway....
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My Life in Rugby
/ 10 years agoMy Life in Rugby: Tony Yapp – Taunton head coach
A couple of years ago I learned I’d scored 2,999 points in Premiership, National League and Cup rugby. There was no...
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My Life in Rugby
/ 10 years agoMy Life in Rugby: John Devereux – Wales dual-code international
I was one of the last crop of players who was capped while still a student at what was then known...
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My Life in Rugby
/ 10 years agoMy Life in Rugby: Keith Robertson – former Scotland wing
When I began playing, in U19s age group rugby, at Melrose, you had to have boiled white shorts, polished black boots...
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My Life in Rugby
/ 10 years agoMy life in Rugby: Ben Skirving – former Bristol, Saracens, Bath and England lock
If I was asked to pick a standout moment in my rugby career I’d be hard pushed to name just one,...
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My Life in Rugby
/ 10 years agoMy Life in Rugby: Paul Dodge – former Lions, England and Leicester centre
When I first started playing for Leicester at the grand old age of 17 we were lucky to get 200-300 people...
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My Life in Rugby
/ 10 years agoMy Life in Rugby: Martin Hynes – former Orrell, Northampton and England prop
When I told Ed Morrison I was retiring from rugby to start my own pest control business his response was that...
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My Life in Rugby
/ 11 years agoMy Life in Rugby: John Mallett – former Bath and England prop
I was fortunate enough to come into the Bath side on the back of the club’s most successful era, playing in...
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My Life in Rugby
/ 11 years agoMy Life in Rugby: Jason Forster – former Wales, Dragons and Bedford flanker
It’s only when you look back on your career that you realise how special your time as a professional sportsman was;...
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My Life in Rugby
/ 11 years agoMy Life in Rugby: Rob Vickerman – former England Sevens captain, Newcastle and Yorkshire Carnegie centre
I appreciate that having read this feature a fair few times over the years it usually starts with a remarkable memory...
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My Life in Rugby
/ 11 years agoMy life in Rugby: Andy Beattie – former Bath, Exeter and Richmond back-rower
During my 11 years with Bath I was fortunate to play alongside some great players and great leaders – Danny Grewcock,...
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My Life in Rugby
/ 11 years agoMy Life in Rugby: Jim Jenner – former Worcester and Newcastle No.8
I’ve been fortunate to play all around the world in Sevens and with some of the best players in the world...
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My Life in Rugby
/ 11 years agoMy Life in Rugby: Peter Polledri – former Bristol back row
I was a scrum-half in my schooldays at St Brendan’s College, Bristol, all the way through to the sixth form until...
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My Life in Rugby
/ 11 years agoMy Life in Rugby: John Liley – former Leicester, Moseley, Worcester and Doncaster full-back
Hindsight is a wonderful thing. Looking back I should never had left Leicester for Moseley in the late Nineties. I’d had...
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My Life in Rugby
/ 11 years agoMy Life in Rugby: Andy Gomarsall – former Wasps, Bedford, Gloucester, Quins, Leeds & England scrum-half
I’ll never forget getting the phone call telling me I was in the final squad of 30 for RWC 2003. I...
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My Life in Rugby
/ 11 years agoMy Life in Rugby: Terry Fanolua – former Gloucester, Brive and Samoa centre
Terry FanoluaI’m currently back at my home from home, Gloucester, coaching in schools as part of the club’s community programme. It’s...
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My Life in Rugby
/ 11 years agoMy Life in Rugby: Andre Snyman – former South Africa and Leeds centre
Missing out on three World Cups, one because of injury and two through politics, were the only real disappointments of a...
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My Life in Rugby
/ 11 years agoMy Life in Rugby: David Pears – former Sale, Harlequins and England full-back
I won four caps for England, the last two against France in Paris, and we won both matches. I doubt many...
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My Life in Rugby
/ 11 years agoMy Life in Rugby: Eric Peters – Former Bath, Harlequins and Scotland No.8
It’s almost 20 years to the day that I scored the Famous Grouse Try of the Year for Scotland against Wales...
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My Life in Rugby
/ 11 years agoMy Life in Rugby: Braam Van Straaten – Former Leeds, Sale, Bulls & South Africa Fly-Half
Rugby and cricket were my passions growing up in Pretoria. Some friends still say I was a far better cricketer than...
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My Life in Rugby
/ 11 years agoMy Life in Rugby: Mark Regan – former Bath, Leeds, Bristol, England and Lions hooker
Throughout my career I always played for the name on the front of the jersey not on the back and gave...
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My Life in Rugby
/ 11 years agoMy Life in Rugby: Johnny Howard – former Northampton and England Sevens scrum-half
Rugby for me started aged eight at Aylesbury Rugby Club. At 16 I joined Saints and it was pretty awe-inspiring to...
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My Life in Rugby
/ 11 years agoMy Life in Rugby: Luke Sheriff – former Nottingham, Harlequins, Oxford and England Sevens flanker
It was great to be back amongst friends at Meadow Lane the other week for Nottingham‘s 136th and final Champion- ship...
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My Life in Rugby
/ 11 years agoMy Life in Rugby: Ieuan Evans – former Llanelli, Bath, Wales and Lions wing
Of all the tries I scored for club and country the one that won the 3rd Test for the Lions against...
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My Life in Rugby
/ 11 years agoMy Life in Rugby: Rachael Burford – England women centre
Christmas is a great time to reflect on the year that has just gone and what a year it has been!...
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My Life in Rugby
/ 11 years agoMy Life in Rugby: James Forrester – former Gloucester and England back-rower
I once sped past Jonah Lomu to score a 65-metre try for England against the Barbarians at Twickenham that no-one seems...
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My Life in Rugby
/ 11 years agoMy Life in Rugby: Buster White – former Wasps flanker
The saying once a Wasp always a Wasp rings true with me, 100 per cent – even Coventry Wasps! Ironically my...
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My Life in Rugby
/ 11 years agoMy Life in Rugby: Mike Schmid – Esher CEO and former Rotherham and Canada No.8
Some people may find it hard to believe now but Rotherham once went to the Stade Aime Giral and beat Perpignan...
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My Life in Rugby
/ 11 years agoMy Life in Rugby: Steve Swindells – former Manchester, Waterloo, Barbarians and Cheshire fly-half
Being part of Manchester’s rise through the leagues from the North West region to what is now the Championship was a...
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My Life in Rugby
/ 11 years agoMy Life in Rugby: Paul Simpson – Gosforth, Bath and England flanker
In the space of a week, in 1987, I went from playing for England against Ireland at Lansdowne Road in front...
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My Life in Rugby
/ 11 years agoMy Life in Rugby: Mike Rafter – former Bristol and England back rower
Being one of 11 children I suppose it was inevitable that I had an ultra-competitive streak. That desire to win at...
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My Life in Rugby
/ 11 years agoMy Life in Rugby: Jon Renwick – Former Hawick, Harlequins, Scotland and Lions centre
I was fortunate to play in the Seventies when rugby was really taking off. There were empty spaces on the terraces...
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My Life in Rugby
/ 11 years agoMy Life in Rugby: Kevin Moseley – former Pontypool, Newport and Wales lock
For the past nine years I have been a sports teacher at Bodmin College in Cornwall, and I’d like to think...
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My Life in Rugby
/ 11 years agoMy Life in Rugby: Derek Jelley – former Leicester and Rotherham prop
Over ten years on from leaving Leicester I still get goose bumps walking into the ground on match day. I spent...
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My Life in Rugby
/ 11 years agoMy Life in Rugby: Steve Hanley – former Sale and England wing
I must be the only person to have started a season playing junior rugby in the old Fourth Division (North) and...
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My Life in Rugby
/ 11 years agoMy Life in Rugby: James Merriman – former Bristol, Gloucester and Wales Sevens flanker
Winning the Rugby Sevens World Cup with Wales five years ago has to be the standout moment of my career. We...
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My Life in Rugby
/ 11 years agoMy Life in Rugby: Ian Hunter – former England full-back
When I started playing for England, in 1991/92, I was seen as a big full-back – 6ft 2in and just shy...
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