Connacht leave itlatetonick valuable bonus in Edinburgh
WHEN Neil Best began playing rugby as an eight-year-old, he did so only for the end-ofsession reward of a packet of Tayto and a bottle of coke that was on offer at Shaw’s Bridge. From these humble beginnings, it hardly seemed likely that he’d still be seeking his thrills on the rugby pitch some three decades later.
And yet last weekend, out in his new home of Singapore, he was dusting off the boots once again, running over the top of would-be tacklers and, in the case of one unsuspecting opposition forward in particular, unleashing mighty hand-offs. The poor fellow in question was understandably left looking as if he wished Best had stayed retired.
While the sport is still in its nascent days out in the Far East where Best moved three years ago, interest is growing exponentially, especially with the World Cup being held in Japan next autumn, and the former Irish international will soon be passing on his expertise to the next generation as he establishes a new club side, Singapore Irish.
“There’s a lot of interest in rugby right across Asia and having the World Cup in Japan next year has played its part,” he says. “There are established junior clubs in Singapore, but they can’t compete with the level of interest or demand.
“I personally got a lot from rugby, I’ve two boys who are already playing, and I like the idea of teaching and coaching children skills that I would have benefited from developing earlier on in my rugby journey.
“Training starts in just over a month, our kit orders are being processed and we’ve got a healthy number of kids already signed up. We’ve had great support from our principal sponsors St James’s Place Wealth Management and Hume Brophy, and can’t wait to get going.”
There is little doubt that the nets of national systems are being cast ever further, one only has to look to Ulster’s summer recruitment where Billy Burns and Will Addison both had moves to Belfast sanctioned thanks to their Irish roots. If the game is to become ever more global, it stands to reason that the diaspora will spread too.
“Marcus Smith, the Harlequins flyhalf, started at a junior club in Singapore,” adds Best (below, when with Ulster). “Who knows, maybe in the future there’ll be some of the kids that have gone through the Singapore Irish system turning out for one of the provinces or the Ireland side.
“The standard is higher than most people would think. There’s a lot of expat Kiwis and Aussies in Singapore and many of their kids have played elsewhere before coming here. The national team has a growing profile and the Singapore leg of the World Sevens is an important event on the calendar too.
“The junior club sides play in tournaments regionally and it wouldn’t be unusual for an Under-6 team from here to play a weekend competition in Kuala Lumpur or Hong Kong.
“With the change in rules on residence there is a greater focus on those who maybe qualify through parents or grandparents and around 50 per cent of our players have at least one Irish parent. But the overall aim will be for kids to improve their skills, make friends and have fun.”
Making such plans for the future, it certainly seems Best is settled in his new life far from home but he knows his status in the country remains only as long as his professional life requires it to.
“I played for London Scottish towards the end of my career and the move to London was firmly with an eye on what I might do post rugby,” he says.
“Nothing materialised in London, but an opportunity came up in Singapore so I took it. Three years on and I have absolutely no regrets about the move to Asia.
“I don’t think there was really a culture shock because I’ve always enjoyed travel and exploring new places. Visiting somewhere and living there are always going to be very different but Singapore is an easy place to live — it’s a global city and, like London or New York, it draws people from all over the world.
“When you adapt to the humidity you can be outdoors all year round. It doesn’t feel too crowded for a big city and there’s lots to do. Singapore’s geographically well positioned and there are so many great places within one or two hours flight time. For kids it’s incredibly safe and there’s lots to do.
“I’ve no burning desire to leave but as an immigrant I’m a guest, and only here as long as my career permits. I like Asia a lot and have travelled extensively in the region over the last three years — if I am to move on at some point it might be to give Hong Kong or Tokyo a try.”
❝ There is a greater focus on those who maybe qualify through parents or grandparents (for Ireland)
That Best is so willing to leave his comfort zone should really come as no surprise. Since the turn of the millennium, he is one of only a handful of Ulster players to forge a successful career outside of the province, most memorably representing Northampton alongside his old buddy Roger Wilson.
There were ups and downs at Franklin’s Gardens. The first citing of his career came not long after joining, an 18-week ban for what he refers to as “the incident with James Haskell”, an alleged eye-gouging offence that he always maintained was nothing more than accidental.
It was there though that he won the Challenge Cup, and during his time in England he captained Ireland ‘A’ to the Churchill Cup in 2009, both pieces of