Hobson’s choice was always set on England
Jason Hobson’s memory box may have taken a bashing but he has no problem recalling how Wales tried to talk him out of playing for England. It happened during or shortly after the Six Nations of 2008 when Warren Gatland landed the most unlikely of Grand Slams at the first attempt. In that same season at Bristol, an uncapped prop began rising through the Premiership ratings.
Hobson had been born in Swansea, not that anyone could recall seeing him play locally at any level for the simple reason that he and his family left when he was four and never returned. He grew up in Cornwall, spent four years at Exeter with the pre-Premiership Chiefs and was nearing the end of his fourth season at Bristol when Wales made their move.
“I got a phone call from Warren Gatland,’’ says Hobson. “He left a message on voicemail telling me not to go and get a stupid England cap because there was a chance I’d get one with Wales. He also said that I wasn’t what he wanted just then but gave the impression that I might be at a later stage.
“It did make me stop and think. There was no doubt that it was him but I didn’t think it was the most personable way of raising a matter of such importance. There was no follow-up call. Nothing.’’
Jason had been left with a classic case of ‘Hobson’s choice’, a saying which dates back to the 17th century when Thomas Hobson, no relation, would invite buyers into his stable of 40 horses and tell them they could bid only for the one nearest the door.
In other words, they had no choice which was exactly where the Bristol prop from Swansea stood four centuries later. By then he had decided there could be no choice, that it would be England or bust.
“Although I was born in Morriston hospital in Swansea, I grew up in England,’’ he says. “If I’d told him (Gatland) that I was interested and if I’d ended up playing for Wales, I would have considered it all a bit fraudulent. I say that out of respect for all those Welsh players who grow up in Wales desperately wanting to play for their country. I would have felt that I had cheated someone out of a cap.’’
Instead Hobson got the one he wanted, a long way from home during the summer of 2008 at a time when England seemed all at sea. A thumping home win over Ireland having failed to save head coach Brian Ashton, the RFU took the mighty punt of putting Martin Johnson in overall charge.
In Johnson’s absence for family reasons, Rob Andrew filled in as manager of a New Zealand trip dogged by off-field issues and the routine matter of losing the series by a street. Hobson’s capping in the second Test at Lancaster Park has since assumed a historic significance due to a disaster which nobody saw coming.
The Christchurch earthquake took 185 lives, flattened hundreds of buildings and left one of the country’s most revered Test arenas fit for nothing but demolition. England’s last stand at a venue where even the 1971 Lions had bitten the dust dissolved into a hammering, 44-12.
Pressed into action off the bench in the 71st minute to replace Matt Stevens, Hobson was not to know then that his career would start and finish on the same afternoon. He had at least achieved an ambition beyond the reach of all but the chosen few.
“I don’t remember much about it,’’ he says. “I remember The Haka but only bits of the match. I can remember being presented with my cap at the function afterwards.’’
For Hobson, that was as good as it got. He had planned to join Toulon following Bristol’s relegation 12 months later but changed his mind rather than deal himself out of England contention.
“I had a good offer from Toulon but then the RFU said I couldn’t play abroad and be considered for England. I joined Wasps instead and then snapped my Achilles twice in a matter months which meant writing off an entire season.’’
After two seasons at London Welsh, he rejoined Bristol and retired seven years ago on medical advice. Now, at 38, Hobson has joined Steve Thompson, Michael Lipman, Alix Popham, Dan Scarbrough and more than 150 other ex-players in taking legal action against World Rugby, the RFU and WRU.
Hobson, whose sons Harrison and Ollie are nine and five respectively, has been diagnosed with the brain condition CTE (chronic traumatic encephalopathy). He says the effects contributed to the break up of his marriage and the loss of his job making full-scale glass-fibre replicas of Spitfires, Hurricanes and other Second World War aircraft.
“I struggle to concentrate and remember things. I kind of knew something was wrong before the diagnosis. The neurosurgeon said: ‘You’ve got six spots on your brain that have taken serious damage which won’t be repairable.’
“They test your memory and your recall. If you put down a simple puzzle and take it away, I would struggle to remember what it was.
“After being read a short story I was hardly able to remember most of the story. He (the neurosurgeon) said: ‘There is no way an office worker would develop the brain damage you have got through his life. It is just people who have constant head collisions or sub-concussion blows. I am sorry to say it, but you have got CTE.’
“As for my future, I don’t know. Alix Popham has been a really big help and I’m very grateful for that. I don’t know what’s round the corner and it does scare me.
“I love the game but some of the collisions are pretty monstruous. I think it looks worse now. The lads are getting bigger, stronger and fitter every season.’’
Richard Boardman of Rylands Law who are co-ordinating the action, said: “What has become apparent since we notified the governing bodies of our legal action is the sheer scale of the problem.
“We now represent over 175 current and former players with brain damage, mainly male but some female. The common theme is not the position they played but that they played Rugby Union. We have players signed up to the legal action from all 15 positions on the field.’’