266 not out – Wigglesworth breaks Premiership record
Saracens scrum-half to pass Borthwick for most league appearances, reports Daniel Schofield
The date was Nov 29 2002. UN weapons inspector Hans Blix had just arrived in Iraq, the near franchise-killing Die Another Day was released in the cinemas and a scrawny, gobby scrum-half from Blackpool made his Premiership debut for Sale Sharks against Bath. He came off the bench for a single minute, making a grand total of one pass.
Sixteen years later, those Iraqi WMDs are mysteriously absent, James Bond did survive another day and Richard Wigglesworth, still gobby but slightly less scrawny, is preparing to make a record 266th Premiership appearance for Saracens today against Gloucester. In doing so, he will pass the mark set by Steve Borthwick, whom he played alongside for many years at Saracens. “I remember him getting this record and thinking jeez that’s a lot of games,” Wigglesworth said. “It probably means more because it is his record.”
Wigglesworth joined Sale from Kirkham Grammar School, although he lied about his weight on his signing form. After his one-minute cameo, he started the first game of the following season in a 37-37 draw against Northampton with Bryan Redpath preparing for the 2003 World Cup.
“I was a scrawny, gobby little thing,” Wigglesworth said. “I look back now and cringe at what I did. I was banging on the coaches’ door thinking I should be playing when I wasn’t. I was just desperate to get a crack at it and thought I was good enough. I probably wasn’t, but that did not stop me knocking on the door haranguing the coaches. In fact, I still do that now.”
Wigglesworth does not deny that players have bulked up – he himself has gone from 11 to 13 stone – nor that the game is more physical as a result. But he is categorical that the sport has changed for the better. “So much has changed, both in the rules but more so in the standard, on and off the field,” he said. “We have got a really good product now and that wasn’t always the case. There’s always a lot of doom and gloom, but I think we should be proud of the Premiership now.
“What is underestimated is how much more skilful the game has become. The game is faster and more attritional from a defensive point of view. Everyone flies off the line and there’s no time. With that, it takes a lot more skill to break down these defences. That often gets missed.”
From a scrum-half ’s point of view, that means that every pass, and especially every kick, has to be on the money. “I have always been able to kick a ball reasonably well but the difference between what kicking the ball well was then and what it is now has moved on,” he said. “Every kick out on the full is now a disaster because of how good everyone’s set-piece is and the consequences of your mistakes are highlighted more.”
Seldom does Wigglesworth, who practises 150-200 box kicks in training every week, miss his mark. Winning the Premiership with Sale in 2006, the 35-year-old moved south four years later and has become an integral part of English rugby’s most dominant team. He has won four further Premiership titles – another record – and shown few signs of slowing down. A top-of-the-table clash against Gloucester – in which Owen Farrell goes head to head with Danny Cipriani – is a fitting occasion for Wigglesworth’s milestone.
“Everyone thought at the start of the season Gloucester would be strong with the signings they’ve made and they’ve not disappointed,” Wigglesworth said. “It’s a proper test of how we’re playing and we probably need to kick on a level from what we’ve been playing.”
Wigglesworth attributes much of his longevity to how much he enjoys his rugby at Saracens. It seems no coincidence that the No1 and No2 Premiership appearance holders came from the same club with Alex Goode and Jamie George, who makes his 200th club appearance today, also making headway. Wigglesworth, however, has no intention of gently handing over the baton.
“Everyone says they’re not bothered about records but I want to make it tough to beat,” he said. “I’ve got a few more in me, so let’s make it a mark that if someone gets past it I’ll say, ‘fair play’.”