Departing Webb on his highs and lows at Ospreys
IT’S a big weekend and not just for committed royalists who go to bed at night wearing red, white and blue pyjamas.
But, for Rhys Webb, it’s just a couple more days to be counted off until he makes his rugby return after injury.
In a perfect world he would be saying his on-pitch Ospreys goodbyes in the shootout for a Champions Cup place against Ulster tomorrow, partnering his old buddy Dan Biggar in a match of huge importance to both teams.
Such a send-off would have suited Webb’s appetite for the big stage.
The bigger the game, the more he loves it, leaving nerves to others. Ulster in Belfast in a win-or-bust game for a place at European rugby’s top table? Bring it on.
Instead, the 29-year-old will be elsewhere, a knee injury having long ago denied him the chance of a proper Ospreys swansong.
Fate can be cruel.
But Webb will be with his pals in spirit.
“Of course I want the boys to do well,” he says.
“I have some great mates at the Ospreys and just because you are changing clubs you still want your friends to enjoy success and be playing in the top European competition.”
His exit from Wales hit more than a spot of turbulence with the rule change that will deny him the chance to play for his country while he is abroad, an episode that Welsh rugby may yet come to regret, and his injury and impending departure has left him inhabiting a strange, semi-detached habitat these last few months, with the Ospreys, but not really with them, perhaps.
But, looking back, he will remember the bulk of his days at the region fondly.
“My time at the Ospreys has been pretty special,” he says.
“Aside from the times when I’ve been injured, this is probably the only year that I haven’t really enjoyed, but that’s for me personally and now isn’t the time to discuss it. I am leaving with far more good memories than bad.
“I owe a lot to the Ospreys. They are the ones who threw me in at the deep end as a teenager.
“Yes, I made a few mistakes, but the experiences made me grow into the person and player I am today. The region had some great scrumhalves over the years in Mike Phillips, Justin Marshall, Ricky Januarie and Kahn Fotuali’i, and I learned from each of them.
“The lesson is you have to persevere. At one point I wanted to leave as I wasn’t getting much game time. But I stuck at it and got my rewards.”
The game at the Kingspan Stadium will in many ways signal the end of an era for the Ospreys. Dan Biggar, Ashley Beck, Jeff Hassler and Dmitri Arhip are all leaving. When Webb is added to the mix, there is some serious talent heading through the exit door at the Liberty this summer.
It is countered by the quality coming in.
But let no-one pretend these are anything but significant times for the Ospreys.
Arguably, the biggest challenge will be to replace Biggar and Webb.
Webb said: “It’s been great playing alongside Dan over the years.
“We’re very good friends, which helps massively,
“We’ve come through cadet rugby, age-grade with Wales, Ospreys, Wales seniors and the British and Irish Lions.
“It’s sad that we are taking different routes, but that’s life and I wish him all the best. It’s an exciting time for him as he and his family set off on another adventure.
“He will succeed at Northampton because he has that rare trait of being a complete winner. Northampton are lucky to have him.”
The final months of Webb’s time in Wales may not have gone as he would have liked, but let no-one doubt that he has been an outstanding servant to the Ospreys.
But he is 30 in December and has had a number of serious injuries. He had more than paid his dues to Welsh rugby when Toulon came calling.
“I just thought the time was right for the move from a family and personal point perspective,” he said.
“The challenge is a big one, but it is something I’ve long wanted to do.
“I wouldn’t want to finish my career asking myself: ‘Why didn’t I do that when I had the chance?’
“So I’m really looking forward to it. Toulon are one of the biggest teams in Europe, usually there or thereabouts in the Top 14 and the Champions Cup, and I just think the team and the way they play has my name all over it.’
Who would be the best player Webb played alongside at the Ospreys?
“There are too many to name — there were some truly outstanding players in the set-up when I was breaking through — then you add the likes of Biggs (Dan Biggar), Becky (Ashley Beck), Tips (Justin Tipuric) and others.
“So I’ve played with a lot of great players but maybe we should have won more silverware over the years given the squad we’ve had.”
Webb puts his 60-metre try against Edinburgh in 2014 as being the finest he has scored for the Ospreys – “the entire Edinburgh team seemed to be chasing me”.
His best moment? “Making my debut as a teenager in a side littered with international players,” he says.
“Right up there with it was winning the PRO12 title by beating Leinster in Dublin in 2012. That was a day will always stick in my memory.
“I’m also quite proud of leaving the Ospreys as second all-time top try scorer behind Shane Williams.”
No career is a straight line and there were times early on when Webb found himself under scrutiny, but the Liberty fans stuck with him and he is grateful for the support.
“The supporters have been amazing,” he says.
“Every teenager makes mistakes and if those errors are highlighted in the press, as mine were, then fans could easily have wondered whether I was good enough.
“But they stuck by me and supported me.
“I will never forget that.”