ISLAND LIFE WILL SUIT LIONS, SAYS JERSEY BOY MACAULEY
JERSEY will be the prized destination for a select band of Welshmen in June when it serves as the base for the Lions’ training camp. But there is already a Welsh contingent thoroughly enjoying island life, as they ply their trade with Jersey Reds.
For Macauley Cook, his former Cardiff Blues team-mates Jack Roberts, Tom Williams and Tim Grey, plus exWales U20s international Rory Bartle, it’s a venture with a difference both on and off the pitch.
There’s regular rugby in the Greene King Championship and there are the scenic surroundings and lifestyle offered up by the largest of the Channel Islands.
Covid restrictions have been significantly eased there, so much so that 1,031 fans were allowed to attend last weekend’s 55-12 victory over Nottingham in Saint Peter - the first time supporters have attended a domestic rugby union match in 2021.
So things are on the up and for backfive forward Cook, it’s a new experience he is relishing following his ten years at the Blues.
“I am enjoying island life and enjoying just playing again, to be honest, more than anything,” he said.
“I am definitely happy I made the move.
“I had been at the Blues so long, it was nice to get a bit of a change.
“The last couple of years, through injury issues and not getting much love, I didn’t play a great deal of games, which was obviously frustrating.
“I just wanted to try a bit of a change and I’ve been enjoying it, playing weekin, week-out.
“It’s been a long time since I’ve done that and the island is great as well. “The place itself is awesome.
“The weather is slightly better and a little bit warmer because it’s further south.
“The island is great. It’s only nine miles by five miles, quite a small place.
“But the capital, Saint Helier, is quite big. The beaches are lovely, there are great places to eat.
“And because the government have been good here during Covid in terms of being strict on travel and regulations we have only got two cases on the island now in a 100,000 population.
“So everything has pretty much opened back up here.
“The pubs are open, restaurants have been open for a month or so.
“They have jabbed most of the island with the vaccine, so it’s good on that front. The borders have opened back up now, as of this week, so people can come and visit again.
“They were closed for four or five months, so it was quite difficult not seeing family.”
Cook, who is living on the island with his fiancee Sophie, added: “The last time I got back to see family was before Christmas, so it’s been a long time.
“We can go home next week, so I am looking forward to seeing family again.
“Then they are hoping to come out and watch our next home game against Coventry on May 15.”
As the Rhondda product has settled into his new job, it’s helped to have familiar faces around him in centre Roberts, wing Williams - younger brother of Lloyd - and back row man Grey, plus Pontypridd-born flanker Bartle.
“There is a bit of a Welsh contingent here,” he said.
“It’s nice to have some boys from
back home that you can relate to. That’s always good. It’s massively helpful.
“It is good having those familiar faces. I know it’s not far in terms of it’s a half hour flight back home.
“But you are kind of isolated on the island a little bit, especially in the winter when you are just training and you can’t see your family, so it definitely helps.
“It was nice to have a few boys here you know and who you can ask questions about the place before moving over. That was great.”
Cook’s debut for Jersey was delayed by Covid and an elbow injury, but he has played in the last five Championship matches, alternating between lock and blindside.
“I would say the PRO14 and Europe is a quicker tempo in terms of ball-inplay and speed of the game,” said the 29-year-old.
“But there is a massive emphasis on the set-piece in Championship rugby.
“It’s a little bit more stop-start, but still some good games.
“With the likes of Saracens, Ealing and Doncaster, you’ve got some good teams.”
Last weekend proved a real high for Jersey, both in terms of the nine-try romp over Nottingham and playing in front of a crowd again.
“That was great,” said Cook.
“It was a bit surreal because it’s been so long.
“My last game in front of fans was for the Blues against Calvisano, which was back in January 2020.
“So it’s been a pretty long time.
“The boys were buzzing. It definitely has an effect, especially with the home crowd.
“They were quite loud. They made a good noise, ringing the cow bells and banging the boards.
“It was just a great atmosphere and it definitely spurred the boys on to put a shift in.”
In recent years, the Reds have provided valuable game-time for the likes of Kieran Hardy, Callum Sheedy and Will Rowlands, who have gone on to be capped by Wales.
As for the current contingent, it’s proving a great opportunity for flanker Tim Grey, who has come on board after eight years with RGC.
He was actually born in Malton in north Yorkshire, but his mother’s side of the family is from Llandysul in west Wales, while his father’s side had a farm in Monmouth.
His grandparents live in Usk and he has other family in Newcastle Emlyn, Aberystwyth and Monmouth.
Grey’s Welsh connections saw him come to the attention of the Exiles programme - just like another Malton product Tomas Francis.
He moved to Colwyn Bay at 16, making his debut for RGC the following year, and was part of the Wales U20s squad that won the Six Nations Grand Slam in 2016.
In the summer of 2019, he joined Cardiff Blues on a three-month contract, sharing a house with James Botham and Rhun Williams, and playing for the regional A-team.
Then, after returning to RGC, for whom he played 114 games, he was signed up by Jersey last November.
“It’s my first full-time professional gig, so it’s quite nice not having to stress about work,” said the 25-year-old.
“I can just concentrate 100 per cent on the rugby.
“I kind of realise what I need to do now to become a top level player.”
As for life on Jersey, he said: “I love it. I can’t complain at all.
“The weather’s nice, the area I live in is really nice.
“I am one of ten boys from the club living in a hotel, so it’s like being back in a rugby house.
“We have got a place called the Hotel Miramar, so we have been nicknamed the Miramar boys.
“There is no public in there, it’s just strictly for the rugby.
“We get our breakfast and our dinner and we’ve got our own little lounge area, so it’s pretty good to be fair.
“It’s like being away on tour 24/7. “For recovery, we’ve got a pool in the hotel we all jump in or we can go in the sea.
“So, the Jersey life is pretty good. “Right now, I’m sat on a balcony looking out at the sea and the sun is beaming, so I can’t really complain.”
The Lions clearly have a pretty nice location to look forward to.