MY LIFE IN RUGBY

THE FORMER BATH, WORCESTER AND LONDON WELSH CENTRE/FLY-HALF

CONSIDERING I’d only ever played flyhalf or centre, I was a bit taken aback when Jim Mallinder pulled me to one side in our hotel in Mendoza to ask if I’d play hooker against Argentina!

It was during the 2005 Junior World Cup and he was head coach. Jim’s dead-pan expression gave nothing away, but he eventually put me out of my misery and told me he was joking, and that I was going to be captain instead. I’d have played anywhere for my country but sticking my head in where it hurts in the front row wouldn’t have been my preferred option! Neil Briggs was welcome to the No.2 jersey.

Leading my country out was a massive honour, especially as we had so many quality players in the team. And while I did not achieve senior honours or play in hundreds of Premiership games like Tom Varndell, Toby Flood and Lee Dickson, I don’t have any regrets when I look back on my career, including choosing rugby over cricket.

I was a decent wicketkeeper/batsman growing up in Devizes and played Minor Counties cricket for Wiltshire and toured the West Indies with West of England. I also had trials with Hampshire and Somerset but, in my late teens, I decided rugby was the game for me.

I moved to Bath from Chippenham RFC during my Sixth Form years, but I never got the chance to make my first-team debut as a new Aussie coaching team arrived and decided on a clear out. After plenty of ringing around I hooked up with my former U21s coach Nigel Redman at Worcester. The club had recently won promotion to the Premiership and it was an exciting time to be there. It was against Bath, of all people, that I made my Premiership debut, on Boxing Day 2005.

Being a young player at a club fighting for survival made you grow up quickly. Every mistake you made – whether it was a misplaced pass or some illadvised comment – was magnified because of the stakes involved. Shane Drahm was a good mentor to me; he was a magician and I listened to everything he said.

We had some good European battles too at Worcester. I came on at full-back, the first time I’d ever played there, in the Challenge Cup semi-final against Gloucester and Ryan Lamb tested me out with a few high bombs. I thought I did okay but I still got the obligatory ee-aws from the Shed.

From Worcester I moved to Cornish Pirates, where coach Jim McKay shared a fascinating insight into how rugby should be played – but I injured my shoulder early on and was out for 18 months. For anyone that knows Camborne, there’s a hill, just on the 22-metre line, known locally as the travellator. Miles Benjamin jumped on my back and my shoulder was completely blown out with only a bit of ligament still attached. The surgeon likened it to a bad motorcycle accident and doubted that I’d ever play again.

I made it back after a lot of hard work and two operations and joined London Welsh for a couple of the most enjoyable seasons of my career. Players like Mike Powell and Jon Mills were always winding each other up and having a laugh; it was a fun place to be and I learnt so much off Danny Wilson, the coach.

To be part of the promotion-winning squad was special and I believe we would have stayed up the next year had it not been for the Mike Scott saga. Lyn Jones brought in some big names like Sonny Parker and Gavin Henson, so my game-time was limited to the AngloWelsh Cup and Europe. I finished off with four more enjoyable seasons at Blackheath, where the transition between playing to coaching began, and now I’m coaching at Epsom College.