MY LIFE IN RUGBY
CALL it laziness if you will, but I always used to leave a bit of mud on my boots from the weekend before as a reminder that you’re only as good as your last game.
While I never got to full international status, I played with plenty who did. Tim Horan and Jason Little were the centres when I joined Queensland Reds on a Super Rugby contract. To get praise off players like that, and later at Bath and London Irish, meant the world to me as they did not have to go out of their way to say ‘well done’.
Bristol was my first port of call when I came over to the UK although it could easily have been Cardiff. It was only when I met fellow Aussie Bob Dwyer at a Sevens tournament the year before that the direction of my career took a different turn.
There weren’t too many black forwards around in the Premiership at the time, if any, when I arrived in the late 90s. But I’m pleased to say that the only time I encountered any form of direct racism was while playing for Bristol against Coventry. A couple of their Aussie lads said something and there was an investigation, but I can’t remember if anything came of it.
Dick Best then signed me for London Irish after I’d put in a man-of-thematch performance against them in the Powergen Cup. I still had a year to run on my Bristol contract, but they agreed to let me go because Dean Ryan was arriving as player-coach.
I had a few clubs in my time but I’d say that spell at Irish was my favourite. The fans were brilliant, and we’d get thousands in the bar afterwards at Sunbury. The squad was really tight-knit and the fact I could cover both second and back-row meant I played a fair bit. I scored my first Premiership try (I only got two!) just before the end of that 1999/00 season, against Bristol! Justin Bishop put up a huge bomb which no-one claimed, and I just remember keeping my eye on the ball and sprinting away from Spencer Brown.
In the early days at Bath it felt like there was a bit of a clique. Jon Callard had not long retired and was picking his old mates. I think Andy Robinson, who’d signed me but had since moved on to England, had a word with him and after that I got more opportunities although I still feel I didn’t get a fair crack of the whip.
Beating Wasps to make the inaugural Premiership final – before the title was riding on it – and a preseason game against Munster, when Mick Galwey and I were sent off for fighting each other, stand out as memorable moments at Bath.
The first year I went to Worcester we missed out on promotion which was probably a good thing as Rotherham had gone up and come straight back down. We won the league the following year. We had set plays for everything. There wasn’t much thinking on your feet.
Halfway through the first Premiership season I fell out with Brainer (John Brain) and Andy Keast and ended up joining Exeter who were still in National One. Gloucester were an option but by that stage I was getting on a bit and playing part-time suited me. We ran Bristol close that season, only finishing four points behind them. I remember there was talk of us playing at Exeter City’s ground if we won the title. It went down to the final day.
I signed off as a player while in my mid-30s at Pertemps Bees. My knees are knackered now through the wear and tear. After spells coaching local clubs Yatton, St Mary’s in Bristol and Cheddar, my only real involvement in rugby now is some vets reunions and watching my son play at Clifton. That’s good enough for me.