MY LIFE IN RUGBY
THE FORMER GLOUCESTER AND CORNISH PIRATES HOOKER
From the age of about 14 all I ever wanted to do was play professional rugby – for Bath, because my dad was born in nearby Bradford-on-Avon. I loved watching people like Adebayo Adedayo; he was nuts, he’d literally run through a brick wall. But when the chance to join Gloucester came about after I left Sedburgh, I grabbed it.
Arriving at Kingsholm as a keen 18-year-old, I wanted to make the right impression from the off so I thought I’d better get myself a respectable, short back-and-sides haircut. Chris Fortey reckoned it looked like they’d stuck a pot on my head and cut around it. From then on, I was known as ‘Potty’.
During my five years at Gloucester I was competing with the likes of Olivier Azam, Mefin Davies and Chris for the hooker’s jersey so it was difficult to get a run in the team. My best season in terms of appearances would have been 2005/06, the year we beat London Irish to win the European Challenge Cup.
Having played in the home-and-away pool matches against Toulon and Bucharest, it hurt me quite hard to miss out on the knockout stages and the final, but they picked what they thought was the best team and brought home the Cup, so I couldn’t really complain.
Mark Hewitt then gave me the opportunity to move down to Cornwall and I didn’t look back, playing over 200 games over a ten-year period. Even though the Pirates liked to play an exciting brand of rugby, especially when Stirlo (Chris Stirling) came in, it was built on the foundation of really good scrum and maul.
I enjoyed the set-piece side of the game, I practised my throwing every chance I got and based my career around it. My rival at hooker, Dave Ward, was always a good laugh and enjoyable to be around and while Wardy may have been the bane of my life, I’d like to think we brought the best out of each other.
We won the inaugural B&I Cup final in my first season at Pirates and went on to reach two Championship Cup finals.
The first one against Worcester felt like a really good day out, as we were playing at a big stadium in front of a big crowd, but we were still desperate to win. We’d beaten them twice in the regular season so they held no fears but it was just one game too far at the end of a long season.
We worked so hard to get back in the final the next year but hearing the news that the new stadium wouldn’t be going ahead really took the wind out of our sails. Thankfully, as I sit here now in sunny Redruth, it is all good on that front.
In and among all of that, I had a three-month loan spell back in the Premiership with London Welsh; it was nice to revisit Gloucester and places like that. I also got two caps for Germany while at the Pirates.
One of my mates, Andrew Frost, played for Southend and they had a German international called Tim Kasten in the team. Knowing I was born there on an Army base, he kept on at me to get involved and eventually I did. I also had the honour of playing for the Barbarians against Clontarf. I don’t think I’ve ever drunk as much in my life!
At 32 and needing a second neck operation on a bulging disc in my neck, I decided to call it a day. Some good young lads were coming through and my wife Gemma was pregnant so the time felt right. I coached St Ives RFC to the League and Cup double last year so things are going well.
I was concerned about the transition away from professional rugby but I’m now working at MH Groundworks, learning to drive machinery which I love, and my two children keep me busy. I don't think I'll ever be far from a rugby pitch though!