...THE INCREDIBLE INSIDE STORY OF BOOZE-FUELLED NIGHTS AND GATLAND’S WINNING WALES TEAM
eggs and eat the contents in his car at lunchtime. I’ve always prided myself on my diet, but this was nextlevel stuff.
Like the rest of us, Gav would sometimes undo the effect with alcohol, however.
We once had a pre-season trip to Loughborough with the Ospreys, and, at the end of a hard week of training, decided to have a night on the town.
We were absolutely steaming, and some of us, including Gav, threw up. The next morning, in a dehydrated state, he stepped onto the scales to be weighed by Huw Bevan, our strength and conditioning coach (a daily ritual during camp). Huw was horrified by what he saw: Gav had lost nearly 5 kg.
Huw wouldn’t have been happy if he’d known about Gav’s means of transportation that night, either.
Six of us had wanted to travel, so we paid a taxi driver an extra £50 to take us in his five-seater: four of us in the back and Gav – who’d volunteered for the honour – in the boot.
Those of a claustrophobic disposition would be horrified by this idea, but Gav seemed to enjoy it.
Another time, back in Bridgend, the police stopped us on our way into town.
They’d spotted six of us in the car – three in the back seat and a fourth stretched across their laps. What on earth, the officers asked, did we think we were doing?
At that moment, with perfect timing, the boot popped open, revealing Gavin inside.
Some people feel Gav fell short of his potential in the game and that the pressure of being high profile from a young age got to him.
But he’s definitely one of the most gifted I’ve played with – it’s crazy to think he’s never played in a World Cup.