We had a great team – every one of us went on to get a pro contract – and I remember Warren Fury, who went on to play for the Falcons among a few other clubs, praying behind the goals after seeing my foot facing the wrong way. It was horrific. But thankfully the support network I had around me in Bath’s academy and at the school itself helped to get me through what was a tricky time.
Before the injury I’d clocked 10.6 for the 100 metres so, potentially, I was on track to one day break the 10-second barrier. The injury naturally took a bit of edge off my speed but I was still quick and at one point later on in my career, just before I moved to Spain, I was offered an 11-week trial, on very good money, by an NFL club who saw me as a potential wide receiver. Having family in Boston Massachusetts, I was an NFL fan from an early age – the Patriots are my team – so it was very appealing. But, back then, they didn’t have an organised pathway in place like there has been for Louis Rees-Zammit and Christan Wade, so it was considered too big a risk.
Brian Ashton put me on the bench against Worcester for the last game of the 2005/06 season but it wasn’t until the following October that I made my senior Bath debut in the EDF Cup, away to Bristol. Being part of that squad was brilliant for me as a young winger. Matt Perry took me under his wing and I had people like Joe Maddocks and David Bory to learn from. If you look at that team, man for man I would back them against anyone. We blew some teams away but we lacked the consistency needed to win the league. It was great, though, to be in the European Challenge Cup-winning squad in 2008. It’s incredible to think that that’s still the last trophy the club has won, but I’m pretty sure the wait will be over soon.
Denne historien er fra June 23, 2024-utgaven av The Rugby Paper.
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Denne historien er fra June 23, 2024-utgaven av The Rugby Paper.
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Harrow keep their nerve for double joy
HARROW saw off QEGS Wakefield to defend their Continental Tyres National School Cup title in emphatic fashion at Allianz Stadium, Twickenham.
Wales all washed up with nowhere to go...
Every living English Grand Slam captain, from Sir Bill Beaumont to Dylan Hartley via Will Carling and Martin Johnson, shares another common denominator. They all know what it’s like to be blown away in the cyclonic fury of Cardiff on big-match day.
Lynn's hoping for fantastic farewell
GLOUCESTER-Hartpury have the chance to send boss Sean Lynn off with a perfect farewell as they chase an unprecedented hat-trick of consecutive titles.
Red Roses want to make it seven in a row - Mitchell
ENGLAND head coach John Mitchell has had to prepare for his title defence without players in the PWR final.
Lions' support team keeps on growing
The 1974 Lions took off from Heathrow with a management team of two. No specialist coaches, no analysts, no spin doctors, no physios, not even a bucket-and-sponge man.
Chiefs are too good for Blues in thriller
In a repeat of last season’s final, the Chiefs beat the Blues in a thriller to go top and continue the champions’ nightmare title defence.
Battling Italy make it tough for Ireland
ITALY, despite a succession of serious injuries and self-inflicted disciplinary problems, pushed Ireland all the way at the Olympic Stadium in a game that summed up both their respective campaigns.
Nice are planning a quick reversal
You may not have heard of Stade Marcel Volot – the one-stand 3,000-capacity home of ProD2 basement side Nice, which sits next to the Var river up the road from the rather larger and better-known Allianz Riviera home of the city’s Ligue 1 football team.
France in seventh heaven
FRANCE overcame a spirited Scotland display in a breathless finale in Paris to secure a record-equalling seventh Six Nations title – drawing level with England – and their first since 2022.
Time to talk about the 1995 you-know-what
It’s ODD how some Grand Slams get lost in the mists of time, seemingly never to be mentioned again. Take England in 1995. Thirty years ago this weekend Will Carling’s team were closing out their third Slam in five years with a 24-12 victory over Scotland at Twickenham with Rob Andrew kicking seven penalties and a dropped goal for the men in white.
