DOWNTIME WITH... TRISTAN TEDDER

The South African talks piloting, painting and partying before he swaps Perpignan for Paris

- Josh Graham

"Some guys call me Submarine as I go under the radar on a night out"

WHAT'S THE funniest thing you've seen or heard on the pitch? It's actually me. In my first year in France, I was kicking for the poles; I kicked and was watching the poles and not where I was running and I ran into the team doctor.

He ended up having to do his own stitches as my shoulder hit his head! Do you have any phobias? Only the fear of not being able to say goodbye to people - that's a little bit deep! If your house was on fire, what one item would you save? My photo album. I'm quite sentimental, I wouldn't care about my passport, so I'd grab that.

What's the best thing you've ever bought? A cricket bat and ball from Amazon. All the foreigners here in Perpignan play a bit when we have downtime in training. Even the French guys have tried to get into it; they don't understand but at least they are trying.

And the silliest? Juggling balls. There was a stage where I got really into it and everyone laughed at me and called me the team clown, but I didn't care. I went on to batons but then I had to start focusing on rugby again after I came back from injury.

What's the best present you've ever received? One of my dad's friends is an aerobatic pilot, and for my 18th birthday they surprised me with a flight in an old fighter jet and a World War Two Russian Yak. That was a bit easier and he let me have a go on the controls, which inspired me to do the pilot's licence that I started at the beginning of this season.