Winners? It's hard to look beyond Toulouse

Paul Rees talks to Chris Robshaw about the Champions Cup - and why he rates England's chances in the Six Nations

- Paul Rees

CHRIS Robshaw felt lost for a time after he ended his playing career two years ago. He had been a professional rugby player since his teenage years and, as he contemplated what to do for the rest of his working life, he remembered a conversation he had with the former Arsenal and England footballer Tony Adams.

“I love picking people’s brains about leadership and how they do stuff and I went to see Tony when I was still playing,” said Robshaw, the former England captain who had 15 years with Harlequins before ending his career in San Diego. “I talked to him about what I would do next.

“He said the biggest issue players struggled with after they retired is that they compare things to running out in front of 80,000 people and having that buzz. You cannot have that any more and he pointed out that it did not mean that in your next walk of life you could not achieve fulfilment, enjoyment or a buzz.

“It would just be different because what you had cannot be replaced. But it does not mean that you cannot have a brilliant next chapter. My first year after retirement was ok but I wobbled a bit in the second. I have come to terms with it now and am almost at peace with it.”

Robshaw, below, has a stake in a coffee and wine bar in Hampshire, is involved in the fine wine business and, with his wife Camilla, runs the Kerslake Robshaw Foundation, a charity which provides opportunities for children from all backgrounds to immerse themselves in music and sport.

And he has traded in his boots for a brolly as a pitchside pundit for Premier Sports who this season acquired the rights for the Investec Champions Cup and are showing each match live every round.