A prelude to a season

It
 ’t know what to do with it, and others have none…well none that they let us have anyway! (We are one of the third type in case you hadn’t guessed by the slightly bitter tone!). As a result, there tends to be leagues within the league each year.
The problem with National 3 London and South East is that it is the level where money starts to rear its confused head. This means that some teams have a lot of it, some have a bit and don

Last year Jersey and local rivals Old Albanians led the big spenders and were promoted whilst Barnes and Ampthill came down. Jersey had some truly fantastic players and it was sad to see them go…if only because we miss out on the mid-season mini tour this year! Barnes had dominated the league two years ago but suffered the same yo-yo affect of many promoted teams at this level. Ampthill came with a formidable reputation and a forward pack seemingly recruited from Lord of the Rings!
 …a Christmas present I could have done without.


The Ampthill front row rush to a scrum

 I was a little apprehensive at the start of the season. The trouble with playing for an amateur club at this level is that other paying clubs are constantly trying to swipe our best players and last season was no different. Tim Holgate, our top try scorer for the last two seasons, took the carrot and moved to London Scottish. Inspired more by family reasons than financial, Tim took the step up to National 1 and, I am happy to say, is doing extremely well.

Despite wishing Tim the best of luck, I suspected we might struggle without him. I was also struggling for confidence myself following an injury last season. Unfortunately, I have been cursed with shoulders made of chocolate! I have had any number of dislocations through Rugby but two operations seemed to have put a stop to it. December last year was the first time my right shoulder had dislocated again since the op
 ’m no spring chicken anymore, not exactly playing for England, so is it really worth the heartache of trying to carry on? If a 6’7” 19 stone Second row runs at me, will I have the confidence to make the tackle? Or will the memories of three nurses and a doctor yanking my shoulder back into joint with no painkillers forever sear itself onto my sub-conscious?!
Another dislocation sparked self-doubt - should I play anymore? I

I thought my Rugby career was over and resigned myself to watching from the sidelines. However, the desire to play soon overtakes any logical thinking. After just a handful of games, I was desperate to get back out onto the field and I started to double my physio and rehab work to be ready for the coming season....

How do you prepare for sport? Have you had any horrible injury stories? Share them here!... ’s hard to write about a season in any sport and avoid the standard clichés…‘emotional rollercoaster…‘a real journey’…‘had its ups and downs’…boring! I will try and avoid these but I warn you it is hard.

Chasing Eggs

"The whole point of rugby is that it is, first and foremost, a state of mind, a spirit." - Jean-Pierre Rives (1952), French rugby player.

It's hard to know where to begin with my experiences in Rugby. I suppose it is in some way innate: my Grandad was a talented player and played for my school's 1st XV before the Second World War and my Dad played all through his childhood, at Naval College and even for the Navy.

My first experiences of Rugby were in front of the TV on Saturday afternoons, watching the likes of Will Carling, Jeremy Guscott and Rob Andrew pull on the red rose at Twickenham. The sheer power of Mick 'The Munch' Skinner, the cool and calm inspiration of Dean Richards and the speed and exhilaration of the Underwood brothers. Anyone/thing that could generate often jaw-dropping outbursts of emotion from my otherwise reserved Dad has got to be worth pursuing!

As with all young boys, I was keen to impress my Dad and couldn't wait to take up the Game but I did not start playing until 12 years old. In all his experience and wisdom, he did not want me to start too early and get sick of the Game. This meant I flirted with other sports, such as Football, Hockey, Swimming, Squash, Fives (Squash with your hands basically). However, I was restricted to Goalkeeper as my tackles were deemed 'too robust'!

Once I was finally unleashed onto the Rugby pitch, it felt like a duck taking to water. It seemed a natural fit for me. I loved the passion, the physicality, the aggression but most of all the camaraderie. I've been lucky to make some fantastic friends through the Game and had some unforgettable experiences, good and bad. Playing in front of a huge crowd at the ANZAC game in New Zealand and being the first team to beat Jersey at home in three years are moments I will never forget. But having three nurses and a doctor trying to pull my dislocated shoulder back into place will also remained etched in my memory.

I have experienced Rugby overseas as well, playing for a year in New Zealand whilst on a GAP year working at Wanganui Collegiate School. The Kiwis have a fascinating attitude to the Game and are a wonderfully inviting and welcoming people. It was certainly an eye opening season for a somewhat naive teenager, still wet behind the ears. I went from well mannered and polite schoolboy rugby to face-tattooed gang members trying their hardest to tear my head off! But the great thing about Rugby is that once the whistle blows, everyone is friends again and what was World War III becomes nothing more than an anecdote in the bar.

There are downsides to Rugby, obviously. I have alluded to the injuries, my own chart of maladies reads like a junior doctor's text book. Broken legs, fingers, ribs, too many dislocations to keep track off - leading to two shoulder reconstruction operations, a dislocated collar bone to name just a few. But, I have to say, whenever I'm sat in a hospital bed in plaster or going through physio, the only thought I have is, "When can I get back out on the pitch"!

However, as the crow's feet deepen and the hairline sneaks backwards, I am starting to be more realistic about my playing ambitions. But if this does turn out to be my last season, it certainly won't be the end of my Rugby career....hence the reason I've started this blog!

Please share your own experiences here and let me know your thoughts on the Game...