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The second time was in the warm-up against Brentwood in October 2010. The third and latest was at home against Harpenden. The surgeon says I'll play again, the people at work who don't play rugby take a sharp intake of breath and mutter the words 'is it time to stop playing?'. It's a legitimate question, but not one I have to enjoy listening to.
I'm going to get this out of the way, I have had a lot of injuries. Two shoulder operations, a broken metatarsal, a broken wrist, three cracked ribs, two broken collarbones, one torn calf muscle, multiple broken fingers and now with the knee.
At a risk of sounding like a rugby bore, I will stop talking about my list of injuries now. But you have to understand where I'm coming from to know where I'm going....
Firstly, being injured has only made me more determined to play. Not from some faux 'I must persevere because I'm an athlete, god-damnit', but simply I will miss it too much to give it up. Yes I could do more coaching, or refereeing, but it's not the same. The banter in the changing room is brutal and at level where you simply don't get anywhere else. Last season, I once walked into the changing room before a match and our fly-half turned round to me and said with a deadpan face 'We have taken a vote and decided that you are without doubt, the least respected member of this squad'. Cue giggles and guffaws amongst the matchday 18. Obviously he was joking (I hope) and I took it on the chin, but stuff like that makes you feel more of a part of it rather than less of it. On the flip side I have seen those glancing looks as if to say 'Oh, he's on the physio table...again' from other players and they usually don't even mean to be a bastard about things. It's concern usually born from a greater concern about the welfare of the team and interpretation of 'He'd be more use outside training than in here injured'. Maybe it seems idealistic, but that is the kind of bloke I am.
Secondly, I've always wanted to write. When I was staring down the barrel on never playing again before the third operation, I was desperate to find a way to keep my sanity and stay involved in the game I love. This was the natural choice. I am too cautious and nowhere near witty enough to be interesting in 140 characters so twitter wasn't the way forward, so here we are. I'm on twitter but I don't tweet. I'm on facebook but I don't upload anything. I check rugbydump.com about five times a day and have recently seen the demise of the funny, but all too often neglected bloodandmud.com blog.
So this is my answer to all that.
Rugby is the world's greatest sport. I could list the reasons but those involved in the game already know why and newcomers would be depriving themselves of a wonderful voyage of discovery as to the intricacies of one of the most simultaneously baffling and simplest of games. So what will you get from me?
Balance - I am not professing to be the Kofi Annan of the rugby blogosphere and will offer opinion. However, this will not come without genuine consideration of the variety of views on offer.
Pluralism - Those of you not currently studying political science, this is the opposite of 'elitism'. Rugby is a game of the people, contrary to a lack of coverage in the tabloids and the presence of what Will Carling once accurately called '57 old farts' leading from the top of the game. You go to any rugby club in the UK and you will see a greater cross-section of society than you will have done at any other time in the history of the sport. Watch the 'School of Hard Knocks' on SkySports and you will see a bear of a man from 'salt of the earf' Swansea coaching along side a privately educated midfield genius. They both impart their wisdom and values on a bunch of inner-city London youths who have not been given much of a chance by anyone until now. The fantastic thing is, there is still so much to achieve in this regard.
I am no class warrior, I'm just giving you the reassurance that there is not an outright agenda here, apart from satisfying my own narcissm!
Credentials - If the readers of this blog (currently a couple of my mates and my mum) want these, I'd be happy to provide them. But I'd rather hold them back and just come from an 'interested fan' perspective. Until the masses cry out for a CV, just take my word that I have a rough idea of what I'm talking about, ready to be put right by whoever can be bothered to engage with me. I am a player and a coach, hopefully this is enough for most.
I hope to snare some high ranking interviews from professional players and coaches. I also intend to interview those who play on the edges of professionalism, the social players, women players and the 'youth' of today's rugby, if they can take a break from contributing to the downfall of modern civilization as we know it, that is.
So please enjoy, and spread the word if you like it!
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