WATCHING the Euros I couldn’t help but think back to my early days in football. I was once a team-mate of Harry Maguire’s in Barnsley’s academy, having previously been at Manchester United until a broken leg effectively ended my days there. I played in goal and Harry was in front of me. You could tell then he would go on and make it.
Around 11/12 years old, football was getting intensive; you’d travelling the length and breadth of the country but only playing one half of football. I wasn’t enjoying it anymore and wanted to leave but the club wouldn’t release me from my contract. I wasn’t allowed to play football for any other team, not even Sunday League, so I quit football altogether and took up rugby, at Stocksbridge RUFC.
Stocksbridge is in north Sheffield. You’ve got a big steelworks at the bottom of the valley and the pitches are two miles up the road from the clubhouse, which is like a working men’s club, on top of a big hill. It’s cold and the wind batters the pitches; it toughens you up. From there, I moved to Barnsley and some of the coaches were involved with the Yorkshire pathway and that helped develop my game to the point where Leeds Carnegie invited me to their academy.
My Leeds debut was a baptism of fire, down at Scarlets, in the LV= Cup. I was still at school and a young George North got a hat-trick against us. We got absolutely battered. At the end of that season, Leeds went down and Diccon Edwards, the new coach, promoted a lot of players from the academy into the first team and we struggled early on. All of a sudden, this team that had just been relegated from the Premiership was one win from four and had just had 50 points put on them by Pirates. A few alarm bells were ringing! We managed to get into the play-offs but that’s as far as we got.
This story is from the August 01, 2021 edition of The Rugby Paper.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the August 01, 2021 edition of The Rugby Paper.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
I'm loving every single minute
IN THE picturesque town of Pau nestled at the foot of the Pyrenees, Joe Simmonds has found more than just a rugby club; he’s found a new place to call home.
Scoring in Hell Fire Comer was great
SEEING Scottie Scheffler being presented with the Green Jacket for winning golf’s US Masters last week reminded me of the time I was presented with a red one having played my 100th game for Redruth. It might not have the same kudos in the wider sporting world but, for me, it is a treasured item from my four years at the club.
Defeated, but Ukraine show grit and pride
SWITZERLAND was always going to be Ukraine’s toughest match of this three Test series and so it proved.
Crane: Sinckler's an emotional guy
JORDAN Crane feels England have failed to get the best out of Kyle Sinckler during his international career, with the tighthead prop set to be unavailable for his country from next season as he heads to the Top 14.
YOUNG GUNS
Newcastle Falcons have endured a dismal campaign in the Premiership but tyro hooker Jacob Oliver believes the future is bright in the North East as he hopes to follow fellow academy graduates by breaking into the first team.
Hurricanes storm in despite triple yellow
HURRICANES overcame a poor second half in which they conceded three yellow cards to beat Fijian Drua 38-15 and stretch their winning start to eight matches to end their opponent’s unbeaten record at home.
JIFF looks likely to play a vital role
IT’S LOGICAL – as the final stop-start sprint in a hard fought Top 14 season begins – to think purely in terms of matches remaining, points potential, and table possibilities. In fact, with play-off and Champions Cup places up for grabs, and relegation to avoid, such thoughts are not just logical, they’re inevitable.
S Africa is crying out for its own league
IF I remember my A level geography correctly, Africa is moving towards Europe at about the same rate as your fingernails grow which, among other things, suggests that the wholesale, no holds barred, in for a penny in for a pound merging of British, European and South African rugby was a tad premature.
Lion who enjoyed a taste of Italy
ANDREA Gazzi’s grave lies on the Inner Hebridean island of Islay, a long way from the fish-and-chip shop he left behind in Gorseinon.
Furbank: We were spoonfed too much
GEORGE Furbank feels Northampton’s rise this season is down to a pre-season meeting when the players resolved to take more responsibility.
