‘Robin Hood' rides to Nottingham's call

I ONLY ever intended to go to Nottingham for six months back in 2001 and I ended up staying for a dozen or so years. Now, after nine years away coaching in Hong Kong, I’m going back, as head coach. Nottingham is a special place for me and my wife and I wouldn’t have left my job with the Hong Kong RU for any other role. Our three kids were all born in Nottingham and we’re all excited about what lies ahead.

Who’d have guessed this is how it would have all turned out when I was a young buck, aged 21, coming over to England for the first time? Not me. I was kind of on the verge of everything as a young player in New Zealand at the time, playing for New Zealand U19s and playing and captaining Wellington U21s and Hurricanes B. It was in the era of Jerry Collins and Rodney So’oialo, so there was plenty of quality back rowers around, and while they went on to crack it, I just missed out on stepping up.

My dad worked for Imperial Tobacco and did quite a lot of work in Nottingham, where there was a Benson & Hedges factory. One of his friends there was a member at Nottingham and said, ‘if ever your son wants to come and play for the club, he’s always welcome’. I said, ‘why not’ and the rest is history.

The history of the club and of the city really appeals to me. But I think former player Ben Thompson, who did some PR for the club, used a bit of poetic licence when he once said ‘Hammo has done more for the city of Nottingham than Robin Hood!’ Randomly, I got called up to play for Leicester against South Africa and the Sky Sports commentators had clearly Googled my name, not knowing who I was, and used his comment during the match. For the next few years, there were plenty of jokes about green tights and people calling me Robin. No pressure going back at all then!