XXXXXXXX 2017 412019
REMEMBRANCE TRY
“In 2009 I was involved in
a car crash that killed my best
mate, Richard Wilkinson. He was
a terrifi c person and a terrifi cplayer and he could quite easily
have been in my position now.
“I want to take Richard along the
journey that I’m living. I try to make
him and his family proud. When Iscore a try (here v Italy) I make the
sign of a W for Wilkinson and say,
‘This one’s for you’. I’ll always do it.
I take a few seconds to remember
him and thank him.” n2018
PAIN GAME
“A horrible few days. We
were playing the Crusaders on the
Lions tour. I chipped ahead and as
I was chasing the kick there was a
freakish collision between my face
and Conor Murray’s elbow. Try it a
million more times, you wouldn’t do
it. I fractured my eye socket and
had a hole the size of a two-pence
piece on the inside of my eye.
“The disappointment of having
to go home was massive but the
biggest kick in the nuts came
when I was leaving. Gats (Warren
Gatland) and Rob (Howley) asked
me to pick a back-line for the fi rst
Test. Both said they’d only make
one change to the team I picked
and that was to put me at full-back.
It was lovely to hear but hard at
the same time as I was leaving.
“I always look back and think if
there was ever a chance of me
getting a Lions Test cap then that
was it. Sometimes you can’t get
those moments back. South Africa
(2021) is a long, long way away.
You never know what’s going to
happen between now and then.”FAMILY FIRST
“That’s me holding Olivia
after the Fiji game last autumn.
These are the moments you will
always remember, walking around
the pitch with your kids. My boy
Archie will not be far away. Olivia
was waving to the crowd the
whole way around. It was great.
“Since the kids came along our
family life is all about organised
chaos. We have George now as
well. I think becoming a father has
improved me as a player and as a
person. It’s not all about me now.
“Family life makes me switch off ,
which is good as I’m obsessed
with rugby. I switch off a lot more
than I used to. It’s better for me,
not as stressful, I’m not worrying
about mistakes I made. I’m
concentrating on being a dad. I try
to leave rugby at the front door.”2017