The Times - UK (2022-06-11)

was a learning process for

me as well. He probably

wanted me to go in and

see that.”

The roles are reversed

now. Arron Ludlam, a

programme manager

with Sky, never

misses a game

and he will

be up in the

stands at

Welford

Road as

his son

goes into

sporting

combat

below.

“He’ll

love it,”

Ludlam

says.

He

learnt to

apply his

father’s lesson of being true to himself

when the flak is flying and it has been

critical to Ludlam taking his game to

another level this season, thriving in

the captaincy role with Northampton

and returning to the England fold.

The 26-year-old was close to being

released by the Saints in 2018 but

Chris Boyd, the incoming director of

rugby, watched him play a second XV

game and offered him a new contract,

albeit with a warning that he was

overweight and needed to get fit.

The following year Ludlam was in

England’s World Cup squad. He was

young and enthusiastic, but did not

truly understand himself as a player.

The past two years in particular have

been a journey of discovery.

“I didn’t 100 per cent know why I’d

been selected by England,” he says.

“I wanted to stay there and all I was

thinking was, ‘I need to perform

because Eddie Jones is watching,’ or

‘I don’t want to mess up.’

“You’re thinking about selection

“Being confrontational, being nose

to nose in some tough situations, it’s

something that I enjoy. It’s probably

something I’ve picked up from my

dad. I remember going down and

watching him fight. Being in old

nightclubs in white-collar events and

there’s people doing lines of cocaine

beside him in a changing room.

“A few dodgy things happened, like

people running off with money at the

end of the night and no one getting

paid; people getting knocked out; no

weigh-ins and no doctors at events.

“You’ve got an understanding when

you’re that age when things aren’t

quite right and it’s uncomfortable. I

just loved seeing him be in this

uncomfortable environment and go,

‘I’ve got

one job

to do.’

“It’s a

weird

feeling,

seeing some

bloke punch

your dad.

But when

your dad

wins there is

no feeling like

it. It feels like

you’re in the

ring yourself,

especially when

you’ve got 200

people in the

room all

shouting abuse

at your dad or

the other guy, and

shouting to knock your dad’s

head off. It’s a weird

experience.

“Seeing how he was

through those environments

16 1GS Saturday June 11 2022 | the times

WHEN I FELL

IN LOVE WITH

FOOTBALL

Former England

and Arsenal full

back Alex Scott

on her gratefulness

to her mum

and love of

the game

My first memory of football is

playing with my big brother as

a child. I always looked up to

him. That’s how my love of

the game started. You could

always find me playing in the

football cage with the local

children.

The cage was at the end of

the estate. It was basic, but to

every child in the

neighbourhood, it was

everything. It was where we

dreamed. Some of the best

memories that I have of

growing up are of playing as a

child on the estate.

I was eight when Arsenal

signed me. I didn’t have a clue

about women playing football

at that age, it wasn’t

something that I had ever

seen growing up, or ever

thought would be a possibility.

My mum will always be my

biggest role model. I saw the

struggles and sacrifices that

she made to give us the best

childhood possible. Her work

ethic and passion to achieve is

something that will stay with

me forever. I can never repay

her for everything she did, but

I will always give everything

100 per cent because I know

what it took to get me here.

People assume that your

parents are there at every

match, cheering you on. But

my mum was out at work, so I

could have the football boots

and the bus fare to get to

training. That was hard for

her because she felt like she

missed out, but I will forever

be grateful to her. Without

her, this dream would never

have become a reality.

Ian Wright is another

inspiration. I loved going to

Highbury to watch him play.

You could see his passion, his

smile and his love for the

game. He reminded me that

when I play for Arsenal and

for England, I should

remember to always smile and

be thankful for the journey

and how far I have come.

6 The Lego Group has

launched Play Your Own Way

lesson plans, to encourage

children to celebrate the

people that inspire them, in

partnership with Women’s

Euro 2022. Teachers can

download the resources at

weuro2022schools.com

Interview: Molly Hudson

L

ewis Ludlam would loiter in

the changing room of an

insalubrious Ipswich

nightclub as his father,

Arron, a white-collar boxer,

strapped up his fists in preparation for

a fight. It was a raw, hostile

environment. There were men next to

him chopping out lines of cocaine.

There were no doctors. It was not

uncommon for someone to steal the

takings at the end of the night.

Ludlam was 14 or 15 at the time.

Was this the right environment for an

impressionable boy? As he reflects on

those nights now, Ludlam recalls the

fear and the thrill of watching his

father trade punches in the ring.

But what stuck with him was the

positive example his father was

setting, a lesson that has underpinned

his rugby career, and a character trait

that will be vital at Welford Road this

afternoon in the heat of a Gallagher

Premiership semi-final derby.

“He wanted to show me that you’ve

got to remain true to yourself in some

pretty unsavoury environments,”

Ludlam says. “He would just be: get

up into the ring, get the job done, win

the fight, put on a show, go home.”

That is Ludlam’s exact mission

today. The Northampton Saints

captain and flanker will lead his men

into enemy territory when they take

on Leicester Tigers for a place at

Twickenham against either Saracens

or Harlequins.

“There will be fireworks,” Ludlam

says, with a flicker of a smile. “I can’t

wait. I remember being in the

academy and it was driven home to us

that Leicester versus Saints was the

big game. Now we are playing at the

top level, it’s even bigger. It’s even

more emotional. Tensions will be

high. They always are in this game.

‘Seeing blokes

punch Dad in

dodgy clubs

was a lesson’

Northampton captain Lewis Ludlam tells

Alex Lowe how a combative streak will

serve him well at Welford Road today

When Leicester Tigers visited Franklin’s

Gardens this season Steve Borthwick

was clear on the threat his side were

about to face (Angus Oliver writes).

“You look at Northampton’s attack,

it’s deadly,” the Leicester head coach

said. “Chris Boyd is known for

producing teams that have an

incredible phased attack and they look

outstanding. They stretch any team.”

Leicester beat Saints 55-26 that day

and then again 35-20 at Welford Road

in February, but going into today’s

game Northampton are on a run of six

bonus-point victories in their past

seven games. As the end-of-season

weather offers Saints increasingly

favourable firm-and-fast conditions,

that deadly attack is strutting its stuff.

The system, orchestrated by Boyd

and his attack coach Sam Vesty, hinges

on a dual-playmaker set-up, with the

Wales fly half Dan Biggar and Scotland

centre Rory Hutchinson interchanging

as first receivers.

“Rory Hutchinson is one of the very

best in his position,” Biggar said. “He

takes a lot of pressure off me in terms

of what I have to do with my eyes;

instead I can focus more on the speed

of the ball and what my skill has to be

when I receive it. He’s a special talent.”

What makes the dual-playmaker

system so difficult to defend against is

the multitude of structures Biggar and

Hutchinson are able to set up in. Take

Fraser Dingwall’s try in Northampton’s

recent 42-22 win over London Irish as

an example (graphic one).

Northampton set up with Biggar at

first receiver and Hutchinson and

Dingwall running short lines. Biggar

receives the ball from Mitchell and

passes to Hutchinson, who has two

options: either pass to Dingwall or

release Biggar on a looping run. The

Scot is smashed as he takes the ball to

the line but he pops it to Dingwall and

the centre carves through the Irish

midfield to score. Had the option to

Dingwall not been available, the speed

of transition to Biggar out the back

would have gifted Saints an overlap,

with George Furbank, Tom Collins and

Courtnall Skosan waiting out wide.

Northampton’s seventh try in their

65-26 win over Newcastle Falcons last

weekend came via a different set-up

designed to get the ball wide as quickly

as possible (graphic two). As Lewis

Ludlam takes the ball towards contact

as first receiver you can see Furbank

calling for it on the opposite side.

Ludlam pops a pass to Hutchinson,

How twin playmakers Biggar and Hutchinson can disrupt Leicester

Ludlam is ready

for “fireworks”

after helping

Saints seal a

play-off spot

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