Best or Worst Rugby Player You Have Met.

[Sker]

I've only met Chester Williams and he was puffed up with self-importance. They were promoting the Boland Kavaliers at my school, I think he was the manager at that time (or still is, or he just took over, anyway, the Boland Kavaliers were relegated the next year )

My brother and my one friend was in the same high school as Juan de Jongh and they said he was a real dick with a big ego. I was in the same school, before my time though. Our school praised him for being a Springbok and is so proud. Mhmm...

I know one teacher who wouldn't have liked him if he was a dick

 

[Beardogg]

Was in Magaluf last week somehow got talking to (drunkenly) some Rugby lads in a bar... one was telling me he played for Wasps & another Northampton Saints, I was giving them the yea yea whatever talk, the one apparently from Saints came out with a tray of shots so had a few with them... Sound lads, I looked on the Saints 1st XV page the next day and found out it was Christian Day (lock), The Wasps lad was someone called Joe Burton, doesn't seem to be in their 1st XV but if you google him he's been released this summer.

I'm on the right, Joe Burton left, Christian Day middle... i'm not actually that short lol 6ft3" must have been down a kerb or something

 

[SelimNiai]

Don't mix much with rugby players, my old man is probably better for this, he has some stories of bristol rugby in the 70's. Mike Rafter features is most :lol:

Worst to me - Steve Borthwick. This isn't me on an anti-Bath tirade for once :lol:, its a coincidence. I was at a summer rugby school run by Nigel Redman and Borthwick was a guest coach and I found him to be self obsessed, arrogant and unintrested in actually doing the job he was supposed to be doing

Best - Mark Regan, very funny and down to earth.

 

[Saintjay]

Was in Magaluf last week somehow got talking to (drunkenly) some Rugby lads in a bar... one was telling me he played for Wasps & another Northampton Saints, I was giving them the yea yea whatever talk, the one apparently from Saints came out with a tray of shots so had a few with them... Sound lads, I looked on the Saints 1st XV page the next day and found out it was Christian Day (lock), The Wasps lad was someone called Joe Burton, doesn't seem to be in their 1st XV but if you google him he's been released this summer.

I'm on the right, Joe Burton left, Christian Day middle... i'm not actually that short lol 6ft3" must have been down a kerb or something

He must have been pretty drunk. A Saints player should never allow him-self to be photographed with a tigers fan. I could forgive him if he slept with my sister but this!!!

 

[LittleGuy]

I'm not going to lie I almost spit my beer out at that one....

We should get a thread on other sports athletes you've met , I have run into a few NHL guys over the years.

Damn I NEVER DID THIS!!!! I could start this thread if there is interest or simply add non-rugby athletes into this one....mostly a few NHL guys I have met and one or two others.

 

[irelandfan123]

Chris Henry was really top notch, met him a few years back at the Ulster supporters BBQ, real easy to talk to guy

I live in the same town as Trimble, met him a few times and I have always felt really awkward

Met Rory Best aswell, another really great guy

 

[Saintjay]

Had a training session with Dean Richards years ago. He was awesome and beasted the team into the ground.
Played in a match when Ben Cohen came to watch nice guy to chat with. Met him again in Kingsthorpe Waitrose and he was still sound.
Courtney Lawes was pretty decent to chat with after a Saints match. This was despite my man crush messing up my ability to talk.

Off topic but the only other Northamptonshire celeb I met was a guy called Omar who makes erm! specialist films and is a human tripod so to speak. He was very funny and had some great stories to tell. Not sure how well known he is really.

 

[TVH11]

Had the Pleasure of doing a few interview with Grav back in the day for his Radio Cymru programme. What a lovely lovely fella. Everytime he spoke, the hairs on the back of my neck would stand to attention, such a lovely guy!! Was such an honor to be interviewed by him!

Spent a drunken afternoon in the Queens Vault in Cardiff, watching the Ospreys in Europe. Elderly fellow approaches me and ask If he can sit with me and watch the match. I agree. Whilst discussing tactics and general areas in the match for a whole match, I realised that the elderly gentleman was Barry John, how foolish did I feel (he was buying me pints haha).

Shane's always nice enough in my local Amman Valley Pub when I gig there, always approachable, helps to know all his valley friends and that. Gets a bad rap sometimes from locals, but us Welsh tend to hate successful people that come from our area, so whats new!!!!!!!!

Also had the opportunity of being Gerald Davies ' kicking Tee on Jonathon Davies' Welsh Language TV program. JD and ref Nigel Ow ens are a good bunch too. (Even had a brief Twitter convo with N.O for my participation in the show).

 

[LittleGuy]

Had a training session with Dean Richards years ago. He was awesome and beasted the team into the ground.
Played in a match when Ben Cohen came to watch nice guy to chat with. Met him again in Kingsthorpe Waitrose and he was still sound.
Courtney Lawes was pretty decent to chat with after a Saints match. This was despite my man crush messing up my ability to talk.

Off topic but the only other Northamptonshire celeb I met was a guy called Omar who makes erm! specialist films and is a human tripod so to speak. He was very funny and had some great stories to tell. Not sure how well known he is really.

I may have heard of this indivdual.... possibly might have seen some of his projects...on the internet....pretty sure I don't have anything saved to the hard drive or anything though....

 

[Tony Manx]

Agree about Jason Leonard, really super guy and great company......in same bar (O'Dwyers?) as Moss Keane in Dublin on a Sunday after an International when he chunked a BOTTLE of champagne and a Guiness chaser - heroic.....gave Rob Wainwright a lift from Twickers to Heathrow airport where he was heading back to the Outer Scottish Islands and his adventure holiday camp....a really gentle and great guy.....met Erik "the Viking" Lund on his way to Hotel Cariz after a friendly match - managed to exchange greetings!!.....was introduced to the one and only Yachvilli at another friendly who "pretended" not to speak English as "I only speak anglais to the referee!!" but was really good guy......met Justin Marshall a couple of times and felt he was all about money and that was shown as he prostituted himself about the NH taking any job that was offered and not really doing a lot.....saw Rob Andrew in a supermarket in Portugal and OMG did he have calf muscles.. on same ferry as Simon Shaw with his family in 2003 and did he cut a sad figure...in Australia as caution but not allowed with the squad!! Quite a few when you sit and think about it and guess it is my age...............................

 

[HowieLO6]

Met Ollie Barkley a few times back in his England days, out in Clapham. Likes to hold court anywhere he goes. A monumental bellend, although, considering the way he plays the game, it suits him.

 

[big ginger 8]

John Fogarty is the man.

 

[Groundhog]

John Fogarty is indeed the man because he played for the mighty De La Salle Palmerston

 

[big ginger 8]

John Fogarty is indeed the man because he played for the mighty De La Salle Palmerston

I'm pretty sure he never played a match for them. By the time he got to Leinster it was just a formality.

 

[Canucks]

Canada:
Jamie Cudmore, Dave Moonlight, Mike James, Mark Lawson - At a youth training camp for the first Churchill Cup. Cudmore was harrassing all the woman walking by during the session Great coach though. Moonlight was pranking everyone and everything. Mike James and Mark Lawson actually focused on coaching. Mark Lawsons description of proper body position for going into a ruck "think of the Discovery channel when the lionness is going to get mated. Thats the body position you want."

Ryan Banks, Gareth Rees - Had week long camp with them. Best Canadians I have ever met.
This list is not including some of the guys I grew playing against.

New Zealand - Maori tour where they decimated Bayside...sorry I meant BC provincial team. Meet and chatted with Corey Flynn, Hosea Gear (i think, I couldn't understand his name but it was one of the wingers) and Shannon Paku.

Northampton Saints - Met Paul Doran-Jones, Soana Tongauiha and Samu Manoa at a Northampton Bowling Alley. Tongauiha was really taking the charity night to heart and was getting beat up by little girls.
Also ran into (literally) a legless Courtney Lawes on Bridge Street who was yelled "I love everybody" multiple times while walking up the street. According to some people I know here, this is a common sight with Saints and Lawes is the happiest drunk.

Wales:
Few months ago, had quite a few with Allan Bateman at his club Heol y cyw. I don't remember what we talked about but he made fun of my terrible attempts to pronounce Welsh places.


Someone I know (my girlfriends mom) was at the same hotel as the Saints in Bath and they all referred to her as ma'am (yes even Ashton and Hartley.) Despite what the media says, it looks like maybe those 2 aren't the devils they are meant out to be.

Could go on about NHLers and CFLers I know. Little guy, you'll appreciate this: I ran into Kyle Wellwood in Edinburgh. Either that or an exact twin (missing teeth and all) who was walking around Fountainbridge with an Toronto Blue Jays Alex Rios jersey. I asked him he still liked Vancouver and he said no comment.

 

[LittleGuy]

Thats weird Canucks I've actullly met Kyle Wellwood as well!!!! At a bar in St. Catharines in his last season with the Leafs... most unfit professional athlete I'd ever met. Wasn't surpised at all when the media reported he was out of shape when he got to camp, decent enough guy though.

I've met a pile of NHLers....

Dale Hawerchuk, Ryan Miller are two of the bigger namesa and were great, virtually any of the older legends you can run into are solid guys, Walter Gretzky pretty much epitomized class and dignity when I met him.

Unfortunately the time I met Ryan Miller he was at a bar with Andrew Peters who was a useless player and a total ****ing idiot at the bar....tried to start fights was a dick to anyone talking to Ryan...they had to bring in a couple of bouncers in from a bar down the street to help talk him down because he was causing a scene. His career ended in the minors because he kept violating curfew and making an ass of himself.

CFL guys abound, a lot of them come through Beamsville on their way to Hamilton or say hi to the fans after the games, Ron Lancaster was a regular at the Tim Hortons in town, and Paul Osbaldistan lived down the street from a few freinds of mine. Most CFL guys are pretty good guys, have their heads on their shoulders as they aren't making millions of bucks. MLS players I've met are the same way...John Carver was a delight to talk to when he was coaching Toronto FC, he was very open and frank with me about MLS and the team which was refreshing.

 

[SelimNiai]

Thats weird Canucks I've actullly met Kyle Wellwood as well!!!! At a bar in St. Catharines in his last season with the Leafs... most unfit professional athlete I'd ever met. Wasn't surpised at all when the media reported he was out of shape when he got to camp, decent enough guy though.

I've met a pile of NHLers....

Dale Hawerchuk, Ryan Miller are two of the bigger namesa and were great, virtually any of the older legends you can run into are solid guys, Walter Gretzky pretty much epitomized class and dignity when I met him.

Unfortunately the time I met Ryan Miller he was at a bar with Andrew Peters who was a useless player and a total ****ing idiot at the bar....tried to start fights was a dick to anyone talking to Ryan...they had to bring in a couple of bouncers in from a bar down the street to help talk him down because he was causing a scene. His career ended in the minors because he kept violating curfew and making an ass of himself.

CFL guys abound, a lot of them come through Beamsville on their way to Hamilton or say hi to the fans after the games, Ron Lancaster was a regular at the Tim Hortons in town, and Paul Osbaldistan lived down the street from a few freinds of mine. Most CFL guys are pretty good guys, have their heads on their shoulders as they aren't making millions of bucks. MLS players I've met are the same way...John Carver was a delight to talk to when he was coaching Toronto FC, he was very open and frank with me about MLS and the team which was refreshing.

I once accidentailly knocked over Theoren Fleury's drink while he was playing for Belfast. He may have been a bit mad on ice but off it he was sound, didn't make a fuss about it and actually bout me and my mates a round

 

[cyRil]

I once accidentailly knocked over Theoren Fleury's drink while he was playing for Belfast. He may have been a bit mad on ice but off it he was sound, didn't make a fuss about it and actually bout me and my mates a round

Speaking of buying rounds....

Spent a drunken afternoon in the Queens Vault in Cardiff, watching the Ospreys in Europe. Elderly fellow approaches me and ask If he can sit with me and watch the match. I agree. Whilst discussing tactics and general areas in the match for a whole match, I realised that the elderly gentleman was

Barry John, how foolish did I feel (he was buying me pints haha).

Yeah mate, he's always in the Vaults - unfortunately most of the pubs on Westgate and St Mary's Street are his local, if you know what I mean

 

[SelimNiai]

Speaking of buying rounds....

Again with that? :lol:

 

[Zed]

josh lewsey - chatted to him for about 8 seconds in a bar, he complained of feeling sick, walked off and started chatting up some chick
jeff wilson - was in wellington, my missus is a pomme and bought me an england shirt, I would never wear it in Australia, so was wearing it in NZ, saw goldie coming out of the hotel we were staying in, tried to say hello, but he kind of looked at me in disgust. I blame the shirt.