James Horwill Calls In From The UK!

Last week, I was fortunate enough to be able to catch up with the one and only James Horwill, who made some time to call in via Zoom!

James Horwill is a name that's pretty much synonymous with Queensland rugby. He came on board in 2006 and helped lead the team to it's first Super Rugby championship in 2011. He played with the team for ten seasons, making 116 appearances! I made sure I asked him all about 2011 and what he thinks makes a championship team.

He was also a great Wallaby, making 62 appearances (many as captain) before he made his way to England to play for the club Harlequins. He officially retired last year, which was a big deal! (Fourteen years of professional rugby is long time.) He is still living there with his wife and daughter. I wasn't keen to talk about the virus situation too much! But was keen to find out how he's doing at the moment, before we began reminiscing... 

Hey James, thanks for taking time to chat!

Kind of a cheesy photo... but good fun

Pleasure. Thanks for having me! Nice to see a bit of Queensland in your backyard, from here in the UK. Nice to speak to you over the internet, which we’re getting used to these days.

How are things in England at the moment? What’s the situation with the lockdown?

Things are ok. As you said, we’re in lockdown at the moment still. We get some more information about that on Sunday evening. We’re allowed to go out, to exercise, go for a walk, or go to the shops, but that’s about it.

I’ve got my wife and my young daughter here, we’re ok, we’re sort of shacked up at home and get to enjoy spending a bit of time together. Obviously the virus has hit the UK and Europe quite hard, so it’s probably for the best that we stay away and do our best to minimise the impact of it.

How have you been coping since the lockdown, with no rugby to watch?

Yeah, it’s been a little bit weird. There’s been no sport, which is strange. Most social media channels of all teams have been putting a few vintage games and it’s nice to reminisce about that occasionally and look back at games you watched when you were growing up and also games you were involved in at the beginning of your career, it seems a long time ago now… so in that aspect, it’s quite nice to rejig the memory a little bit. Hopefully though, it looks like you guys might get a little bit of live rugby, sooner than we are, so it’ll be good to watch a little bit of that when that comes on.

Would that make you consider coming out of retirement?

Haha I don’t think so. I think my professional playing days are over now - I’m quite happily retired. I enjoyed what I did, but it’s like they say, when you know, you know. I’ve enjoyed my time in retirement so far.

What have you been up to since you hung up your boots?

When I retired last year, I started studying at the university of Cambridge, I’m doing an MBA here, I’ve been doing that since September. I’m also doing some work for my families business which is automotive accessories manufacturer, so I do a bit of work for them over here in the UK. Our head office is based in Brisbane, but we have a European office that’s been based here for a while. So I do a bit of work for them. I played for the university game against Oxford in December last year, so I strapped my boots back on for that, we had a win, which was at Twickenham. So with university and work, I’ve been keeping myself as busy as possible.

I’m a Reds fan so I’d like to start with going right back to 2011!

Sounds good.

Would you like to talk us through that season, from your perspective?

Yeah, sure! It was a great season, one of the most memorable, if not the most memorable season of my career, at any level. It starts probably with the devastating flood earlier that year, when a lot of people lost their homes, Suncorp Stadium was under water, so I think that was a galvanising factor for the Queensland public. We wanted to make sure that when we played, we gave people that had been through some hard times something to cheer about and put a smile on their face, by the way we played rugby. That was something that was evident throughout the year.

It’s a tough way to start, but a lot of things went well for us that year, after that. We were quite fortunate with injuries, there were some big games and it was a season where the team was able to adapt to the way we wanted to play and the way the opposition played. As momentum built, I think the belief built within us and as we got closer and closer to the end, there was a feeling inside that we were going to win this and we just had to make sure we kept playing. Obviously, the final game at Suncorp was one of the highlights of my career, the fact that we got to do it at home, at Suncorp, which 6-7 months earlier had been underwater due to the floods, it was a nice place to finish and wrap it all up. It was an amazing year and something that will stick very fondly in my memory.

It’s crazy to think we’re 10 years on from that. Next year’s the 10 year anniversary and we’re already in discussions to get the boys back together and get to Queensland at some point for a bit of a reunion.

James with the 2011 Super Rugby trophy

When did you think you’d have a shot at winning the championship?

Um - it’s a weird one… I think every season you go into you thought you could win it. That’s the mindset and that’s why you want to go into it. Obviously, Ewen came into it and changed some things up in 2010 and we fell just short of the finals that year and probably rightly so, I don’t think we were consistent enough to make the finals. But I think that was a good thing for us, it gave us more hunger, fire and desire to get through the next year. You probably don’t think specifically until right at the end, as you’re going through the season that you can win it, but I think in Super Rugby, it’s such a tough comp and it’s so quick and intense, that you can’t drop any games. It’s important that play you play at the same level week in and week out.

Based on that experience, what are the important ingredients of a championship rugby team?

That’s a good question. I think the team aspect is the most important thing. It’s important that you have a group of guys that are buying into a common goal and understand that everything they do is for that purpose. Allowing individuals to be themselves and express themselves, with buy in to that common goal. We certainly had an element of that, in that 2011 side. And you’ve got to enjoy it! Winning was obviously great, some of the best rugby memories from that season are from on the field and off. That certainly plays into performing well on the pitch - just that camaraderie and buying in and doing things for each other.

There’s not a lot of difference between the top teams around the world, they’re all great teams, it’s the small one-percenters that make the difference. So I think that camaraderie and the team unity is a big part of it.

Have you followed the Reds much since travelling to England?

Yes I have. Super Rugby is quite available on TV over here, it’s on Sky and so forth. So I would get up and watch at maybe 8, 9 or 10 o’clock if I didn’t have training or anything on, but I would always keep an eye on how the games would go. The teams changed a little bit since I was there, there’s not too many guys still at the Reds that I played with in my final few years, but it’s been great to watch. There are a lot of young guys coming through, which is exciting and hopefully they can stay together and can form the “back-bone” of the team moving forward. They’re doing some good things and I think they’re going to get rewarded whenever the Wallabies are picked. The biggest thing is trying to maintain those guys altogether and keep them in a group for a period of time so hopefully they can do something special.

James and the Wallabies won the Tri-Nations, home
at Suncorp stadium in 2011

What was the highlight of your time playing with the Wallabies?

Um, I think you always remember your first cap, that was a special moment. I was lucky to play amongst some great
sides, getting asked to captain the side for a period of time was a highlight, winning the Tri-Nations for the first time captaining, at Suncorp stadium, that was a great experience. There were some great games along the way there, some games in South Africa that we won, beating the All Black in Brisbane and in Sydney, that sort of stuff sticks with you for a long time.

It’s hard to put [into words]… I was very lucky to play for as long as I did for the Wallabies, again, the experience that you have off the field and touring and travelling the world is always a great experience and something that you certainly don’t take for granted.

Thanks James for your time! Really appreciate the chat!

Pleasure Tom! Happy to chat any time. It’s great to see you supporting the Reds - I follow with interest as you do, we’re both fans now so we get to sit on the other side now and watch and enjoy what the boys are doing. Hopefully we’ll see a bit of live rugby on the TV soon.

I hope so too!

A special thanks to Ann-Maree from Vintage Reds for helping us get in touch. She also helped me get connected with the great Andrew Slack, who I interviewed for last weeks blog.)

Catching up with the Legendary Reds and Wallabies Captain: Andrew Slack

Earlier this week, I had a great chat with legendary Queenslander/world-beating Wallaby, Andrew Slack! Not being able to catch up in person, we caught up using FaceTime and had a great conversation.

We talked about his memories playing rugby for Queensland and Australia and he had some great advice for rugby players today! He also told us which sport he would have preferred to play over rugby, as well as which Queensland Red he sees as a future Wallabies star.

I hope you enjoy reading our chat!

Hey Andrew, thanks for taking time to chat! For those that don’t know, what have you spent your time doing, since your retired from coaching rugby?

Well, coaching's difficult and you’ve got to be absolutely passionate about the game to be a good coach. I liked the game, but I liked the people more. I didn’t fit with coaching to be honest.  But anyway, to answer your question, I was a school teacher from 1977 to 1985, worked for the Courier-Mail for a year in 1985 and then Morgans Stockbrokers in 1986 and 1987.  From 1988 until my retirement in 2016 I worked with Channel 9.

I had one year off from that when I was the full time head coach for the Queensland Reds In 2003.

You played 133 games for Queensland, which is legendary! To ask for one top highlight would be silly. Do you mind sharing your top three Queensland memories? Or top 5 even, if you like...

Top 3 or 5… Ok! Beating New South Wales is always pretty good. Early on, from a footy perspective, Queensland had been getting beaten by New South Wales for a long time over the years I was playing, which was obviously a long time ago... But in 1976, my first interstate game, we beat New South Wales 42-4 and it became quite a “famous” game, because we turned the fortunes and for years after that, we kept beating New South Wales. So that was number one I suppose.

Another thing… It’s hard to pick highlights… I’d say there tours and the memories from that. In ’78 we went to Japan, Canada and America… the times we had during that trip were wonderful. It was a very good team really and we built on that team and had success for several years to come, including beating the All Blacks, ‘cos the international teams used to come through and play Queensland and New South Wales. We beat the All Blacks in 1980 I think. But by and large, my best memories are the tours and the times we had with the players I played with. It’s hard to find three or four or five. There’s a lot! But footy wise, I guess beating New South Wales and the All Blacks is up there.

You’ve spent a number of years as a coach in Queensland. Do you have a favourite coaching memory?

I do, I’ve got an easy answer to that one. I was an assistant coach for a few years, which was good. I enjoyed it. But the one year I had as had coach in 2003, I didn’t love it, but I had one highlight. We played the Stormers, I think they were called “Western Province” then, in Cape Town, I think it was Super 12 at the time. And we had a hooker sent off in the first five minutes, Tai McIsaac was his name. So we were down to fourteen men, without a hooker, in front of a Newlands crowd, which is pretty parochial, a bit like playing Queensland down at Ballymore back in the old days, or playing here at Suncorp now. But anyway, I think we were down to fourteen men and down by seven or eight by the time he got sent off, only five minutes. Anyway, we one the game.

I think we won by around ten or fifteen points. I remember Elton Flatley scoring a try and Julian Huxley. It was one of those games when everything went right, so 14 Queensland beat 15 South Africans.

That is by some margin, my favourite coaching memory and after that, they all come a bad second ‘cos they weren’t many good ones.

Let’s talk about your time playing with the Wallabies! You captained the Wallabies to a lot of great victories! Let’s get this out of the way... when you won the Bledisloe cup in New Zealand, you held the cup up wearing an All Blacks jersey. Care to explain?

[Laughs.] Yes I do care to explain smarty. [Laughs.] So what happened… today, everyone gets a jersey now with the date. I assume they just keep the jersey - one every game. But back then, we didn’t.. we got a jersey to keep at the end of the tour and if you made the test matches, you could keep the jersey after the three games. There were three test matches. So you had one jersey, plus another.

So that third test was at the end of the series and the tradition was you just found your opposite number and swapped your jersey, which is exactly what I did with Joe Stanley. So I’m not thinking “what’s going to happen at the end…” and holding the Bledisloe cup and all that, or else I would never had taken it off. [Laughs.]

People with All Blacks jerseys have held it enough times, so I’d rather I’d had an Australian jersey on. Alan Jones, one of the coaches, got stuck into me years later, but you don’t think of these things at the time.

What was the greatest, or most memorable victory for you, while playing as a Wallaby?

I think probably [pauses] the day I wore the All Black jersey! [Laughs.] So the third test in Auckland in 1986. No Australian team has beaten the All Blacks [at Eden Park] since that day. That’s probably number one, in terms of the hardest thing we achieved. 

Beating Scotland in Murrayfield in 1984, which competed the Grand Slam was probably second, that was a great thing and we felt very elated. But the harder job was probably beating the All Blacks in New Zealand. So the third test in ’86 was probably my greatest on-field playing memory.

Can we go right back to the start of your rugby journey. What first inspired you to play the game?

I was a cricket lover as a kid, more than rugby. I was probably more interested in rugby league, but I went to Villanova where in grade four I played my first rugby game in 1964, it was "Brontosaurus" versus "Tyrannosaurus Rex" and from then we just played rugby at school. Then in 1970, a friend of mine from Villanova who played at U-15s Souths said “why don’t you have a few games at Souths”, which I did. I finished school in ’72 and went and joined Souths in 1973 and I’ve got many lifelong friends from my association with Souths, and now with Queensland and Australia. So it was really just circumstances, I went to a school that played rugby and my friends played and I joined in. But it’s never actually been my favourite sport! I love it, but cricket was always number one.

I used to pray my prayers and I’d pray that I’d play cricket for Australia, but I don’t think God was listening, or he was only half listening!

Who was your first rugby hero?

Hero’s not the word I’d use, but that’s a bit philosophical, I won’t get into it… Probably Paul McLean, who was the guy we all looked up to when I was first in the Queensland team. He was the five-eighth, the sort to ‘super-star’ of the time. I ended up playing with him and we’re very, very close friends and now he’s interim CEO and chairman, he’s got a lot to put up with and I don’t agree with everything he’s done. But he was probably the guy that I admired most when I first coming into rugby and luckily enough, when I got into the team, he was one of the guys that really helped me as well. He’s probably the first that comes to mind by there’s a bunch of others who can probably be in that race as well.

What are some major ways that rugby has changed, since you last played?

Well the major thing is obviously that we played in an amateur time when we had a job and trained Tuesdays and Thursdays and would go away for long tours and that was all a bit more difficult. But in terms of the game itself, I think the players are much more physically adept, much stronger than we were. I never did gym work, I could bench press two rum and cokes at the end of my career! We didn’t sort of have time for that, so we just trained as footballers, not as athletes really. That’s changed enormously.

A lot of the laws have changed. Some of them have made it a better game, but there are some that have made it, of late, a worse game. So I think we need to go back and look at some of the older laws and make a few changes. The foundations are the same, but we’ve got to keep tinkering, because I don’t think we see as many really entertaining games of rugby, as we should, with what the game has to offer. The laws and the interpretation of the laws, I think can muck it up from time to time.

What advice would you give to professional players, regarding life after rugby?

Well, I’d give it to them while they playing rugby. And that would be just to accept how lucky you are, one needs to not get caught in the bubble of being a person that is anything better than anyone else, because they happen to be able to kick a footy or run faster or whatever. I don’t think it happens all that much in rugby, it happens in some of the other sports… but we need to just be conscious that ultimately, although it is a profession, it is still a game and enjoyment is a key for the players and the fans.

The other thing, it’s a hard thing to do when your younger, to think about when you’re older… particularly when you’re playing rugby and getting a lot of money to play. You’re not going to be thinking about what you’re going to when your forty and have a family. I’d just advise that that they need to think about things other than rugby and have something other than rugby, when you’re not able to play the game.

Thanks very much for taking time to chat! It’s an interesting time for rugby and I’m glad we have great people like you around adding to the discussion about where we go next.

Well, it’s a pleasure Tom and as I’ve said to a few people over the last few weeks, I’m by nature very optimistic and rugby will sort itself out. It’s a bit messy at the moment, but they’ve got a lot of good people involved who all want it to be as good as it can be. So I’m confident rugby will be fine. All we need is a couple of Eals’s and Horan's to win us a World Cup again and we’ll be laughing! 

Talking about the future… are there any particular players you’ve got your eye on?

Well, I do think this young Queensland side is looking terrific. McReight, Wilson, Liam and all the forwards, but one guy I’ve liked for a couple of years, who I think could really make a big difference for the Wallabies is Tait McDermott. I haven’t quite fully understood why Brad Thorne didn’t start him, in the last couple of games before Covid-19 stopped things. But he’s a player who’d be very good to play with and the fans love to watch. I think Queensland have a strong foundation now and he’s going to be one of the stars, I reckon.

Catching Up with Curtis Browning

Reds Rugby Rules never stops.... because there's no shortage of memories and stories to share from the rugby community!

Lately, I caught up with former-Red Curtis Browning, who for the last few years has been playing for the French club Colomiers. He is currently in lockdown with two kids, so we had a good chat via email :-).

I've known Curtis since he was in primary school, so it made perfect sense to try to reach out during the lockdown and hear how he's going. He shared some of his experiences, including, mainly of course, memories from his time with the Queensland Reds (2013-2016).

Curtis had always been good to talk to, down to earth
and always making time for fans 

I'm 100% sure you'll enjoy reading my interview below!

How’s life in France been for the last few years? (Before the virus came along.)

I've loved my time in France. The footy is a very different style of play to back home. It’s a lot slower and as a result it’s more physical across the 80 minutes. The lifestyle has been great. The French definitely have their way of doing things and living, it's been a very enjoyable experience. To add to that, we've been able to explore a lot of France and get some travel in, which has been unreal.

France will forever be a special place for my wife Courtney and I, not just because we've lived here for 4 years, but because of our 2 daughters, Penelope and Theodora were both born here. One of the most enjoyable parts of the experience has been seeing our eldest Penelope start to speak the language by attending the local school.

How have you and the family been since the lockdown in France?

It's been a big change, that's for sure. We're lucky that we live in a townhouse with a small garden and not in an apartment like most people here, it's allowed us to get outside and enjoy the sunshine most days which we've been very grateful for, with the 2 girls running around! 

The restrictions are much stricter here than back in Australia, there are large on the spot fines for people who don't have what is essentially a permission slip to show authorities while you are out and about doing only what is considered essential (groceries and medical appointments). We are also allowed to leave our homes for 1 hour of exercise per day but must stay within a 1km radius of our home or risk getting fined. So we have been doing a few laps of our suburb every day to get out of the house with the kids.

Having these restrictions since March 17th, you without a doubt appreciate all the little freedoms we all so often enjoy and we're very grateful we've managed to stay healthy and that we aren't facing the difficulties that so many other families around the world are.

Let’s talk about Queensland rugby! You are one of the great exports to come out of this State. What are some of the things you learnt, here in Queensland, that still keep you going today?

Haha I'm not sure if I'm one of the great exports, but playing for Queensland was without a doubt my most satisfying and fulfilling rugby experience. I played Rugby League up until high school, so I learned most of my rugby from 2 great coaches at Brisbane State High, David Eagle and Graham Noon. Without the two of them who knows where I would've ended up, they taught me the game.

More of a life lesson than just a rugby one, but when I got into the Reds system, I got to learn what it took and looked like to be great at a craft. Seeing the hours of training and video that guys like Rob Simmons, James Horwill, Quade Cooper, Will Genia, Ben Daley, Digby Ioane and Beau Robinson put in opened my eyes to what type of commitment is needed to succeed in whatever it is you are trying to improve. These guys are some of the hardest workers I've been around for sure. There was a lot more structure when I was at the Reds compared to my time in France, so being committed to doing a gym program that suits you or getting an individual review/ preview in each week is something that has been much more self-driven for players in France from my experience. So seeing what those guys did on top, of the team organized sessions has helped my footy here along with other aspects of life.

What was it that first inspired you to play rugby?

Well, I grew up playing league because that's what my dad and a few of my good friends when I was young played. I had the same reason for starting rugby union. At State High, rugby was offered and league wasn't, so I wanted to play with my mates.

Curtis makes a run during the 2013 season

What is your favourite rugby memory so far?

There's plenty of great memories so far. But my favourite rugby memory would have to be debuting for the Reds. I only got a couple of minutes off the bench, but we won the game. It was at home and I got to do it in front of family, so that was special.

What’s your favourite memory, of training at Ballymore?

Plenty of funny things happen in the changing rooms, but the best part about training at Ballymore was without a doubt the downtime between the morning and afternoon sessions. Getting to go grab lunch with your mates each day, playing cricket in the change rooms, playing pranks on each other, they were the best memories of training at Ballymore.

You were a part of the Australian Schoolboys team for three years, as well as a captain of the Australian U-20s side. Can you describe the feeling of putting on the Australian Jersey?

I never got to do it at a senior level but representing your country is obviously a very special thing, something I don't think anyone takes for granted at any level. It's a very hard thing to put into words, as athletes there are a lot of sacrifices made to perform at a high level, often from a young age, so to have those sacrifices pay off at each level of representation is rewarding and extremely humbling, knowing how many people would love to be were you and your teammates are. I can't imagine how proud our Wallabies feel every time they play.

Your grandfather, Dick Marks was a Wallabies centre. What’s the best rugby story you heard about him growing up?

Anyone who knows Pop knows he's a great storyteller and a very funny man! I actually just finished reading the book "A Dangerous Breed" which he helped write. It talks about the famous Wallabies team of 1963 that toured South Africa and beat them there twice. I think they are the only Australian team to have won at Ellis Park in over 85 years of trying. Worth the read!

Thanks heaps for taking time out. Especially during lockdown with two kids at home!

Thanks mate, anytime.

A Conversation with the Legendary Will Genia

Will Genia is an absolute Reds and Wallabies legend. He was a key part of the 2011 championship Reds season I’ve been focusing on lately and went on to play a massive 110 tests wearing the gold jersey for Australia, most of them, starting at number 9. He felt it was the right time to retire from international footy after last years World Cup (even after playing exceptionally well), but no doubt, the half-back still has much more rugby left in him!

This year, he has been playing in Japan for the Kintetsu Liners, (alongside his old teammate Quade Cooper!) I asked him about his season in Japan, before talking about his glory days with the Reds. With so much up in the air for Rugby (and all sports) in Australia… there’s nothing like reminiscing about great memories we all have.

I hope you enjoy reading our chat!

With Will at Ballymore Stadium (along with Samu and Tongan Thor), during Wallabies
training (ahead of their win against Ireland in June, 2018)

Hey Will, great to chat with you again. I’m glad to hear you and your family are all safe and well! I know it has been a while since we last spoke, but it’s always good to talk with you. Thanks for doing this interview via email!

To start with, how is being back in Brisbane?

I love being back in Brissy. It’s home for me and my family, so to be back here where both of our families reside is also special. Life as a rugby family means a lot of travel and living overseas, so anytime with family is always amazing. 

How was your season going in Japan before you had to come back? And also how good was it having Quade playing alongside you?

We had a great season at Kintetsu. We managed to win the competition and beat all teams by a minimum of 50 points. It was incredibly enjoyable and made so much better by how great the people in Japan are. Having Quade there with me, honestly made the transition so easy. He’s a great mate and we’ve played so much rugby together, that it’s all been so seamless. 

You started playing for the Reds in 2007, almost right out of school! Being part of the team for so long, you must have some great memories, care to share a few?

My first game for the Reds was in 2006. I love the Reds. I genuinely identify myself with being a proud Queenslander and there’s been some great memories made over the years. I’d say two stick out the most.

Firstly the entire 2010 season. It was possibly my most enjoyable season of rugby. We were written off and rubbished and to come and play an exciting brand of rugby and  re-establish and reinvigorate rugby in Queensland was so much fun to be apart of.

Secondly, obviously winning the title in 2011! It was a culmination of so much work and sacrifice and it was a great group of guys to do it with.

Who were some of your influences while playing for the Reds? Also, was there anyone that made you change the way you went about the game?

The biggest influence on my game would have to be Chris Lane. He was my 1st XV coach as well as my club coach for a year. He taught me the art of passing, but more than that, he just believed in me and was there to catch passes and kicks and talk rugby relentlessly. I’m so grateful for him. 

What’s your funniest memory from your time at Ballymore?

The funniest memory would be playing ping pong with Rod Davies, Ben Tapuai and Aiden Toua, until 3 in the morning, right before we played the Lions in Johannesburg in 2011. It was an intense game. So yeah, playing ping pong and drinking milk and milo until 3am. It was great fun and we had a good win the next day too.

What do you feel is the greatest achievement of your career so far?

I would say my greatest achievement in my career would be playing 100 tests for Australia. It was my dream to play and to have played 110 and started in over 90 of them means so much to me!

A huge thanks to Will for taking time to answer my questions, while in lockdown. Of course:

“Once a Red, always a Red!”

An Excellent Chat with (Quarantined) Eddie Quirk

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Eddie Quirk is one of my old mates from way back (I still wear the Reds shirts he gave me almost 10 years ago). He came through the Queensland pathway, debuting for the Reds back in 2010. He went on to play 6 seasons of Super Rugby with them and was of course a part of the squad during their 2011 championship year! Since then, he has played in Japan for the Sunwolves and is now playing for Top League club Canon.

While rugby is on hold almost worldwide, he has come home to Brisbane with his family. His wife and baby girl came over early and he made it in time for a hotel quarantine!

When I chatted with him using Facetime on Friday, he was in day 9 of 14, isolated in a hotel. He told us what it was really like, before sharing a lot of rugby memories. I hope you enjoy reading our chat!

You’re in day 9 of Quarantine! What’s it really like?

Yeah, day 9 in quarantine Tommy, it’s tough, but I think some other people are doing it tougher. I’ve got a lovely room here at the West End. The hardest thing is probably having no sun and fresh air. But look, that’s ok, it’s over in a few days. I can see into another building and I can see here are some young families that are doing isolation in similar rooms to me… 4 people in those rooms.  I get to work out, watch some movies and get on the phone and chat around. So it is tough, but it’s not the worst thing.

How were things in Japan, just before you came home?

Yeah, it was crazy because there was a lot of stuff happening with the Olympics that were still to go through and there were still uncertainties around our season in Top League, as well as the Corona Virus happening. Probably the hardest thing, being in Japan, was knowing that Australia was going into lockdown and there were some windows that we had to make to potentially get home, so my wife and baby came home ahead of me. So Japan, you were still very free, you were still able to go shopping, go to restaurants and get on trains and so forth, during that time. So it was good to have the freedom and good to be able to do normal rugby training, but there was still that element where I had to get to home to be with family, if things went really crazy, here in Australia. It was good to have that freedom, but I needed to get home.

How many rugby games have you watched in the last week?

(Laughs) A fair few! There’s been a lot of rugby league on and some union games that I’ve been able to watch, which has been good. I have looked up a few old school Reds games, including the British Lions game against the Reds and some old Sunwolves games, which have been good ones. I’ve kept the ones where I’ve been yellow and red carded out of it, they obviously weren’t good times! I love all sports, so I’ve also just been watching whatever on TV at the moment.

What’s you’re favourite Reds moment?

When I debuted for the Reds against the Highlanders, I was only 18, that’s stuck with me as one of my favourite ones. Unfortunately Higgers [Scott Higgenbotham] ended up breaking his leg almost in that one and I got to play 75 minutes on my debut, which is pretty unheard of. I think that’s the moment that sticks for me, obviously playing the British Irish Lions for the Reds [in 2013], beating the Tahs and getting the Bob Templeton cup and being a part of the Super Rugby championship that year! To be honest, it’s hard to pick one. I do still remember my debut very clearly.. I think there was a huge scrap, probably five minutes in… I think I got dusted up in that, that was pretty cool memory. That’s probably the one that sticks with me the most.

What are some things you’ve learnt from that 2011 championship year, that you’ve held on to ever since?

Probably the lead in. I played I think about 10 or 12 games, then got injured with my shoulder. Probably, some things I’ve taken out of that was just how fun that year was. It was a good feeling being part of a winning team week in, week out. I made some really good friendships that year. There were a lot of young guys and we all continued on, we were all a similar age and one of the youngest teams… probably just the camaraderie, we were always able to celebrate afterwards and go and get beers and go out for dinner afterwards, that was one of the most enjoyable years I’ve had with the Reds, that’s the main thing I took out of the year. Enjoyment.

I’m familiar with your rugby journey, but for the readers that don’t know... how did you end up playing rugby? And what’s your experience of the Queensland pathway?

That’s an awesome question. It’s a funny one, growing up with my brothers, we played every sport that was available, swimming, volleyball, waterpolo, athletics, rugby, basketball… every sport that was on offer at school, we did. I never had a sport that I was focused on. But then a friend that I had at Iona [College], Chris Ekins, he said they were low on some numbers down at Redlands rugby union for his U-15s side. We played Sunnybank and won and I just enjoyed it... the coach asked me to play the rest of the season. So that kickstarted my journey.

From there, I did what you could almost call the "traditional Queensland" rugby pathway to the Reds from then on, I played at Redlands growing up, then went to Brisbane State High, I met your good looking brother there... I played the first XV and then made the GPS “one” team and was lucky enough to represent Queensland schools and played in that championship… funnily enough, you wouldn’t believe it, I got red-carded in that tournament. I was legitimately given a lifeline to play for “Australia A” and captain that team against Fiji and they took three extra guys from that team to play Schoolboys and I was one of the three and was lucky enough to beat New Zealand in that final game in New Zealand - the only Aussie schools team to win overseas and I got man of the match in that game. So it was a very cool pathway - I was picked up by the Reds academy, I ended up playing for Australia for Sevens and doing tournaments overseas and after a year and a half of doing that, I made my debut with the Reds and then signed a full-contract.

So call it the “stock standard” pathway with all of those things in there, all the way up. I’ve been pretty lucky that that was the pathway. It’s changed a bit now, with kids coming out of school, but it was actually a really cool pathway and I’ve met a lot of cool people along the way, before my debut with Super Rugby. I think I’ve played 88 games in Super Rugby now, so it was a pretty cool way to go.

I haven’t thought about that for a while! That’s an awesome question.

I know it’s hard to tell what’s going to happen next, with rugby overall, but what are your personal goals from here on?

Yeah! There’s a lot happening in world rugby, a lot of competitions have been damaged, in the UK, in France, Ireland, Japan.. obviously Super Rugby’s taken a massive hit as well… from a personal point of view, I’ve got another year playing with Canon, so I definitely want to get back playing from this injury and back playing some really good rugby. I’ve had a dream of playing a hundred games of Super Rugby, so you know, that might be a goal in the future to go for, but probably for me, just to get back to playing consistent rugby, injury free. Also, I’m currently in the process of getting a Japanese passport, I’ve done my 5 years over there and I’ve been studying my Japanese pretty thoroughly, so for me, if there’s an opportunity to represent Japan, I’d love to.

They’ve given me a lot of time and put a lot of effort into me, so if I can give that back in a rugby sense, that would be massive for me to represent the country. They’ve really opened there arms to me - and hence why I’ve stayed there for 5 years. There’s been opportunities to come back to Australia over the last few years, but I just felt like I owed it to Japan to just stay on and pretty much build rugby there. You would have seen, during the World Cup, just how far it’s come. So yeah - get healthy for Canon - and hopefully take the pathway of representing Japan for any internationals and/or the World Cup and keep a job for the next few years. It’s tough times for everyone - I’d just be happy to get another job.

I’ve known you a long time Eddie and if you ever played for Japan, I’d definitely become a Japanese supporter! (When they’re not playing the Wallabies of course.)

Yeah I know every time I’ve brought you Sunwolves gear, you haven’t been too happy about it… but if I ever represent Japan, I’ll bring a jersey home to you. As long as you put it on and take it off, that’s all I care about.

I have to say, I had an awesome time in Japan, following the Reds over there in 2017. I still have a bunch of highlight pictures, posted online.

I remember seeing your posts online… I think you met one of our coaches, Tony Brown! I still regard Browny as one of the best coaches I’ve ever had, throughout my time. He just has such a smart rugby brain. When I saw the photo of you with Browny, I though “of course Tom’s gonna weasel his way in there with the greats”. But yeah. Was good to see you over there in Japan…

Thanks heaps Eddie for taking time to chat for my blog! Once a Red, always a Red.

(Laughs) yeah mate, for sure! 100%. I’ve been looking forward to this interview for a while. I was a bit nervous about the questions… but yes, there’s always a soft spot for the Reds, whenever they’re playing, I do watch and support them, for sure. It’s really cool seeing all these young guys coming through, like Zaccy Lucas and a couple of good Easts boys... Liam Wright and also Chrissy Sautia, who I was lucky enough to play with. I’ll always give my time back to the club and community rugby here, that’s one thing that I’ll do when I’m done and dusted.