Tuning in…
Tuning in…
Castaway
1 appearance
Former England rugby player turned coach who led the team to 2003 World Cup glory, the first Northern Hemisphere side to win.
On the island
Eight records
This is one that immediately brings tingles to my whole body. We used to have a a Friday night meeting before every every Test match, and we used to create a video to music. And this was the song that we played before we were playing Ireland for the Grand Slam in two thousand three.
The second disc is very much going back to early days and it this is all this is all about a pretty tough time of my life, but sort of a time that I'm quite proud of because I I came through it strongly. It's one of my favorite tracks and I love Bob Dylan.
This song just reminds me of holiday times and having great times with our three great kids. So this is a song wherever it comes on the radio, I just blast it away and it's just always warm feelings about holidays and kids and just just a great song.
This next one was the start of probably me starting to trying to prove people wrong because I was very independent at school, having to look after myself, having to just get through this. And I got on with it and you know, became started to play rugby and became very vague at rugby and that became a passion. This is this is something that reminds me when I first left school.
The next one, um this again was a particularly happy time in my life. This is sort of really the the Leicester years, but also moving down to Australia, meeting meeting Jane. Again, it just always brings a smile to my face when uh I hear this track.
This is really my Australia song. As as you said, I had five fantastic years in Australia. We went in nineteen eighty five. Jess and Joe were both born in Australia. And again, just wonderful memories of a brilliant five years of my life in a in a wonderful country with with Jane.
This is back to rugby. This is to me just reminds me really of just all the great players that I had playing with us. And we used to have music on the bus going to the game. This would be the second last track before we got off the bus.
Greatest DayFavourite
I've always prided myself on looking forward and I've had a fantastic life. I feel very, very lucky with Jane and my family. And this again is just the track that I just think it's all about. It's all about today.
In conversation
Presenter asks
1:37What did you make of [the blood capsule scandal] at the time, given your experience in rugby?
I was actually watching on on on tele and if if you're involved in the game, it was like a comic book situation. As soon as it happened, you could you knew what had happened. You could see it… I've spoken to Dean Richards since about it… I just think Dean got it badly wrong. I don't think it was the pressure of the situation… They were just breaking the rules knowingly to try and get a result.
Presenter asks
5:13Describe gladiator time to me.
I mean, I believe these guys are gladiators. I mean, they're absolutely heroes. I mean, we put a lot of stall on one-on-one battles… If you win your own personal battle, the chances are we're going to win… Twenty minutes out you look around the changing room and it's it's absolutely… the most inspirational place, even as a coach, because you'd love to be a player… And it's very quiet funny enough. And you can see them just looking at each other and they're just getting themselves mentally prepared.
Presenter asks
12:17What are your memories of your dad then? Was he away a lot, on duty?
No, I was very close to my dad. I mean, be very clear, I you know, love my dad to bits. He's the my my both my parents have passed away. I was very, very close to him… But he had to make this decision [to send me to boarding school]… I wasn't the the best pupil, to put it mildly,'cause I just didn't want to do any studies, wanted to be out playing games and football, and that's what I was going to do.
The keepsakes
The book
Dave Pelz
because golf's the one game I play wrong and he still think I can play quite well.
The luxury
So though that would just keep me totally focused and set targets and all tho all that stuff you spoke about in terms of making sure I stayed competitive and stayed fit and uh I'd be as happy as I could be.
Presenter asks
14:54Do you think that that sort of pattern of isolation that you experienced as a teenager was something that contributed to your effectiveness later on?
Yeah, I think there's a lot in this. There's no doubt, you know, people have gone to try and find out where does talent come from and I think the environment you come from has a huge bearing. There's there's usually someone on the way who said, Well, you're not going to be successful, you're not going to do this, and it's almost like I'm going to show you. Then you and you become this very single minded person that said, I'm going to prove them wrong.
Presenter asks
21:04You've said about Jane that without her your career might not have happened. What do you mean by that?
She's just been very supportive. I mean, she's an incredibly bright girl. She's a hundred times cleverer than I am. And just the advice she's given me on the way, I'd say ninety five percent of the time I've taken it and the five percent of the time I haven't, I've probably regretted it.
“I think at the top level it is the winning, but I think just below that there's a whole spectre of sport that is about the taking part, especially with with kids, it is taking part, it is enjoyment and it is the old Corinthian spirit. But the higher up you get, even at a young age, once you get into it's your especially if it's your livelihood, it is winning that's everything, that's why we love it.”
“You normally do just get one little moment in your life where you're either going to do it or not do it, and it's been able to do it under pressure.”
“The moment you've not got that mindset [that better never stops], Kirk, you're going to come second.”