Lions Interview: Tom Rees
Posted by Sport.co.uk on: 02 July 2009 - 12:18
Author: Jonny Abrams
Sport.co.uk caught up with the Wasps and England flanker as he rests up after another tough season.
So Tom, how are you?
It’s holiday, so I’m fairly wound-down, thank you!
Who’s impressed you on the Lions tour so far? And how do you see it panning out?
It’s been enjoyable to see how the guys have got on. Sometimes people forget that, although they’re all great players, they’ve been thrown together at the last minute and the weight of expectation on their shoulders is pretty huge. But there’s been some really good rugby played. In terms of who’s impressed, I’d look at my clubmate Simon Shaw. He’s been on every tour since ’97 and this is the first time he’s going to be playing in the test team, so it’s just rewards for him. I don’t think it’s a sentimental call – he’s earned his place in the team. Luke Fitzgerald is another guy who has done his utmost to grab any opportunity he’s been given on the wing. So that’s a couple of exciting changes for the second test.
Do you think you’d there yourself if it wasn’t for injuries you had?
Maybe, yeah. Unfortunately I missed the entirety of the Six Nations this year just gone, and that’s the big shop window where guys prove their worth for the Lions tour. Once I missed that, it was always going to be an uphill struggle to get involved.
What do you think of McGeechan’s squad?
I remember in 2005, a lot of people were confident in naming fairly similar test teams before the tour had even set off, whereas this year they made a point of saying that every player will get a chance to challenge for a test spot. So there’s not been a general consensus about who’s going to start in each position. It’s a strong squad full of people who were picked because they were playing well.
When the squad came out, one or two people suggested that it lacked creativity…
That’s a harsh call. I think a lot of the creativity comes from guys knowing each other very well and that’s always going to be an uphill struggle for a Lions squad because the guys are thrown together. It’s plain to see that the team spirit has been good, and all the guys are saying it’s a great tour to be on, but that doesn’t change the fact that you maybe don’t know the guy next to you as well as you would an international or club colleague. I don’t think it’s fair to say they haven’t been creative because they weren’t many options for them to change that. Stephen Jones is starting again this weekend and, while he’s not a player who’s going to make huge darting breaks himself, he’s a guy who pulls the strings around him, and I think they’ve been playing some good rugby.
How much do you think Lee Byrne will be missed?
He will be. He’s been playing at a consistently high standard right from the outset of the tour. Although, with Rob Kearney behind him, there’s an embarrassment of riches at full-back – hopefully he’ll grab his opportunity with both hands
What kind of japes do you think the lads will be up to over there?
I dread to think! They’ve been out there a long time and there are rumours that Donncha O’Callaghan likes a bit of a gag. Stuff will be going missing left, right and centre. If anyone’s got anything that’s a lucky charm, that will have long since vanished, I’d have thought. Maybe it’ll settle down a bit now it’s getting to test week but I imagine the fellas have been getting stuck into each other as much as they can!
As someone who’s done so yourself, tell us how you go about stopping someone like Richie McCaw.
When you’re going up against someone who is the top player in the world in their position, you can’t go in with the attitude that you’re out of your depth, or pay them too much respect. You can’t give players like Richie McCaw or Schalk Burger an inch. You’ve just got to back your own ability and get stuck in with conviction and have the attitude that you’re going to be the player who dictates thing, rather than just reacting to what your opposite man is doing.
What does the future hold for you at Wasps?
I suppose it’s a bit of an uncertain time what with everything going on at the club. We’ve got a new director of rugby in Tony Hanks, and we’ve got a lot of young guys who are now going to be expected to be senior players. It’s an exciting time. We fell short of our standards last year but hopefully that will serve as a bit of a wakeup call for us. We’ve got new guys coming in who will hopefully add a lot to the team. While we’re not in the Heineken Cup, we’ve got to make sure we’re in European competition and we go on and win that this year as well as competing in the Premiership.
Do you feel like you’ve put your injury problems behind you? They seem to strike at bad times…
I didn’t have the best of luck last year and, while I try not to dwell on it too much, you get a bit frustrated sometimes. Sadly, it’s just past and parcel of the game – injury does rear its head every so often and there’s never a good time for it to happen. I’ll just be getting stuck in and hoping that I can get a good run of fitness and form and that things will go my way.
There seems to be a bit of a cocaine problem in rugby…
I don’t want to comment too much on that. It’s been acknowledged that some players don’t have squeaky clean records when it comes to these things, but those individual matters are down to the guys who are involved, really.
Is Martin Johnson a Lions coach in the making?
Yeah, I think so. From an England point of view, maybe it would be best if that was his focus for the next few years.
Would you consider going to play in France, like James Haskell?
Well, you never say never. The unusual thing with James is that he’s going there just as he’s coming into the prime of his career, whereas a lot of other guys tended to move there towards the end of theirs. I’ve re-signed for another 2 years at Wasps so it’s not something I’ve been thinking about. You never say never but it’s not really on the cards for me just now.
If this sparks an exodus of players moving abroad, how do you think this would affect the England team?
There’s certainly a possibility. A lot of eyes will be on James to see how he does out there because he’s one of the players who’ll be looking to become an England regular over the next few years. So I think if he can manage that whilst out in France then other players might try to pursue the same opportunity. If players were to leave then it would open up more spaces for other guys to get their chance and it’s up to them to play at a level that makes people forget that there are other players abroad who they should be picking.
Can Jonny Wilkinson ever play for England again?
He’s been around for so long but he’s still only about 30 so there’s still time for him to get back into the squad. And I imagine that’ll be exactly what he’s aiming for. It’s going to be a question of if he can stay fit – he’ll be in the frame straight away if he can get a run of games together.
Do you think Danny Cipriani’s lifestyle is hampering his England chances?
No, I don’t. Danny’s young and successful and he’s enjoying what comes from that - but that’s come from the fact that he is a great talent. I don’t think his lifestyle has an effect on his rugby playing ability.
Who are your greatest heroes in rugby?
When I was growing up, the England backline was pretty much always Richard Hill, Neil Back and Lawrence Dallaglio. Between the three of them, they had everything. As a unit, they were an example to any young rugby player.
What would you be doing now if you hadn’t have become a rugby player?
As a result of being asked that question a lot, I’ve finally realised that I would’ve liked to have been a doctor! But I didn’t know that when I was 18, so I probably would have drifted around from random thing to random thing until I found a calling. I’m rather lucky that rugby came up.
Tom Rees drinks Maximilk to help his muscles recover after a hard game of rugby. For more information, nutritional advice and training tips please visit www.maximuscle.com
