Inside your Rugby Journal Weekly #3

Gethin Jones’ Rugby Life

Predictions for the weekend

The Meat Raffle 

Ghost Grounds #3 Beacon Park, Plymouth Albion

From the archives: Delon Armitage & Sarah Hunter

A cup-winning scrum-half, a programme-collecting anorak, a student of the game (literally) and also the temporary flatmate of George North (and family), rugby has always played a big role in life of the BBC Morning Live presenter. 

Gethin shares the story of his rugby life...

It’s rugby or nothing when you’re Welsh, especially if you’re Welsh language. You play rugby at school and it’s not even discussed that you play other sports. There was also music for me, my mum was a violin teacher, so she was always worried I’d hurt my fingers – I was a cool kid! But I still played a lot, I remember those cold winter mornings down at Llandaff Fields, when you can’t feel your hands and feet, and you thought you were enjoying yourself, but you probably weren’t!

I was always a bit of a rugby statto. I probably still am a bit of a rugby anorak. I used to love getting all the old programmes and learning all the heights and weights of the players and regurgitating them to friends. I’ve no idea why! I’m an absolute nause, I’ve got some rugby-player friends and they avoid me when I start talking about stats and stuff to them when they’re the ones actually living the game.

I played for Clwb Rygbi Cymry Caerdydd. They’re a Welsh language club and I think the only reason we won games was because all our lineout calls were in Welsh and no-one knew what the hell we were doing. 

The first game I went to was Wales versus USA. Paul Thorburn was playing, so it must have been around 1987. I used to go and watch Cardiff quite a bit too, and then also watched a lot of rugby league on S4C when the likes of Scott Gibbs and Scott Quinnell were playing there, it was Monday nights and past my bedtime, so it was a bit of a treat.

I played scrum-half. So Robert Jones was one of my heroes, and Scotty Gibbs too, the way he’d dominate collisions, it was amazing to watch.

I’m a Cardiff boy but I supported Swansea. I think it was because I loved the players, there was a prop called Ian Bucket and I loved his name. They also had Robert Jones, Anthony Clement and Scott Gibbs, so it was down to the players really. I also think I was trying to be different, that’s why I support Everton, because everyone else supported Liverpool. 

I support Cardiff now though. When I left Cardiff, it felt like the right thing to do, because I’m proud to come from the city and it also felt far too complicated to be supporting Swansea and having to explain that to everyone all the time.

We’re dead proud of the Millennium Stadium. Most players and coaches around the world would agree it’s one of the best stadiums in the world. But from a fan’s point of view, it’s one of the only stadiums right in the heart of the city. Even on Saturday, when we played Australia, it’s no hassle, you’re walking to the game, past the castle, it’s amazing, and all the other stadiums are a bit of a faff to get to. But Cardiff, it’s right, 48 hours, you’re on it, and then can’t see anything by the end of it, because you’ve drunk yourself silly. That’s the best weekend in Cardiff, when you don’t remember any of it.

It's cool when you get to know the players. I’ve been lucky to get to know a few of the boys for work: Jamie Roberts is a really good friend, I know Jon [Davies] Fox quite well, George North is a good mate – seeing guys you know on the pitch winning Grand Slams is pretty cool. It’s been a bit of golden period for Wales too.

In my job I’m never star-struck, except for sports people. The first person I probably met was Scott Gibbs. I remember when Warren Gatland took over in 2008 and we hadn’t beaten England at Twickenham for however many years. I was on a table [at Twickenham] with Lawrence Dallaglio and my hero Scott Gibbs, and Lawrence said ‘I think you boys could do it today, but hold on, why aren’t you two drinking?’. Next thing we know, Wales have won, it’s 3.30am, I’m stumbling around Richmond arm-in-arm with Gibbsy, my all-time hero, that was pretty special.

I ended up living with George North because of lockdown. He had an issue with his flat because of flooding and I needed someone to stay in my flat, so him, his wife Becky, their son Jack and two sausage dogs moved in. But of course, we then got locked down, so I had to bubble with them and we became this weird family. In the morning Becky – who I was a huge fan of from the Olympics – would be ‘right, George you’re looking after Jack, Geth, we need to go to Sainsbury’s...’, it was hilarious. Every day, we’d just be waiting for our orders from Becky.

It was incredible seeing the discipline of George every day. The faff of recovery, we all go to the gym and do a few stretches and think we’re done, so when you see what a professional rugby player has to do... Even when we’re watching box sets, he’d be in a game-ready suit stretching, while I’m there eating chocolate buttons. Then there’s the diet too, the discipline to eat, when and what, especially when he’s a dad as well, so not always having the sleep.

My last game was in 2011. When the Rest of the World played England at The Stoop. I got celebrity man of the match and I’ve dined out on it ever since. Rory Lawson and me were playing scrum-half and I played nine minutes, sidestepped a prop, and it looked good on telly. Celebrity man of the match – how bad is that!?

I quit rugby for Blue Peter. I probably finished playing too young, it was 12th April 2004, and I remember that because I went back and played for Clwb Rygbi and we won the district cup final at the Principality Stadium in front of about 5,000. It was special, and every year there’s an anniversary where we all bring our tankers that we won in that match to drink out of. I was 26 and that was around the time I started television [Gethin joined Blue Peter the year after from Welsh television] and so had to quit rugby, not because I was worried about getting smashed up, it was just the nature of the job to travel all the time so never being able to train or be available for matches.

I miss smashing people legally. I know that sounds weird, but you do need a bit of a release which is why the gym is still important to me. And also, everyone says this, but there’s this special friendship that you have with people. 

My best friend from uni is Danny Scarbrough. He went on to win a couple of caps for England and was top scorer for Saracens, but now he massively suffers from dementia. We did a film with him for Morning Live. I haven’t caught up as much as I’d have liked to over the years, but I walked into his home and it was like we were back at uni. That’s what rugby does for you. He wouldn’t take any of his rugby experiences away even though he’s now got the biggest fight of his life on his hands – highs and lows of rugby right there. 

I played county rugby when I was at uni. But it’s very hard coming from Manchester Met when you’re up against the Durhams and Bristols which have such good rugby programmes. I played nine when Danny [Scarbrough] was at fifteen and I always say I pretty much set up all his tries.

At one point, I believed. I thought I might be able to make it, but I’ll never know. I’m not saying I would have been any good, but there’s always that part of me thinking ‘could I have done a job?’. I don’t know. The game’s changed a lot now, it’s very physical. I was quick in mind, I had a good mind for rugby, decent off both feet, decent passes. There was a chance for some trials for Sale, it was just going professional, but it was a scary thing to do. Danny went for it and I didn’t...

In my head I was like Joost van der Westhuizen. My mate will laugh for me saying that but I was bit dangly and skinny, I had a quick mind, good off both hands, and I was quick off the mark, which gave me a bit of time. Defensively, I wasn’t the hardest hitter but I always argued that wasn’t my job, I wanted to stay pretty for the fun stuff.

Jonny Wilkinson came to Blue Peter. I used to pitch rugby ideas all the time, so I got to train with Edinburgh, Cardiff Blues, I got to train with Jon Wilkin, one of my heroes from rugby league, and then I got to meet Jonny Wilkinson on Blue Peter which was pretty cool.

I watched the 2011 Rugby World Cup in Afghanistan. Every October for four years I used to get sent to the green zone in Afghanistan for BBC Remembrance. I watched some amazing events out there: Miracle in Medinah; the Olympics; and then Wales going out in the semi-final against France. But I think the way New Zealand were playing that year, we had a really good chance. It was a year we had genuine world-class players too. 

I’ve got so much time for Dan Biggar. He’s players in that number role ten role, he’s a modern ten, but he’s not Phil Bennett and everyone wants to slate him for it. He gets so much abuse, but he’s so committed and when you see him on the team sheet you think you’ve got a chance of winning, that’s pretty cool to have that. 

The Welsh call the English arrogant. They say when the English win they go on for ages, but when we win we’re probably worse. I mean what do we do when got to a semi-final in football? We had a coming home event at Cardiff City stadium in front of 30,000 – we got to the semi-final. We came third. I remember Gareth Bale before we went live turning to me and saying, ‘imagine if we won it!’. It was a very Welsh thing to do.

I’ve just finished a Masters on the theory of resilience. I did a case study on Cardiff Blues, and spent two and half years of studying – it almost killed me. I was looking at whether or not there are structures in place for resilience. Look at clubs like Saracens and Exeter and they do it quite well – Saracens have just employed a wellbeing coach and that’s not something that would have happened ten years ago. My interest was in how the individual works with the team for resilience – the monotony, the constant impact of high-level sport... 

The game went professional so quickly. I think everyone kind of just followed the leader, but I think there’s got to be something in place for these boys to try and get over the adversity and stresses of the job, depending on their natural level of resilience. The course has really inspired me, I definitely think I’d like to work in sport some day.

Gethin presents BBC1 Morning Live every week day, 9.15am.

This weekend’s winners chosen by Gethin Jones

Place your bets now based on the BBC Morning Live presenter 

Last week’s predictions

How did comedian Mike Bubbins get on?

Mike said: Italy 30-20 Uruguay (men) 
What happened: 41-15 

Mike said: Wales 34-30 Australia (men)
What happened: 38-13

Mike said: Scotland 12-18 Japan (men) 
What happened: 29-20

Mike said: England 10-15 South Africa (men) 
What happened: 27-26

Mike said: Ireland 25-10 Japan (women) 
What happened: 15-12

Mike said: Wales 13-12 Canada (women) 
What happened: 7-24

Verdict: 3/6. Took a punt on a Japan (men) win against Scotland that didn’t come off and also came unstuck in backing his country in the women’s game. England did him no favours either. Solid effort.

It’s the final week of our Rugby Journal Meat Raffle with Pipers Farm, so be sure to try your luck again with an Essentials Meat Box from our favourite online butcher.

Each box contains properly free-range whole chicken and strips; grass-fed beef mince and steaks; Saddleback pork sausages and even a bottle of creamy grass-fed Jersey milk.

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Last week’s winner: Sue Kyson, Norwich

Ghost Grounds #3
Beacon Park, Plymouth Albion, 1919-2003

It was a 'magical place' for former Bath and England hooker Graham Dawe, who enjoyed many good times on this iconic Devon ground.

Home to Plymouth Albion for 84 years, Beacon Park had a slope on a par with that of Bedford’s Goldington Road, and was so crammed in, a visiting prop from Westcombe Park once got off the bus and took one look at the pitch and said, “f****** hell, it’s square”. That anecdote was shared by long-time Albion boss Graham Dawe who remembers Beacon Park, now a collection of residential streets, as a “magical place”, not especially for its aesthetics but the matches that were played and won there.

When Albion moved to Beacon Park in 1919, the playing surface was said to be as sticky as the jam that was made at the nearby Co-op factory, where visiting players used to change and shower until an appropriate facility was built at Beacon Park itself.

In season 1927/28, a supporters stand was opened at a cost of just over £283 and it was put to good use when Leicester Tigers came to town six years later, a then-record crowd of 3,000 turning up to watch the men from the East Midlands. Not prepared to let time pass them by, Albion continued to improve the facilities at Beacon Park, and in 1934, the club became the first in the West Country to have a scoreboard with an integral clock.

After six full seasons without rugby due to World War Two, rugby returned to Beacon Park in 1948/49 and the club continued to invest in the ground, spending £1,000 on drainage and levelling the troublesome slope, a job the Luftwaffe had failed to do despite its many terrifying raids on the city. In 1962, Albion paid off the RFU loan they had taken out to purchase the land and the ground was officially theirs. A new clubhouse and changing facilities followed shortly after. By now, the place, in line with the times, was swinging.

Prior to the club’s Centenary Season of 1976/7 disaster struck when the main grandstand blew down in gale-force winds during a sizzling hot summer. Delays with the insurers meant rebuilding work didn’t start until a couple of months into the season. 

Other than the installation of new floodlights in 1985, Beacon Park did not undergo any significant changes in the 1980s/90s but, in playing terms, it was a tumultuous era.

When leagues were introduced in 1987, Plymouth Albion were placed in Courage League Three and one promotion was followed by two relegation seasons, which led to a  restructure and the arrival of Dawe as Chairman of Rugby. Results improved and, between 2000 and 2002, Albion gained promotion twice and set a new National League record of 41 consecutive victories.

Before a crowd of almost 2,780, Albion played their last-ever game at Beacon Park against Otley on 26 April, 2003. Flanker Chris Capaldi crossed the line after just 14 seconds for what must surely be the quickest try ever scored on the ground. Albion never looked back and signed off in style with a 50-13 win. 

Albion began life at their new ground at Brickfields against the same opposition, and are still there now, eighteen years later. A ubiquitous suburban housing development occupies the land where Beacon Park hosted rugby for 84 years and it is doubtful that any of the residents of Barlow Gardens know who their street is named after: former fly-half Tom Barlow. As someone who only donned the green, white and cherry strip for four seasons (2000-04) that’s quite some honour, but he did score 928 points in that time, a club record which is yet to be beaten.

By  Jon Newcombe

From the archives
Delon Armitage

The complete story of the former London Irish, Toulon and England full-back, from Trinidad to London, via France.

From the archives
Sarah Hunter

The England captain looks back on a career that spans more than a century of caps, three Rugby World Cups and an MBE.