Nicest Pro rugby player you have ever met ?

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I was talking to some guys earlier on today and we got talking about rugby as usual, one is from Bristol and he piped up that he bumped into Chris Robshaw in a supermarket in Cleveland, and he went on to say how big he was when standing right next to him, he told me he was a complete gentleman, now I know a few Welsh rugby players, but one of the nicest, and the most surprising, players I have met was none other than Matt Dawson, I do not know if anybody is familiar with the area, but there is a tunnel like pathway of sorts in the middle of London that takes you from Westminster to the Victoria Albert museum, I was walking through there a few years back, with my oldest daughter who must have been about seven at the time, and I was trying to educate her about rugby and the what not, anyway, I was walking in that tunnel when coming towards me was Matt Dawson, he was speaking on his phone, I quickly told my daughter to "look, see him, that's Matt Dawson, ex England rugby international" and when my wife piped up "Who ?" I said, the one off Question of sport. O yeah, she said, then with that he was a few steps away from me and I heard him say to who ever he was speaking to on the phone, "Sorry, I have to go, something important has just come up" and with that he introduced himself to me and my family and we had a good ten minute chat about things and he posed for a few photo's with us, I know this sounds silly, but that day will stay with me for ever, he was a really nice guy, very witty as well, so I ask, does anybody else have stories about players they have met, and were they surprised when they actually spoke to them ?

Anyone from Glasgow Warriors to be honest.

Cusiter owns/owned the Edinburgh pub Amicus Apple and myself and a few of my mates went in there for some swanky cocktails on a night out.

To our astonishment the Weegies were on their "Works Night Out" in Amicus apple.

I got talking to Johnnie Beattie, John Barclay and Cusiter at the bar. Beattie had his arm in a sling (post shoulder op) and Barclay was a proper chatter box. I was asking him about playing the All Blacks and whether he was bricking it etc. He came over to our table sat down and regailed us with 45 minutes of rugby stories and anecdotes he was a proper decent guy.

As I went to get another round in the Bar staff informed me that Cusiter had agreed to pick up our Tab too! Needless to say we were pretty gobsmacked.

Met Dan Parks on that night too, he was a bit of a Helmet to be honest but I think he was pretty smashed so could be forgiven.

Cusiter, Barclay, Beattie and "G-Dog" Morrison were all really nice guys and took plenty of time to talk to us.

RDW_Scotland wrote:Anyone got stories of another kind - players who have disappointed you having met them, and those that you wouldn't exactly describe as 'rugby gentlemen' but were a good laugh??

A lot of people won't like it, but the rudest player I ever met was BOD.

He was outside a pub with Shane Horgan in London and asked if I could get a picture, BOD (quite drunkenly) answered his phone and smugly went on about how "all the bloody English effin love me...and that there some sad c**'s standing here trying to get a picture" - were I feeling braver I would have taken exception to that one but seemed little point getting my ass handed to me by 2 Irish internationals.

Contrastingly Shane Horgan was a total gentleman, apologised profusely, gave me a pic and bought me a pint to say sorry.

Knackeredknees wrote:

Best one was in the Beehive (beedive) in carterton outside RAF brize norton, few of us watching a game on TV (think it may have been the cup final) Zinzan Brooke walked in, my mate asked "are you Zinzan Brooke?" his reply "well i was when i looked in the mirror this morning" absoloute top bloke, spent the afternoon on the last with us

In Donald Macrea's Winter Colours, he tells of how he spent a prolonged period travelling with the AB's and was really proud that whenever he met them in a hotel etc Zinzan would shake his hand and say "Hiya mate how you doin?" Then one day as he was checking in he heard those words booming across the reception, he turned round to see Zinzan shaking hands with a bemused cleaner. Seems all the world is the big man's best mate.

Liam Williams

Used to go to the same gym as the Edinburgh team a few years back. Most of them were pretty friendly and would chat away in the gym to you. Friendliest was Brendan Laney who was a real chatterbox. Simon Taylor was quite a strange guy, didn't have the greatest chat, even with his team mates.
Played against Gordon Bulloch a few years ago just after he had retired from pro rugby. We were playing against his team in the scottish cup quarter final and beat them. After the game he was such a bad looser and didn't once congratulate us on beating them, all he did was moan about the pitch, the ref, his team mates.
Met Sean Maitland earlier this year on the day of the England game and he was a really nice guy as well, had plenty of time to chat away and asked lots of questions as well.

Phil Vickery is a top bloke, always has time to chat. (I asked when he's back playing but apparently is retired?).

Mainly Glos players I've met over the years - Dan Murphy is a really decent bloke but Shane Monahan is the nicest I've met. Spoke to me and a mate for about an hour, kindly put up with our drunken slurs as well!

I don't want to stitch any players up by name because some of them have bad days like all of us, but I've met some of the younger lads after games or on nights out and they're largely arrogant/too cool to chat. One of them isn't at Glos anymore...

Whoa whoa whoaaaaaa
Phil Vickery has retired? When?

Dave Walder is a top bloke. He was Wasps supporters representative for a few years. On European away trips, especially at those homely little Italian clubs, he wanted to stay chatting and having a beer with the fans rather than sit down for the players' post match meal.

Shug (Hugo Southwell) was a gent as well.

jimbopip wrote:I know it's not actually meeting them but... at the end of the Exeter-Glasgow Heino Cup match last season Duncan Weir and Sean Lamont made a beeline for Schiz, his carer, Asbo and myself. Possibly the eclectic get up of kilts and Glasgow jerseys  in deepest Devon caught their eye. We were all taken aback by the fact that they thanked each of us in turn for travelling all that way to watch them. Conversation was then cut short by a matronly woman behind us repeatedly screaming, "Calendar...I've got your calendar at Schlong." While her husband grinned and her two teenage sons spontaneously combusted with embarrassment.
On a more sensible note, just before the Glasgow-Munster semi I was sitting in a pavement café in the west end of Glasgow when Ed Kalman strolled past. I said hello and he stopped and chatted for about 5 minutes with Schiz and myself about the game, how he felt about being the summarizer that night for BBC and about his career after rugby. He seemed a genuinely decent bloke.

Was at Uni with Ed Kalman. Gentle giant, very intelligent and good fun.

Met JPR and Willie John McBride at the Bermuda classic. They kindly gave us a team talk before our game and chatted to us afterwards over some beers. They were wearing their Lions 1973 blazers which we all agreed was the finest piece of stash we had ever seen.

All Blacks are always in the Ship in Wandsworth the day after the Autumn International. All very happy to have photos taken provided you pick your moment. Marland Yarde is there plenty as well.

Schalk Burger is great fun. Had a few drinks with him in Edinburgh after one of their Autumn Internationals a few years ago. Shoulders are ridiculous.