Confessions of a No.7 - Gruesome accidents, referees and why Luke Wallace believes he's a Test animal
Thousands of miles from the Twickenham Stoop, amongst the sprawling slums of Kolkata, Luke Wallace hands out brand new rugby shirts to young Indian children. He and two other Harlequins players, James Chisholm and Mark Lambert, are visiting an orphanage as part of the Future Hope charity work the club has been involved with.
It is quite something.
Three hulking Premiership giants, dressed in flip flops, vest tops and adorning a bindi each, are surrounded by children smiling the sorts of smiles that reach inside your chest. At one point, one young lad immediately pulls on his new Quins shirt before launching into a hug of Mark Lambert that knocks the big man on to his heels. The pleasure pours out of everyone; the humbling is palpable.
Back in the UK, some three months later, Luke Wallace talks to me across his lunch: a mean plate of rice and various meats. We talk of his most recent trip out to the orphanage; what it feels like to be amongst those smiles; how he found out about Paul Gustard’s appointment whilst backpacking around Sri Lanka; and how he loves to surf and mountain bike.
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Occasionally, he will tuck his long, distinguishable hair behind his ears and jab his fork around his plate, his hunger obvious. He is seven weeks into a preseason that has breathed new life into his ailing London club. A preseason that is without the coaches he spent ten years listening to and working for; a fresh breeze is blowing through South West London. His responses to me are open and frank. He speaks softly, assuredly, with a feeling of unmistakable serenity. Which is at odds with how I thought he might be, considering the last twelve months he has had.
“I remember it very well,” he begins. “About fifteen minutes into our preseason game with London Irish, about this time last year. I was over the ball, in a perfect position; Wayne Barnes should have blown for something, holding on probably…” He smiles at me to suggest that, as an openside, referees are always to blame. “And one of their locks had about a twenty metre run up to clear me out. I knew something was badly wrong: the angle of my thigh; the reaction of the medics. They gave me a lot of painkillers, and then the doctor had to push it back in pitchside; he told me he’d never done that before. It was an unusual injury. I resigned myself to the fact that I was going to be out for a long time, pretty quickly.”
Wallace’s dislocated hip made hardened rugby players wince. And there was still the uncertainty of what damage had been done to the joint. “I was sent to hospital for scans. There was a ninety percent chance I’d fractured the socket. And yet luckily, it turned out, I hadn’t. I lay in the hospital thinking of my Mum and Dad and that I had to phone them. They’d not been at the game. Because they were with my brother.”
As Wallace lay in bed reaching for the receiver, his consciousness swirling under a concoction of morphine and adrenaline, he was painfully aware that this phone call would not be the worst his parents had received in the last year. Despite the severity and singularity of his possible career-ending injury, he still wasn’t the most damaged son in his family.
A few months earlier, a freakishly cruel twist of fate had befallen his brother. Walking down a road near the farm he runs in Wales, a car had come off its handbrake and rolled down the hill towards him. Unable to stop it, or get out of its path, it slammed him up against the wall of a house and there he remained trapped for some considerable time, unable to use his mobile or call for help. The accident was life changing; he’d shattered bones in both legs and had to have one amputated below the knee. Mr and Mrs Wallace were with him, aiding his recuperation, when Luke phoned and told them why he was in hospital. Who would be a parent?
Luke’s return from injury was going to be long. “At first, they didn’t give me a return date. That helped. I’d prepared myself for the very worst each time I spoke to doctors, so in a way, everything was a bonus. I was positive. I was never frustrated. I hadn’t had an injury this bad before and in a weird way, I thought I was due one. And it seemed to work.
“My rehab went well and before long they were saying that I was going to be back involved. March, became February and then January. I took the field just after Christmas. I was very lucky in a way.”
Lucky would not be the word used to describe Harlequins’ season last year. Injuries were two a penny. As well as Wallace, the likes of Demetri Catrakilis, Francis Saili, Jack Clifford were all out for long spells. Suspensions also mounted up as a dangerous downward spiral started to form. Back row options were particularly short and when Luke did eventually get back on the field, a huge amount was asked of him.
“I came back for the Big Game just after Christmas and then I wasn’t registered for Europe, so had two weeks off. But then I played eight weeks on the bounce and I wasn’t ready for that.
“My body could barely cope. But that was what it was like last year. You just had to play for as long as you could, until you dropped, and hope that someone else was going to get fit and take over.”
“We were constantly resetting the goalposts. Top four, became top six, then top seven. And then just trying to finish as high as we could. The Irish game was the worst. Everyone was so gutted to lose that. Then we went back to playing how we used to; really high tempo. But it didn’t work, because I don’t think we were fit enough. Which is why you saw those games where we slid off; in them for sixty minutes and then we’d lose comfortably. It was horrible.”
“I’ve known JK (John Kingston) and Nick Easter for eleven years. It was sad to see them go, especially personally, but, it was probably the right thing. We needed a clean slate and everyone to be on the same footing. That’s happened with Gussy (Paul Gustard). He didn’t know any of us and you can feel it in training; everyone is playing for a place. And maybe that wasn’t the case last year.
“The sessions have become more intense. We don’t train as long; it’s more purposeful, I think. Defensively we’ve improved, we are working more as a fifteen. And we’ve balanced the ball carriers up a bit more. I think we went too far one way: we had too many props and second rows trying to hit it up and some of our bigger ball carriers weren’t getting the ball. It’s been a case of small tweaks. Hopefully we can score a few more tries this year. ”
Determined to see beneath the tranquil veneer, I address the England question. At nearly ten years in the Premiership with the number seven on his back – an area England have been theoretically lacking – why does he think he has been overlooked?
“I don’t know, if I’m honest. You try and just do what you can, don’t you? There’s always been a dialogue between me and whoever is in charge of England, which is good. I feel that perhaps the refereeing in the Premiership makes it quite hard.
“It is different to international rugby. That frustrates me, because I feel I could make a real nuisance of myself in a Test. You don’t get the same time over the ball in the Prem. The game versus Sarries at the Olympic Park last year stands out for me, as an example. I thought I’d got demolished on the floor in that game. But when I watched the tape, I was in a good position nearly all of the time but I was getting cleared out from behind, from the side. How I deal with that this season is massive for me.
“If people aren’t going to blow for penalties, I have to make more of an effort to win it cleanly. And also, trying to stay in there for longer. My game has changed, for sure, but I think I am still improving. I’d love a shot at England. I know I have to show week in, week out that I should be playing. And maybe it’s right that those younger players get a chance, but I think I’d do a good job. Hopefully, I can this year.”
I ask about other opensides he plays against. Is there a little nod in the direction of others, like bus drivers passing on a carriageway?
“Me and Dave Seymour used to share a knowing look. He was a couple of years older than me, so there wasn’t really a rivalry as such, but I always loved coming up against him.”
Does he feel he has a rival in the Premiership?
“Matt Kvesic,” shoots from his mouth before I have finished my question. “That’s who I would say. He’s really strong over the ball, probably not as quick as me but he was the year below me and we always seemed to be vying for the same England spot. At one point, we were also the only two young English opensides coming through.”
Do you ever speak to him?
“No, I never have. We didn’t play together, so it’s not happened.” There is a wry smile. An acknowledgement that his curt answer belies the competitive streak that courses through Wallace’s veins. Despite the way he has taken the last year in his stride and returned to this campaign with little fanfare, the fire rages within. A strange, ingrained burning that almost compels him to put himself in harm’s way. It has always been there, he admits.
“I guess that’s what injury does,” says Wallace, now sat back in his chair, replete from his meal. “Makes you realise how much you love the game. Perhaps before, I took it for granted. Going out to India and throwing a ball around with those kids, makes you realise how amazing rugby can be too. Sometimes, I guess, it’s easy to forget that.”
Wallace appears at peace with the last twelve months, he also seems very ready for the next. He nears a decade of Premiership work in the most dangerous of positions. Harlequins are a lesser team without him. And I’d be very surprised if Paul Gustard disagrees with me.
Comments on RugbyPass
Thanks Nick The loss of players to OS, injury and retirement is certainly not helping the Crusaders. Ditto the coach. IMO Penny is there to hold the fort and cop the flak until new players and a new coach come through,…and that's understood and accepted by Penny and the Crusaders hierarchy. I think though that what is happening with the Crusaders is an indicator of what is happening with the other NZ SRP teams…..and the other SRP teams for that matter. Not enough money. The money has come via the SR competition and it’s not there anymore. It's in France, Japan and England. Unless or until something is done to make SR more SELLABLE to the NZ/Australia Rugby market AND the world rugby market the $s to keep both the very best players and the next rung down won't be there. They will play away from NZ more and more. I think though that NZ will continue to produce the players and the coaches of sufficient strength for NZ to have the capacity to stay at the top. Whether they do stay at the top as an international team will depend upon whether the money flowing to SRP is somehow restored, or NZ teams play in the Japan comp, or NZ opts to pick from anywhere. As a follower of many sports I’d have to say that the organisation and promotion of Super Rugby has been for the last 20 years closest to the worst I’ve ever seen. This hasn't necessarily been caused by NZ, but it’s happened. Perhaps it can be fixed, perhaps not. The Crusaders are I think a symptom of this, not the cause
6 Go to commentsNo way. If you are trying to picture New Zealand rugby with an All Blacks mindset, there have been two factors instrumental to the decline of NZ rugby to date. Those are the horror that the Blues have become and, probably more so, the fixture that the Crusaders became. I don’t think it was healthy to have one team so dominant for so long, both for lack of proper representation of players from outside that environment and on the over reliance on players from within it. If you are another international side, like Ireland for example, sure. You can copy paste something succinct from one level to the next and experience a huge increase in standards, but ultimately you will not be maximizing it, which is what you need to perform to the level the ABs do. Added to that is the apathy that develops in the whole game as a result of one sides dominance. NZ, Super, and Championship rugby should all experience a boom as a result of things balancing out. That said, there is a lot of bad news happening in NZ rugby recently, and I’m not sure the game can be handled well enough here to postpone the always-there feeling of inevitable decline of rugby.
6 Go to commentsNo SA supporter miss Super Rugby - a product that is experiencing significant head wind in ANZ - the competition from rival codes are intense, match attendance figures are at a historical low and the negativity of commentators such as Kirwan and Wilson have accelerated the downward spiral in NZ. After the next RWC in 2027 sponsors will follow Qantas and start leaving in droves.
2 Go to commentsLike others, I am not seeing the connection between this edition of the Crusaders and the All Blacks future prospects under Razor. I think the analysis of the Crusaders attack recently is helpful because Razor and his coaching team used to be able to slot new guys in to their systems and see them succeed. Several of Razor’s coaches are still there so it would be surprising if the current attack and set piece has been overhauled to a great extent - but based on that analysis, it may have been. Whether it is too many new guys due to injuries or retirement or a failure of current Crusaders systems is the main question to be answered imo. It doesn’t seem relevant for the ABs.
6 Go to commentsharry potter is set in stone. he creates stability and finishes well. exactly what schmidt likes. he’s the ben smith of australian rugby. i think it could quite easily be potter toole and kellaway for the foreseeable future.
5 Go to commentsThis is short sighted from Clayton if you ask me, smacks of too much preseason planning and no adaptability. What if DMac is out for a must win match, are they still only going to bring their best first five and playmaker on late in the game? Trusting the game to someone who wasn’t even part of planning (they would have had Trask pinned in as Jacomb preseason). Perhaps if the Crusaders were better they would not have done this, but either way imo you take this opportunity to play a guy you might need starting in a final rather than having their 12th game getting comfortable coming off the bench.
1 Go to commentsThanks Brett.. At last a positive article on the potential of Wallaby candidates, great to read. Schmidt’s record as an international rugby coach speaks for itself, I’m somewhat confident he will turn the Wallaby’s fortunes around …. on the field. It will be up to others to steady the ship off the paddock. But is there a flaw in my optimism? We have known all along that Australia has the players to be very competitive with their international rivals. We know that because everyone keeps telling us. So why the poor results? A question that requires a definitive answer before the turn around can occur. Joe Schmidt signed on for 2 years, time to encompass the Lions tour of 2025. By all accounts he puts family first and that’s fair enough, but I would wager that his 2 year contract will be extended if the next 18 months or so shows the statement “Australia has the players” proves to be correct. The new coach does not have a lot of time to meld together an outfit that will be competitive in the Rugby Championship - it will be interesting to see what happens. It will be interesting to see what happens with Giteau law, the new Wallaby coach has already verbalised that he would to prefer to select from those who play their rugby in Australia. His first test in charge is in July just over 3 months away .. not a long time. I for one wish him well .. heaven knows Australia needs some positive vibes.
21 Go to commentsWhat a load of bollocks. The author has forgotten to mention the fact that the Crusaders have a huge injury toll with top world class players out. Not to mention the fact that they are obviously in a transition period. No this will not spark a slow death for NZ rugby, but it does mean there will be a new Super Rugby champion. Anyone who knows anything about NZ rugby knows that there is some serious talent here, it just isn’t all at the Crusaders.
6 Go to commentsI wouldn’t spend the time on Nawaqanitawase! No point in having him filling in a jersey when he’s committed to leave Union. Give the jersey to a young prospect who will be here in the future.
5 Go to commentsIt was a pleasure to watch those guys playing with such confidence. That trio can all be infuriating for different reasons and I can see why Jones might have decided against them. No way to justify leaving Ikitau out though. Jorgensen and him were both scheduled to return at the same time. Only one of them plays for Randwick and has a dad who is great mates with the national coach though.
53 Go to commentsBrayden Iose and Peter Lakai are very exciting Super Rugby players but are too short and too light to ever be a Test 8 vs South Africa, France, Ireland, and England, Lakai could potentially be a Test player at 7 if he is allowed to focus on 7 for Hurricanes.
7 Go to commentsPencils “Thomas du Toit” into possible 2027 Bok squad.
1 Go to commentsDon’t see why Harrison makes the bench. Jones can play at 10 if needed, and there is a good case for starting her there to begin with if testing combinations. That would leave room for Sing on the bench
1 Go to commentsWhat a load of old bull!
1 Go to commentsOf the rugby I’ve born witness to in my lifetime - 1990 to date - I recognize great players throughout those years. But I have no doubt the game and the players are on average better today. So I doubt going back further is going to prove me wrong. The technical components of the game, set pieces, scrums, kicks, kicks at goal. And in general tactics employed are far more efficient, accurate and polished. Professional athletes that have invested countless hours on being accurate. There is one nation though that may be fairly competitive in any era - and that for me is the all blacks. And New Zealand players in general. NZ produces startling athletes who have fantastic ball skills. And then the odd phenomenon like Brooke. Lomu. Mcaw. Carter. Better than comparing players and teams across eras - I’ve often had this thought - that it would be very interesting to have a version of the game that is closer to its original form. What would the game look like today if the rules were rolled back. Not rules that promote safety obviously - but rules like: - a try being worth 1 point and conversion 2 points. Hence the term “try”. Earning a try at goals. Would we see more attacking play? - no lifting in the lineouts. - rucks and break down laws in general. They looked like wrestling matches in bygone eras. I wonder what a game applying 1995 rules would look like with modern players. It may be a daft exercise, but it would make for an interesting spectacle celebrating “purer” forms of the game that roll back the rules dramatically by a few versions. Would we come to learn that some of the rules/combinations of the rules we see today have actually made the game less attractive? I’d love to see an exhibition match like that.
29 Go to commentsIrish Rugby CEO be texting Andy Farrell “Andy, i found our next Kiwi Irishman”
5 Go to commentsI certainly don’t miss drinking beers at 8am in the morning watching rugby games being played in NZ.
2 Go to commentsThis looks like a damage limitation exercise for Wales, keeping back some of their more effective players for the last 20/25 minutes to try and counter England’s fresh legs so the Red Roses don’t rack up a big score.
2 Go to commentsVery unlikely the Bulls will beat Leinster in Dublin. It would be different in Pretoria.
1 Go to commentsI think it is a dangerous path to go down to ban a player for the same period that a player they injured takes to recover. Players would be afraid to tackle anyone. I once tackled my best friend at school in a practice match and sprained his ankle. I paid for it by having to play fly-half instead of full-back for the rest of that season’s fixtures.
5 Go to comments