How a battle with childhood dyslexia helped forge Chris Robshaw's England captaincy
There was a time when Chris Robshaw would have been driven daft at the prospect of being at an England Test match and not being able to play. Not any more.
The 32-year-old has lost none of his drive and ambition to add to a tally of international appearances that has been stuck on 66 since his last run for his country in Cape Town last June.
The former Test skipper thought he was close to bridging this nine-month gap when involved in training in the lead-up to last week’s Six Nations win over Italy.
He didn’t make the cut in the end – and wasn’t called back either this week to give a dig-out in the countdown to this Saturday’s encounter with Scotland.
However, rather than run a mile from the frustrating prospect of sitting in a stand and having no control of the action that will unfold in the Calcutta Cup, Robshaw will be readily cheering on England in a fixture that will become a title decider if Ireland upset Wales earlier in the day.
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“I will be at the ground. I have sold my soul and I will be doing the old corporate,” he explained to RugbyPass. “I will be there supporting the guys.
“I have been enjoying my rugby (at Harlequins) and to get called back to England was fantastic. Whenever you have that opportunity is brilliant, the intensity of the training, the skills, the weights, it’s where you want to be, where you aspire to be.
“To have a taste of that again excites you and drives you on because that is where you want to be. That is where we all aspire to be – we want to be at the top level, so to have that taste has made me as hungry as ever.”
Yes the boys ?? pic.twitter.com/hFWvKstGem
— Chris Robshaw (@ChrisRobshaw) March 2, 2019
Coping with adversity is something Robshaw is now more adept at doing. He smiles far more frequently and no longer looks like the player who had the weight of the world on his shoulders when England crashed out of the 2015 World Cup with him as their skipper.
He might not have played in this year’s Six Nations, but his wealth of experience made sure he still wielded a positive influence, Robshaw revealing he was a shoulder for Kyle Sinckler to lean on after the young prop found himself in the eye of a storm following the round three loss at Wales.
“I will learn from that [Wold Cup 2015]. It will always be something that will be part of me. There are ways that you can help yourself to move forward, but you will always have that pain. You learn lessons and you deal with things.
“For me now, personally it’s about using that experience to help guys when they are in a tough time, helping the likes of Kyle Sinckler after the Wales game when he had a bit of a backlash. Unless you have been in situations like that you don’t really appreciate what they are like. It’s just trying to be there for people.
“I’m trying to evolve. The stress and worrying and whatever else is gone from me. Your shoulders get a bit broader, you’re chest gets a bit bigger and you learn what is important.
“When I was younger it was pretty stressful. Captain of Harlequins, captain of England, the ups and downs, the roller coaster of professional sport. Now in the latter part in my career I know what to value and I know what is important. I know how to get the best out of my body and I know how to hopefully help other people as well.”
Robshaw was in his element doing precisely this on Wednesday night, visiting the Warlingham RFU under-10s at the invitation of Premiership Rugby title sponsors, Gallagher. Their England-wide Train with your Heroes initiative brought him back to days of yore when he was a kid mingling with the rugby stars of that particular time.
“I remember we went to watch a game at Twickenham, Leicester against Bath, and you had Martin Johnson, Leon Lloyd, Austin Healey walking up the stairs past you. You were thinking, ‘Wow’ and we were able to pat them on the back, all that sort of stuff.
“It’s something that I still remember now,” he said, adding that his battle with childhood dyslexia is a regular topic of conversation when he attends community functions such as the one in south London the other night.
“A lot of teachers, students and parents come up and probably half the questions I get are actually about that [dyslexia]. What did I do? Do I still struggle? Hopefully I can help children with what I say because I struggled massively.
“It was a time when I was frustrated, I was angry, I was not understanding things and it wasn’t until later in life and in my rugby now where I’m more relaxed that you really appreciate the work that you put in to get over it and you appreciate the work that everyone around you did to help you grasp it.
“What is hugely important is understanding what makes people tick. There isn’t one message for all but it’s about understanding that there is a lot of brilliant people who are fantastic about helping people understand it, helping children improve as individuals and grasp things that they don’t understand and don’t know why.
Congratulations to @MightyWarl the local winners of our #TrainWithYourHeroes competition for describing the club's brilliant ethos of inclusivity. Session led by @Harlequins stars @ChrisRobshaw, @CJMulchrone, @JHorwill pic.twitter.com/Hr4RJVpSpi
— Premiership Rugby (@premrugby) March 13, 2019
“For me that was a big thing. I couldn’t understand why all my friends were able to understand things and I wasn’t grasping it. As a young boy that was pretty tough. I remember there was a time when I had to spend an extra break in class and couldn’t go out and play and I hated it, but I really see the benefit of it now.
“The advice is stick with it. Certainly later in life you will really appreciate the work you put in now, the work that your teachers or your parents have put in because they want you to get better.”
Turning back to the rugby, Robshaw can’t wait to see what the weekend brings. If results fall a particular way, England can be crowned Six Nations champions for the third time in four seasons. That would be quite an outcome given the hysteria which surrounded the team three-and-a-half years ago when they bombed out of their own World Cup.
“We peaked at the wrong time for that World Cup and that was a tough time for myself and everyone involved. It wasn’t ideal. Stuart (Lancaster) left and Eddie (Jones) came in and we got England back on track. If things go to plan Saturday, to win that amount in that period is a hell of an attempt.
“It also makes you appreciate how special and how hard titles are to come by. The teams you have to beat home and away and whatever else, it’s extremely tough and to get it would be incredible. This weekend is going to brilliant. Hopefully Ireland can do England a favour. They [Wales-Ireland] have always been tight matches… but England are scoring tries which is good. They are testing themselves.”
Comments on RugbyPass
Just such a genuine good bloke…and probably the best all round player in his generation. Good guys do come first sometimes and he handled the W.Cup loss with great attitude.
2 Go to commentsWord in France is that he’s on the radar of a few Top14 clubs.
2 Go to commentsGet blocking Travis, this guy has styles and he’s gonna make a swift impact…!
1 Go to commentsWhat remorse? She claimed that her dangerous tackle wasn’t worthy of a red! She should be compensating the injured player for loss of earnings at the minimum. Her ban should include the recovery time of the injured player as well as the paltry 3 match ban.
4 Go to commentsArdie is a legend. Finished and klaar. Two things: “Yeah, yeah, I have had a few conversations with Razor just around feedback on my game and what I am doing well, what I need to improve on or work-ons. It’s kind of been minimal, mate, but it’s all that I need over here in terms of how to be better, how to get better and what I am doing well.” I hope he’s downplaying it - and that it’s not that “minimal”. The amount of communication and behind the scenes preparation the Bok coaches put into players - Rassie and co would be all over Ardie and being clear on what is expected of him. This stands out for me as something teams should really be looking at in terms of the boks success from a coaching point of view. And was surprised by the comment - “minimal”. In terms of the “debate” around Ireland and South Africa. Nice one Ardie. Indeed. There’s no debate.
2 Go to commentsThere’s a bit of depth there but realistically Australian players have a long way to go to now catch up. The game is moving on fast and Australia are falling behind. Australian sides still don’t priories the breakdown like they should, it’s a non-negotiable if you want to compete on the international stage. That goes for forwards and backs. The Australian team could have a back row that could make a difference but the problem is they don’t have a tight five that can do the business. Tupou is limited in defence, overweight and unfit and the locks are a long way from international standard. Frost is soft and Salakai-Loto is too small so that means they need a Valentini at 8 who has to do the hard graft so limits the effectiveness of the backrow. Schmidt really needs to get a hard working, tough tight 5 if he wants to get this team firing.
3 Go to commentsSorry Morgan you must have been the “go to for a quote” ex player this week. Its rnd 6 and there is plenty of time to cement a starting 15 and finishing 8 so I have no such concerns.
2 Go to commentsGreat read. I wish you had done this article on the ROAR.
2 Go to commentsThe current AB coaching team is basically the Crusaders so it smacks of wanting their familiar leaders around. This is not a good look for the future of the ABs or the younger players in Super working their way up the player ladder. Razor is touted as innovative, forward looking but his early moves look like insecurity and insular, provincial thinking. He is the AB's coach not the Golden Oldies.
10 Go to commentsSimple reason for wanting him back. Robertson wants him as captain. Otherwise he wouldn’t be bothering chasing him. Not enough reason to come back just to mentor.
10 Go to commentsI had not considered this topic like this at all, brilliant read. I had been looking at his record at the Waratahs and thought it odd the Crusaders appointed him, then couple that with all that experience and talent departing and boom. They’ve got some great talent developing though, and in all honesty I don’t think anyone would be over confident taking them on in a playoff match, no matter how poor the first half of their season was. I think they can pull a game out of their ass when it counts.
2 Go to commentsNot a bad list but not Porecki and not Donaldson. Not because they are Tahs, or Ex Tahs, they are just not good enough. Edmed should be ahead. Far more potential. Wilson should be 8 and Valentini 6. Wilson needs to be told by his father and his coach, stop bloody running in to brick wall defence. You’re not playing under the genius Thorn any more. He’s a fantastic angle runner. The young new 8 from the Brumbies looks really good too. The Lonegrans are just too small for international rugby as is Paisami, as is Hamish Stewart at 12. Both great at Super Rugby level. Stewart could have been a great 10 if not for Brad Thorn. Uru should be there and so should Tupou. Tupou just needs good Australian coaching which he hasn’t been getting. I don’t think Schmidt will excite him.
3 Go to commentsIf he wants to come back then he should. He will be a major asset to the younger locks and could easily be played as an impact player off the bench coming on in the last 30. He is fit, strong and capable and has all the experience to make up for any loss in physical prowess. He could also be brought back with a view to coaching within the structures one day. Duane Vermeulen played until he was 37 or 38. He is now a roaming coach within the South African coaching structures. He was valuable in the last world cup and has been a major influence on Jasper Wiese and other young players which has helped and accelerated their development and growth. Whitelock could do the exact same thing for NZ
10 Go to commentsBrett Excellent words… finally someone (other than DC) has noted that Hanigan is very hard and very good at doing what Backrow should do… his performance via the Drua sauna was quite daunting for those on the other side… very high tackle count… carries with good end result… constant threat to make a good 20-25 meters with those long legs… providing his mass effectively to crunching the Drua pack… Finally he is returning to quality form… way to much injury time over the last 2 years… smart-strong-competent in his skills… caught every lineout throw aimed at him and delivered clean pass to whoever was down below… and he worked hard for the whole 80 minutes… Ned has to be in the top 5 for backrow honors… He knows what is required as he has been there before…
20 Go to commentsI think Sam Whitelock should not touch a return with a bargepole. He went out on a high, playing in the RWC Final. He would be coming back into a team that will be weaker than last years, and might even be struggling to win games, especially against the Boks. Stay in France, enjoy another year with Pau, playing alongside his brother.
10 Go to commentsRyan Coxon has been very impressive considering he was signed by WF as injury cover whilst Uru has been a standout for QR, surprised neither of those mentioned
3 Go to commentsIt’s the massive value he brings with regard team culture/values, preparation, etc. Can’t buy that. I’m hoping to see the young locks get their chance in the big games though.
10 Go to commentsAll good, Gregor, except that you neglected to mention Sam Darry amongst that talented pool of locks. In fact, given Hannah’s inexperience and the fact that Holland won’t be eligible until next year, Lord and Darry might be the frontrunners this year, to join Barrett, Tuipoluto, Va’ii and possibly Whitelock. In fact there might be room for all of them if Barrett played 6 (like Ollie Chessum).
10 Go to commentsHis value is stabilizing the ship 20 - 40 minutes out from the final whistle plus his valuable experience to the underlings coming through.
10 Go to commentsWhat is criminal is she acts like it's no problem her actions have have cause the Italian player to lose her playing career, lose salary, if she did this in day to day life she would be in jail, she is a complete thug!!!
4 Go to comments