'I sit on the couch as a fan, I'm very patriotic about Australia'
Some players can’t bear to watch the Test team they were once so heavily involved with. For instance, it was just a few months ago on RugbyPass that Brian O’Driscoll – who last played in 2014 – revealed how he skipped the 2018 Ireland win over the All Blacks in Dublin, heading home after hosting an in-town pre-game function rather than attending the game with luncheon guests he had just entertained.
In the case of Rob Simmons, though his separation seems to have only made the London Irish-based forward’s heart grow fonder about Australia. It was December 2020 when he won the last of his 106 Test caps with the Wallabies, bowing out with a win over Argentina in Parramatta to end an epic journey that began against the Springboks in Brisbane in July 2010.
Aged just 33, Simmons is still thought of as a potential Australia call-up – a recent shortage of available locks even ignited speculation that Dave Rennie could be dialing a London-located +44 number for a dig-out on the just-finished European tour that took in Edinburgh, Paris, Florence, Dublin and Cardiff.
However, playing Test rugby simply isn’t on the veteran’s radar, his preference being to spend time with his recently extended family and enthusiastically cheer on Australia from the sanctuary of his couch without the ifs, buts and maybes that he could still be out there, putting in a quality shift for his country.
“I sit on the couch watching it as a fan and I love that aspect,” explained Simmons to RugbyPass about his enduring joy for the Wallabies. “I guess because I am still playing and you see certain elements of the game a lot different to a guy who does just sit on the couch but I love watching, I am very patriotic about watching Australia. Win, lose or draw I will always support them with a full heart.
“There are elements (that you do miss) when you get to represent your country. That is a hard thing to make up anywhere else, isn’t it? But, yeah, that time away, it [not playing Test footy] is the right decision for my family. That was a main driving force behind the move to England. I know there are more days (of rugby) a year but if you look at it, London Irish only play Exeter, Newcastle and Manchester (Sale) away.
“In the whole competition that is three nights a year away. Down in Australia, you are looking at a third of the year, 180 days away from your family, away from your home. That is tough with a young family. I’m definitely happy with the move.
“From a family point of view, we love it and there is not much we can complain about. Maybe the weather but apart from that, there are a lot worse things in life,” he enthused, going on to confirm the arrival not so long ago of his family’s third child. “Yes, we did (have an addition), 18 weeks ago.”
Thing is, as much Simmons remains attached to the Wallabies in terms of his interest in their matches lately, he has yet to properly reflect on the longevity of his own stellar contribution, a stint that spanned three World Cups and a Lions tour to leave him signing off as the tenth most capped Australia player of all time.
“I probably don’t think about it enough but as you do get older people do mention it more and more and you don’t get much time to reflect while you are still playing but in the future, there will be a time that will really sink in but it probably hasn’t sunk in yet,” he figured.
“Watching the autumn tours and watching Australia play, it does excite me and it’s good fun. It is a moment of my career that I will always reflect back on about the good times I had and the people I met and the experiences we got to do at the time.”
Just four months shy of his 34th birthday in April, a brand new experience awaits the seasoned Simmons next Friday. Not since January 2012 have London Irish featured in a Heineken Champions Cup match but that famine turns into a feast with the arrival in Brentford of Top 14 champions Montpellier, a salivating opener followed by a round two trip to the Stormers in South Africa.
“I know it is huge and it means a lot to our fans. I didn’t know that it was a decade, but I do know it’s pretty much been a decade since the success of this club being in those finals and things like that (the 2009 Premiership decider against Leicester and the 2008 European semi versus Toulouse).
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“As it is now coming close it is building and there is a buzz. One, that we are up in the Champions Cup. And then two, that this whole European competition is a fantastic concept. You get to challenge yourself against teams you don’t know next year you are going to play in the competition, so it is one moment in time and next week for us it is Montpellier.”
London Irish head into Europe with a home Premiership win over Newcastle this weekend, just their second success in nine outings. Losing five on the bounce since their October 1 win over Bath was a frustration that left them bottom of the now eleven-team league, an annoyance exacerbated by them performing well – their last four defeats were by two, five, two and one-point margins.
A dicky ankle meant Simmons sat out Saturday’s end to that barren Premiership run, but the hope is that a prosperous winter is about to unfold. “Unfortunately, you probably look at that (table) and go, ‘They must not be playing good footy and must be terrible’, but that reflection is not how we have played.
“We have played some very nice, attractive rugby and if we did that more consistently we probably… there were narrow losses and with three more points in a lot of those games, we could be at the total other end of the table, so we are very close but unfortunately too many are on the wrong side.
“We probably just need to make better decisions about yes, we love to play, that is part of our brand and that is what we do, but at times the scoreboard is king and we need to be in front on that so it’s weighing up what is important and how are we going to get the win and making those decisions.
50 up for Simmo ??
Congratulations @SimmonsRob89 pic.twitter.com/3qtnW7o34X
— London Irish (@londonirish) November 13, 2022
“Is it the right one? You never know at the time and that is what we are trying to figure out I guess, what is the best way to get points on the board? The spirits are high. We all know we are a pretty good team and we are so very close, so the belief is still there within the camp.”
What about Simmons’ own current form? “I have been playing some of my best footy actually. I have been doing a lot of work on my tackle and in defence, and adding to a forward pack with my experiences through that brings some good stuff around the breakdown as well.
“I have probably been playing on that edge a little bit, I have received two yellow cards which I am not happy about and that is not great for me. That probably comes with trying to push the edge of things like that. Some of them are very debatable how they actually happen but the referee is the referee.
“I’ve had two of them. If you look at intent, there is no intent in either. One of them is very debatable I believe and the other is a result of an unfortunate event, a head contact which is something I never go out to do and you can even tell if you look at the images, it’s just an unlucky rugby incident where the way the game is ruled at the moment is if you touch the heard you’re off.”
This card trouble Simmons has encountered at London Irish is uncharacteristic compared to his behaviour before arriving in the Premiership. There were only two yellow cards in his 13 Super Rugby years with the Reds and the Waratahs, yet he picked up two yellows this season for Irish versus Northampton and Harlequins in his second and seventh appearances, adding to two other yellows he got since debuting in England in January 2021. That’s annoying.
Have watched @ChampionsCup from afar for years and loved the concept. Now, I finally have a chance to experience it! https://t.co/Dl3rpMHJkP
— Robert Simmons (@SimmonsRob89) July 21, 2022
“I was saying to someone on the weekend I have got a clean record. But I’m looking at two yellow cards in one season and if you get another one, I could be spending a week on the sideline which is very, very frustrating from my point of view.
“That [tackling] is a debate about the game, it’s probably in the media a lot at the moment but I don’t want to talk about that. The game is as it is and it’s up to as players to do the adjustment more. I don’t think there is enough of us adjusting to the game.
“That could be (a factor) in our results as well. Are we adjusting to the game that actually needs to be played as opposed to saying, ‘We play really good rugby, we should win’? We need to adjust and play the game that needs to be played.”
That game at Irish is now unfolding with two more busy yappers at scrum-half finding their voice with Nick Phipps, Simmons’ old Wallabies colleague, having exited for the Japanese league. “Ben White has been quite a chatty guy, especially on the field. He is good around the locker room but on the field, he is an ultimate competitor. He just loves competing for every moment and that is very good.
“And we have got Joe Powell making his way. He had a rough start, he got injured in the pre-season but wants to come into a new team for him, wants to impress and let his actions do his speaking. That has been tough for him but he has been playing really the last couple of games because he has had a couple of opportunities. If he pushes on there will be good, healthy competition in that position.”
Comments on RugbyPass
Must be something when you are only 19 y.o and both NZ and France want you. Btw he wasn’t the only new caledonian in french U20 as Robin Couly also lived in Noumea until 17. Hope he’s successful wherever he chooses to play.
7 Go to comments“Several key players in the Stade Rochelais squad are in their thirties” South Africans are going to hate the implications of that comment!
3 Go to commentsI know Leinster did a job on La Roche but shortly after HT Leinster were 30-13 ahead of them and at a similar time Toulouse were trailing Exeter. At 60 mins Leinster were 27 ahead but after 67 mins Toulouse were only 19 ahead before Exeter collapsed. That’s heavier scoring by Leinster against the Champions. I think people are looking at Toulouses total a little too much. I also think Northhampton are in with a real chance, albeit I’d put Leinster as favourites. If Leinster make the final I expect them to win by more than ten and with control.
3 Go to commentsHey Nick, your match analysis is decent but the top and tail not so much, a bit more random. For a start there’s a seismic difference in regenerating any club side over a test team. EJ pretty much had to urinate with the appendage he’d been given at test level whereas club success is impacted hugely by the budget. Look no further than Boudjellal’s Toulon project for a perfect example. The set ups at La Rochelle and Leinster are like chalk and cheese and you are correct that Leinster are ahead. Leinster are not just slightly ahead though, they are light years ahead on their plans, with the next gen champions cup team already blooded, seasoned and developing at speed from their time manning the fort in the URC while the cream play CC and tests. They have engineered a strong talent conveyor belt into their system, supported by private money funnelled into a couple of Leinster private schools. The really smart move from Leinster and the IRFU however is maximising the Irish Revenue tax breaks (tax relief on the best 10 years earnings refunded at retirement) to help keep all of their stars in Ireland and happy, while simultaneously funding marquee players consistently. And of course Barrett is the latest example. But in no way is he a “replacement for Henshaw”, he’s only there for one season!!! As for Rob Baxter, the best advice you can give him is to start lobbying Parliament and HMRC for a similar state subsidy, but don’t hold your breath… One thing Cullen has been very smart with is his coaching team. Very quickly he realised his need to supplement his skills, there was talk of him exiting after his first couple of years but he was extremely shrewd bringing in Lancaster and now Nienaber. That has worked superbly and added a layer that really has made a tangible difference. Apart from that you were bang on the money… 😉😂
3 Go to commentsNot sure exactly what went wrong for him at Glasgow but it’s pretty clear he ain’t Franco’s cup of tea. Suspect he would have been better served heading out of Scotland around the same time as Finn, Hoggy and Jonny!
1 Go to commentsBulls disrespected the Northampton supporters and the competition. Decide quickly, fully in or out.
25 Go to commentsI wonder if Parling was ever on England’s radar as a coach? Obviously Borthwick is a great lineout coach, but I do worry he might be taking on too much as both head coach and forwards coach.
1 Go to commentsJason Jenkins has one cap. When Etzebeth was his age he had over 80 caps. Experience matters. He will never amount to what Etzebeth has because he hasn’t been developed as an international player.
2 Go to commentsSays much about the player picking this gig over the easier and bigger rewards offered to him in Japan. Also says a lot about the state sanctioned tax benefits the Irish Revenue offers pro rugby players, with their ten highest earning years subject to an additional 40% tax relief and paid as a lump sum, in cash, at retirement. Certainly helps Leinster line up the financial ducks in a row to fund marquee signings like this!!! No other union anywhere in world rugby benefits from this kind of lucrative financial sponsorship from their government…
5 Go to commentsTrue Jordie could earn a lot more in Japan. But by choosing Leinster he’ll be playing with 1 of the best clubs in the world and can win a champions cup and URC…..
6 Go to commentsThanks for that Marshy, noticed you didn't say who is gonna win it. We know who ain't gonna win it - your Crusaders outfit. They've gone from having arguably the best Super Rugby first five ever, to having a clutch of rookies. Hurricanes all the way!
1 Go to commentsGeez you really have to question the NRLs ability to produce players of quality. Its pathetic. Dont the 25mil in Aus produce enough quality womens players. Sad.
1 Go to commentsBulls fan here, and agree 100% with the conclusion (and little else) of this article. SA sides should absolutely f-off from the champs cup until we get fair scheduling, equal support for travel arrangements and home semis. You know, like all the european teams get.
25 Go to commentsI’m yet to see why Grace would be an ABs contender. He’s pedestrian and lacks the dominance required of a top flight 8.
11 Go to commentsGee my Highlanders were terrible. They have gone backwards since the start of the season. The trouble began when we left Millar behind to prep as the 10 against the Brumbies and he was disconnected from the team that came back from Aussie. We rested Patchell for that game and we blew an avalanche of ball in good attacking positions in the 1st half. Against the Rebels we seem to of gone into a pod system with forwards hanging off from the breakdown leaving Fakatava to secure our ball!
80 Go to commentsPot Kettle, the English and French teams have done it for years.
25 Go to commentsHas virtually played every minute of previous games. Back row of Li Lo Willie , Grace and Blackadder would be the 1. Crusaders issue is a very average 1st 5 who cannot run. Kicking in general play is also below par They need to put Yong Kemara in. He must have so.e talent for them to bring him down from Waikato. Hoehepa would struggle to play in so.e club sided
11 Go to commentsI hope this a good thing making all these changes!
3 Go to commentsThe Hurricanes are good, especially with a decent coach now. However, let’s be real, the Crusaders and Chiefs are clearly a good degree weaker without the players they’ve lost overseas now. The Canes lost one player. It’s also why the aussie teams ‘seem’ to be stronger.
9 Go to commentsOr you could develop your own players instead of constantly taking from the SH competition and weakening it in the process? With all the player and financial resources these unions have compared to SH countries you’d think they could manage that, or is weakening the SH comps and their national sides an added bonus? Probably.
3 Go to comments