Rugby World: The Champions

Focus on Wales
WORDS: Sarah Mockford MAIN PICTURE: Billy Stickland/Inpho
Parade leader is
marching forward
Dragons hooker Tom Willis insists he thrives, not cries, wearing the captain’s
armband and is excited by the European challenges that await this month
OR SOME people captaincy can be a burden. world. I’m not overly familiar with things because it’s new
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The pressure of leading a team can be too territory for me and I’ll have to think on my feet. It’s going to be
much and their own game crumbles. Just look intense with the top clubs up here, but I see it all as a challenge.
at Michael Vaughan and Paul Collingwood Playing in Toulouse will be a fantastic experience. It’s an
when it came to captaining the England cricket opportunity for myself and the team to play against the best.”
team. As Collingwood, who stood down as one-day captain The Dragons haven’t enjoyed much success in Europe
this summer, says: “I scored a Test hundred just before I took in recent years. Last season they won just once, beating
the job and the next one I made came a day after I’d decided Benetton Treviso 35-33 in Italy but losing 24-22 to the same
to quit – that’s a powerful coincidence.” opposition in Newport a week later, and the previous season
S Others, however, can thrive in a leadership role. Tom Willis they didn’t even qualify for the competition. They have also
U is one of those men. The former All Blacks hooker arrived at been in the bottom three of the Magners League for the past
C Rodney Parade this summer and Paul Turner was quick to two years, but Willis insists the club is “very ambitious” and
make him Newport Gwent Dragons captain for the season. he’s been impressed by a lot of youngsters at the region.

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He has skippered Waikato Chiefs in the Super 14 and led New “I’m not promising titles this year, but we want to improve
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Zealand’s midweek side against Ireland A and Scotland A at and not be the underachievers we have been for the last
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the age of just 22 in the autumn of 2001. The 29-year-old couple of years,” he says. “Physically the players here are
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believes that as captain he has to step up to the plate. stronger, particularly the young guys. There’s a lot more
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“In my discussions with Paul Turner prior to signing I knew gym-based strength compared to the young guys coming

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it was a distinct possibility,” he says. “I’ve had experience of through in New Zealand. That’s the nature of training and
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leadership and it’s something I don’t mind. It can enhance conditioning over here as more hours are spent in the gym.
your game because you have to lead by example. There’s A couple of guys who’ve impressed me are Rhys Thomas
no hiding place and you have to front up. I’m comfortable and Luke Charteris, who’s a potential leader in the squad.”
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with that and there are other people to help out with the Willis won ﬁ ve caps for the All Blacks in 2002, but a
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responsibility; I get support from other senior players.” subsequent back injury kept him out of the game for more
This month Willis will get his ﬁ rst taste of the Heineken Cup. than a year and at times it was thought he may never play
The Dragons are pooled with former champions Toulouse and again. He fought his way back to full ﬁ tness and into the
Bath as well as Glasgow. They open their campaign at home Chiefs team, but he never managed to get back into the
on 11 October against the Warriors, who edged a tight affair revered black jersey and opted for a move north. “I’ve
at Rodney Parade in their ﬁ rst Magners League game of the always wanted to live abroad and play overseas, and here
season, before travelling to the Rec the following Sunday. there’s the opportunity to travel around Europe when time
Then they play Toulouse home and away in December. permits. I’m still playing top-quality rugby, rugby of a high
With the inﬂ ux of southern hemisphere players to the North, standard, and there are ﬁ nancial incentives as well.”
Willis admits that Europe’s elite competition is getting more There are a raft of New Zealanders playing in Wales now, but
exposure back in New Zealand and is looking forward to the it was one plying his trade in the north of England that Willis
upcoming matches. “It’s a lot bigger than in the past and consulted before signing on the dotted line with the Dragons.
that’s a reﬂ ection of the top New Zealand, Australian and Willis captained the King’s High School ﬁ rst XV, of which
Building blocks: Willis
South African players we know who are playing in it. It’s a current Newcastle prop Carl Hayman was a member, in
insists the Dragons
fantastic competition with some of the best players in the Dunedin and the pair have remained close friends. “He put
are “very ambitious”
QUICK-FIRE PROFILE
Pizza. It wasn’t as good here yet. I do intend to go
as his other books down the Gower, though
Full name Thomas humour but am serious Childhood rugby hero I’d like to meet… Roger
Eion Willis when I need to be Zinzan Brooke Federer. Rafael Nadal’s
Nickname Dubsy. First Favourite video game Toughest opponent pretty impressive, too,
I was called TW, then I don’t play video games Anton Oliver [right] but I particularly like the
T Dubs and now Dubsy TV programme There’s I like to cook… way Federer comes
Born 20 April 1979 (29), not that much I’m into Chicken cous cous across in his personality
Dunedin, New Zealand over here yet. Family Guy To switch off from Best rugby moment
Personality Bubbly and Last book read John rugby, I… Surf, but I Making my debut for
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outgoing. I like a bit of Grisham’s Playing for haven’t got a board over the All Blacks n
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WILLIS MADE HIS NEW ZEALAND DEBUT AGAINST ITALY IN 2002 AND WON A FURTHER FOUR CAPS THAT YEAR + IF HE COULD DO ANOTHER SPORT
134 NOVEMBER 2008 RUGBY WORLD
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