I’m a rugby convert

What are your favourite sports to watch and play?

There’s just one sport

That I still play.

For most I am too old.

You know that I love running

So we’ll leave that one alone.

---

Football was my first love

The obsession of my youth.

Law, Best and Charlton

My idols growing up.

---

I played a bit of rugby

We did a bit at school

But I didn’t have a feel for it

And barely knew the rules.

---

Our leisure sport was football

Our games would last all day

Memorably in Germany

When we’d won our World Cup.

---

It was when we moved to Twickenham

I caught the rugby bug.

The home of English rugby

You kind of get caught up.

---

The crowds that went to Harlequins

Would go right past our door.

One day I followed, took a look

And liked it right away.

---

There’s less a threatening atmosphere

The rival fans all mix

There’s physicality on the field

But off it there’s respect.

---

There are no boring 0-0 games

There’s jeopardy to the end

And so much happening on the field

You can watch it all again.

---

There’s different kinds of players

With different sets of skills

Though I prefer a running game

Ball quickly through the hands.

---

I still follow football

The universal game

But rugby’s now my favourite sport

And Harlequins my team.

---

I wished I’d understood it more

Back in the days I played

We just did what they told us to

We didn’t know the rules.