THE BIG
INTERVIEW
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Daniel Evans talk to former England rugby player Tim Rodber
on how he is driving The Instant Group to new heights
I
didn’t want to embarrass Tim Rodber
by asking him how good he was at
rugby but let me tell you he was pretty
special. In a period when England were
the dominant force in European rugby,
he was one of the enforcers in a powerful
pack. He was an integral part of two
grand slam-winning sides and played
in two world cups. I recall seeing him at
the Northampton clubhouse on a quiet
Sunday back in the day and he practically
had to turn sideways to get his huge frame
through the door.
And you don’t need to take my word for
it. I called Peter Jackson, the former rugby
correspondent of the Daily Mail and
asked him how he remembers Rodber. “I
invited Tim to the rugby writers’ dinner
when he was an 18-year-old because I
thought this lad is going to go a long way.
He was in the vanguard of the new breed
of athletic, multi-dimensional back row
forwards.
“He won his first cap early in 1992
ahead of Dean Richards and I think he
must be one of very few players in world
rugby to have won their first games
against New Zealand, Australia and
South Africa. He never took a backward
step and his finest hour in an England
shirt was in their 32-15 victory over the
10
❝
THERE ARE CROSSOVER CHARACTERISTICS
FOR BUSINESS AND RUGBY. YOU NEED TO BE
DRIVEN AND YOU NEED A DESIRE WITHIN
YOU TO TACKLE AND SOLVE PROBLEMS. YOU
NEED TO WANT TO WIN. I THINK THAT IS AN
INNATE CHARACTERISTIC THAT YOU NEED
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