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Adversity has brought the best out in the Bristol and England tighthead prop before and it can do so again
Everyone who has ever been rejected, in any walk of life, knows how deeply it can sting. Which makes the soothing balm of subsequent affirmation all the sweeter. At least four publishers turned down George Orwell’s Animal Farm while the curt advice once issued to F Scott Fitzgerald – “You’d have a decent book if you get rid of that Gatsby character” – has also entered literary lore. One person’s opinion is not necessarily the gospel truth.
It is similarly the case in sport. Rugby is full of examples of successful players who were rejected, overlooked or released on their way up. Often it is the making of them, the initial setback proving the catalyst for individuals either to redouble their efforts or change their entire outlook. Some clubs, the double-winning Exeter Chiefs among them, had a policy of recruiting so-called misfits or rejects from other teams whom they knew would respond well if offered the chance of redemption. Continue reading...