Beyond the Breakdown

George North: "I learned my biggest core values in rugby."

In our sixth and final episode of this series we are talking to Wales’ top six nations try scorer and all-around superstar George North. Last but by no means least, this conversation saw us laugh, cry and really reflect on the ways in which rugby, and sport in general, can embellish your life. Together we traced the arc of his legendary career to look at the man behind the highlights – fatherhood, moments of doubt and how we build resilience. George started in the wilds of Llangefni up in Anglesey, where his Mum is from, and from where his Dad, a Yorkshireman, drove him from, up and down the lengths and breadth of Wales to make sure he was where he needed to be to become the player we know him as today. George is still playing and for this episode we went over to Stade Maurice David in Provence to see him in his new home turf. But his first home turf was in Llangefni, down on the fields beyond the cabbage patches and in football country, which meant it wasn’t always 14 others he was playing with but a mish mash of players from here and there, but still it’s the place that he says he learned his core values that still take him through life today. From George talking about the challenges he’s faced in the game through injury, the highs of Lions and World tours and his favourite tries and all the way through to how important his relationships with his own Dad is and what he wants for his own boys now, this is a conversation that you’ll want to sit down and take in. George is a special guy, and when you meet him you’re not meeting “George North”, one of the world’s best rugby players, you’re meeting George from Llangefni. At the start of his book he says: “Here’s what you need to know about me, at this point. I’ll shake your hand when we first meet. I’ll ask you how you are. I’ll bring the energy and I’ll bring positive vibes.” And that’s the George you meet everytime, just a kid that still loves the game and is thankful for all it’s given him We’ve got a lot more to see from George, and it was a pleasure to talk to him while he’s still in the game and looking towards the future but also with curiosity as he thinks about what else is to come. What a guy, what a player, what a conversation. As ever we hope you enjoy this conversation as much as we did, and hope you enjoy spending your time with George and getting to know him a little better. The man behind some of your favourite tries – that knows his Mum and Dad are stood behind him cheering him on, as he does with his own family now. This conversation, and George himself is the spirit of rugby and of the story we have tried to tell throughout this series. From our conversation with Chief last week, someone who played the game before the professional era kicked in to our chat this week with George, still playing week-in week-out, we can see how fast and how much the game has changed but also the important stuff that’s stayed the same. So too as we bookend this series with Wales two top try scorers, one the childhood hero of the other. The game evolves, and mantels are passed but in the end it’s a game we all play together for each other, and it’s in your blood and in the way you live even when the boots have been put away. Beyond the Breakdown is that story of life inside, alongside and after the game – we’ve only just started to tell this story and would love to hear from you about yours.

Dale 'Chief' McIntosh: We understood we weren’t just playing for ourselves

In our fifth episode we are talking to Dale ‘Chief’ McIntosh. Chief made 454 appearances for Pontypridd RFC, and went on to coach for Wales and the Cardiff Blues among many other clubs like Brecon RFC and Pontypool RFC. Chief and Rich played together at Pontypridd, Rich’s place of birth, with Rich playing 4 seasons there, 3 wearing the black and white of the club and 1 wearing a blue, black and white jersey of the Celtic Warriors. Ponty has been at the coal face of Welsh culture and industry for centuries. It’s a town, set in the steep sides of the Rhondda Cynnon Taf, at the confluence of the River Taff and River Rhondda, about 12 miles north of Wales’ capital, Cardiff. And it has forged some of rugby’s greatest players and legends. Pontypridd RFC was founded in 1876, making it one of Wales’ oldest clubs and their home is at Sardis Road, affectionately known as The House of Pain. Beyond Wales, Ponty is also part of rugby legend. It’s earned a reputation as one of Europe's toughest and most passionate teams. And that’s just the fans! Ponty is the epitome of Welsh rugby. And no one sums that up more than Chief. Being able to chat to him for this episode about his lengthy career both on the field as a player and alongside it as a coach was really special. Two former Ponty players and teammates sat in the clubhouse talking about what made playing for Ponty special and what is important about rugby. We got to explore with Chief the highs and lows of his own career but also his reflections on the challenges facing the game and our clubs today. As a player he was a big brother to everyone in the team, a talisman. And it was an honour to sit with him and talk about the game that gave him so much, and all that he gave to us, the fans. We hope you enjoy this special conversation.

Scott Baldwin: "I just loved the high pressure."

In our fourth episode we are talking to Scott Balwin – a former Ospreys, Quinns and Wales player now on an exciting journey as a coach. Scott sits at the intersection between rugby at an elite level and the game at grassroots, as a player and now as Head Coach at Bridgend Ravens. Bridgend Ravens was founded in 1878 and since then has produced 25 British and Irish Lions and a list of amazing players as long as your arm. Like many clubs, the Ravens are facing rising costs and challenges with keeping the lights on, but they have been innovating. Their new partnership with Electrify Cymru, who are the sponsors of the newly named Electric Brewery Field, will support the club to transform how they use energy, meaning they have more money to invest back into the team. One of these plans, as you will hear Scott talk about, is to use wind power to make the Electric Brewery field the site of Wales’ first carbon-neutral rugby game. It really feels like the Ravens are a club meeting their challenges head on. As with our conversation with Bomb last week, this week’s episode is, in large part, a reflection on the game at every level and from the perspective of coaching the game, not just playing it, in Wales but also in the English system. Both conversations reflect on the culture in rugby and the idea of putting the person above the player. It was fantastic to be able to spend time talking to a student of the game like Scott in this episode – to be able to bring out his learnings, his different experiences in the game and what he thinks connects it all. Not to mention talking to him about how important Steve Tandy was in his career. We really hope that this conversation brings you as much enjoyment to listen to as it was to have and potentially offers a slightly different perspective on the game we love.

Adam Jones: "The club gave me my life."

In our third episode we are talking to Adam ‘Bomb’ Jones, the cornerstone of the Welsh pack for over a decade, earning 95 caps and achieving a legendary feat of 3 Six Nations grand slams and 5 British and Irish Lions test caps. He’s a legend of the game on and off the field. We had our conversation at Neath RFC, home of the original all blacks. The Gnoll is a tough place to play and is home to a rugby community that has forged some of Wales' and the world’s best players. It’s the epitome of Wales’ proud, historic, fierce and friendly rugby roots. It was so interesting to hear Bomb talk about how much his home club in Abercrave means to him and about his 40 games for Neath being his most important games – that he feels a greater emotional connection to his local teams, than to that of the national side. And it was fascinating to get the insight of someone who has experienced every level of the Welsh system and is now coaching in the English system, on what’s important and what works. It also really felt like there was a lot happening at the Gnoll when we were there, which as we talked about in the episode has recently become a CIC (Community Interest Company), these are companies which operate to provide a benefit to the community they serve – which perfectly describes Neath rugby club. Like many of the other clubs we’ve visited during this series Neath are struggling to keep the lights on and keeping people coming through the doors, but they are innovating and reaching out into the community in many different ways including hosting the Christmas lights for the town now the town council can’t afford to put them on. What a place, and what a player to have a conversation with on this episode – we really hope you get as much from this conversation as we did.

Jon Fox Davies: "Being a professional rugby player in Wales, you understand responsibilities”

In our second episode we are talking to Jon Fox Davies, a product of Carmarthenshire and Scarlets with 96 Welsh caps and 6 British and Irish Lions caps. Jon grew up in the hustle and bustle of his parents pub in Bancyfelin, where he gets his nickname from and as you’ll hear in our conversation today the place that raised and supported him still means as much today as it did back then. This episode is filmed at the International Players Lounge at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff, a dedicated space for those who have been lucky enough to play for Wales. Originally we were set to have our conversation at Carmarthen Athletic RFC, which is where a pair of Jon’s boots are on display, but as part of the critical role they play in their community they had an NHS outpatients clinic booked in, and so rightly couldn’t fit us in. It was fantastic to talk with someone as thoughtful as Jon and to hear his insights as a player and about the lessons rugby has taught him beyond the game - striving to be the best version of himself and how seriously he took the responsibility of representing not just his country, but his community. Amongst all the achievements, and all the amazing stories, the story he tells about playing with his brother was especially moving. But most striking was the direct line of connection and purpose in so much of what he talked about leading straight back to his community in Carmarthenshire, and the local clubs and the support from those clubs that have sustained him through his whole career. This is a conversations which deep dives into the game, the challenges Carmarthenshire is facing, what being a Dad means and the importance of place – the smile on Jon’s face as he was talking about the boys with a Whitland RFC flag at a Lions game was something else! We really hope you enjoy this conversation as much as we did!