Bath Rugby's Dave Attwood talks team mates

Ahead of his long awaited return from injury against Saracens, Bath Rugby and England international lock Dave Attwood sat down with Total Sport to tell us a little more about himself and dish the dirt on some of his team mates...

So Dave, first up we're interested to know who was your rugby inspiration and role model growing up?

Probably Alex Brown, I would say. When I first started playing it was Gareth Llewellyn, now a very old second row, and at the time an old second row! He played for Bristol, he was a great player.

Who was your rugby team, who did you follow?

I was a Bristol lad and I supported Bristol, and internationally obviously I supported England. 

What about now, when you're not playing which teams do you like watching?

To be honest I quite like watching my local rugby club back home, they're like division 11 or something but I quite like watching rugby that is played by people who are purely amateur. They're there because they love it, they love the game, they love the craic with the lads. When rugby went professional it's all about performance so it's quite nice to go and watch the amateur teams play, I really enjoy that.

Which is the best stadium you've played in?

The one in Dunedin, New Zealand. The Forsyth Barr stadium, the one with a roof. That was awesome, all stadiums should have a pyrex roof on. The atmosphere was awesome, it was dry - only it wasn't actually, but because of the roof it was!

So what hobbies do you have, away from the game?

I do a lot of DIY. I'm not handy at all, I just enjoy taking things apart and breaking things and trying to fix them. I read quite a lot also. This is unbelievably sad but at the minute i'm reading political autobiographies. I'm just trying to find out why on earth everybody is supporting Donald Trump. I don't want to just join the bandwagon and have a go at him, but he seems like a moron so, why are loads of people supporting him? So i'm reading his autobiography at the minute. 

With that in mind, what do you think you'd be doing if you weren't a rugby player?

I'd probably be making furniture, badly. Or renovating houses. 

Right, let's talk team mates, who is the most intelligent in the Bath Rugby squad?

It's too obvious so I won't say myself. I'm going to suggest Henry Thomas. He's a good pub quizzer, you can tell a lot about a man by his pub quiz ability. 

And the least intelligent?

Levi Douglas, straight up.

What about the practical joker in the team?

Nathan Catt. He loves all that stuff. Him and Ross Batty, but mainly him. 

The quietest player?

You're asking who's the most boring..? George Ford. Why is George Ford boring? He paper clips his socks together. 

Most competitive?

Guy Mercer. Always cheats when we play any kind of conditioning game, he can't stop himself.

So what about the biggest moaner then? Who loves to complain?

Matt Garvey, he's the most negative man you've ever met.

The best trainer in the squad?

Guy Mercer, he puts the hours in.

And what about the worst trainer?

Anthony Watson. He's very naturally gifted... and he's very lazy.

Finally, if you had to rely on one of the lads in the squad to save your life, who would be the one to depend on?

I really hate to say this but it has to be Stuart Hooper. He would never hang you out to dry


Many thanks to Dave Attwood for giving Total Sport his time. Check out our Talking Team Mates Q&A with captain Stuart Hooper here, in which he had his own special mentions for Attwood...