Katie Garvey, a student from The British School Al Khubairat sits down with Alistair to talk about his love of rugby and his decision to retire.
Has rugby always been your number one sport?
It has – always – I come from a town in the Scottish borders where rugby is the number one sport. My older brother played and I would always go along to watch his matches. By the time I was eight years old I was desperate to start.
Which rugby player did you most admire when you were younger?
Growing up I was a big fan of David Campese. He was an Australian winger and a prolific try scorer.
And who is your favourite international rugby player?
I think there are a lot of players to truly admire; I guess people such as Dan Carter, just for being at the top of his game for so many years.
People see rugby as a dangerous sport in comparison to others, have you ever had any
serious injuries?
I’ve had my fair share of injuries – broken quite a few bones. I’m not sure that this interview is long enough for me to go into detail but my worst was probably a broken leg on the field in 2000 or when I ruptured my cruciate ligament and had to have corrective surgery in 2010.
You play as a Number 8. What exactly does this position involve?
It’s basically your link between the backs and forwards and involves a lot of tight play – tackling and rucking. I love having the freedom though to be able to just run with the ball.
When you decided to come and teach in Abu Dhabi did you expect to have to give up rugby since it was not a major sport here?
It’s funny how before you move out to somewhere new you research for any sport or rugby clubs in my case, but my brother had already been playing out here for Abu Dhabi Harlequins which used to be known as Abu Dhabi Bats. So I knew there was a team and organised competition which certainly made the move an easier decision.
Had you ever imagined you would be captain of a national rugby team?
I think any player grows up aspiring to be captain of their country of birth but I didn’t expect to be, it wasn’t in my plans when moving to the UAE. It was an honour though as I hadn’t expected to be playing, never mind being the captain, particularly in the twilight of my career. Over the past months it has certainly been fantastic to play internationally in my last season of rugby but to captain was a positive bonus.
Your last match was against Japan, how did it feel playing knowing it was your last game?
Well, anybody I speak to or who knows me claims that it won’t be… and wasn’t my last. It was such a big and important game for the UAE that there were so many other things on my mind before and during the match that I didn’t really get time to think about it. It was tough though. In that last game we lost by 100 points but it is still one of the most memorable rugby matches I’ve ever played in my career… and I would do it all again! To be honest I reckon that the reality of retirement won’t hit me until next season when I’m standing on the sidelines and not on the field.
Do you have any words about our school?
I was very fortunate that the school was accommodating in allowing me time off to travel to places such as Japan and Korea. It’s certainly my hope to put back the knowledge gained from this experience back into my coaching at school next year.
