DAVID ASHDOWN

Mike Phillips believes being a farmer's son has served him well in rugby. 'It gives you a great start,' he says

Mike Phillips turned down the chance to go to the Ryder Cup and is kicking himself, or at least gently berating himself; a kick from Mike Phillips would hurt too much. But seriously, it was just up the M4 in Newport, and of course he and his Ospreys team-mates were glued to the television coverage of Monday's extraordinary denouement.

No doubt they also enjoyed the closing ceremony, which was introduced by Gareth Edwards, a Welsh scrum-half whose fame transcends rugby and Wales. The current occupant of the hallowed No 9 jersey – almost as hallowed as the Welsh No 10 jersey – is not quite there yet, but Edwards would be the first to admit that the boy is better-looking than he was. Moreover, Phillips has a celebrity girlfriend, the singer Duffy, and, even more significantly, enough talent, in the view of many observers, to become the finest scrum-half in the modern game. He's a marketing man's dream.

We meet on the terrace of a swanky hotel overlooking Cardiff Bay, just along from where he and Duffy live. Indeed, he has a speedboat, which he sometimes takes for a spin around the bay, although he hasn't "got the guts" to stick it in the pay-and-display boat park lest anyone mistake him for a proper nautical type.

By contrast with his on-field persona, and his off-field reputation too, because Phillips is not known as a quiet half-a-shandy merchant, the man across the table from me is softly spoken and seems almost humble. When I ask him to identify his favourite part of the game, he says: "There's no better feeling than making a break. But I also love putting a big tackle in. I put in a good hit on the hooker for New Zealand in the summer, Mooli or whatever his name was."

That would be Mealamu, and the hit was as if the 16-and-a-half stone forward had suddenly collided with a parked truck. A dazzling smile, the smile that won Duffy's heart. "Yeah, I enjoy tackling forwards. I suppose it's a bit of cockiness, saying to them 'you've just been smashed by a No 9'. But I've calmed down a lot. When I was younger I was quite excitable, but I don't tend to say too much now. I'd get too excited, then after the game think 'what an idiot I am'. It happened with the Lions a few times."

Phillips played in all three Tests for the Lions against the Springboks last year, and was one of the stars of the tour, even slotting in seamlessly at centre when Riki Flutey was injured. Ospreys fans were not surprised. They also know that they will need an injury-free Phillips, not a luxury they enjoyed last season, if Ospreys are to get through a formidably tough group and reach the Heineken Cup final, which happens to be at the Millennium Stadium, next May. The campaign starts tomorrow in Toulon.

"Last year we had such a good start at Leicester," Phillips recalls, "but we ended up drawing. Hopefully, this time we can start with victory. I've never played Toulon before. Obviously we're similar teams. They're known for buying all the star players, and some people think that of Ospreys as well." Toulon's star player nombre un, of course, is one Jonny Wilkinson. "Yeah, and he's playing really well for them. He can control any game."

One game Wilkinson signally failed to control, however, was that 2008 encounter at Twickenham, the first time for two decades that Wales had beaten the old enemy at HQ, and also Warren Gatland's first match as coach. For Phillips, the tough little Kiwi was a godsend. "He gave me the opportunity to start, and he believed in me. When I came into the Welsh squad I wasn't given any confidence. Some coaches wouldn't even bother saying my name in team meetings. But Gats told me after that game that I could become one of the best scrum-halves in the world. And Shaun, Shaun just loves the fact that I'm physical. To make Shaun happy you just have to make big hits."

His physicality, he thinks, stems from his childhood on a dairy farm near Carmarthen. He was the youngest of three brothers, and the middle brother Mark, seven years his senior, became Welsh amateur light-heavyweight boxing champion, so it's hardly surprising that he learnt early on how to stick up for himself. "My brothers were constantly winding me up," he says, chuckling. "But I was also taught by my father never to give up. And I learnt a lot just from his attitude to life, that hard-working ethos. I learnt to do the grafting as well as the fancy stuff, and that's what fans like to see."

It is surely no coincidence that a disproportionate number of rugby players, particularly if you consider the southern hemisphere nations, come from farming backgrounds. "That's probably true. It gives you a great start, working the muscles without you even realising it, getting up early in the morning, mucking in." A pause. "I hated it all, really," he adds, with perfect comic timing, and explodes with laughter. "At 13 or 14 I just wanted to be cool, and I didn't think farming was cool. But I don't want to come across like a proper farmer. I'm pleased now that I grew up with those values, but my brothers would say that I spent more time in the house than helping out. I wasn't passionate about it, which you need to be. You can't be half-hearted about farming. Like rugby, really."

Rugby has loomed large in his life for as long as he can remember. "I love my cricket too. I played a lot as a kid. I loved it at 14 or 15, playing village cricket with the men. You have a beer with them and you think that's great. But rugby was the main thing. My older brother played, so I used to go and watch him. And international days were a big deal, putting the Wales kit on to watch it on TV."

He joined his brother's club, Whitland RFC, and played as a scrum-half, driven to succeed by all the people who said, week after week, that he was too tall to play at No 9. Before his time, Terry Holmes had blazed a trail for big Welsh scrum-halves, but for Phillips, the main inspiration was the tall South African, Joost van der Westhuizen. "He was a big hero of mine. I remember watching him in the 1995 World Cup, tackling Jonah Lomu. He was everything I wanted to be."

Does it irk him, having become no less than Van der Westhuizen the embodiment of the new breed of No 9, that it is No 10s who are most idolised in Wales, the fly-half factory and all that? "No, because the greatest player of all time was a scrum-half – Gareth Edwards. There have been some tremendous scrum-halves in Wales, and there's good competition right now. It's a great position. Maybe 10 or 15 years ago there was only one role, to pass the ball out, but now you have to be able to multitask. You can influence the game as much as a 10 sometimes."

A good example is Justin Marshall, an All-Black for a decade, and the first-choice scrum-half at Ospreys when Phillips moved there in 2007, having earlier gone from Whitland to Llanelli and then to Cardiff Blues. Did Marshall take him under his wing? Hardly.

"It's a funny one, really. It's fair to say that he wouldn't pass too many words of wisdom my way, but then I learnt from him that he hadn't got 80-odd caps for New Zealand by giving young bucks a helping hand."

He can laugh about it now, now that he's master of his domain. But let's finally explore another area of that domain. I have been asked by his agent to sidestep "Gavin and Charlotte" but my sidestep never was any good. Does the example of Charlotte Church and his (erstwhile?) Wales and Ospreys team-mate Gavin Henson, a marriage of rugby and showbiz that soured, represent a salutary lesson to him?

"Ermmmm," he says, suddenly inarticulate. "Yeah, maybe. You've got to be careful how you put yourself out there. You can put yourself as much as you want in the public eye but the main thing for me is rugby."

In other words, albeit my other words, he's not about to sign up for Strictly Come Dancing, like Henson did? "No, that's not my ticket. My goals are all on the rugby field." Nevertheless, good looks, abundant talent and a famous girlfriend surely add up to huge commercial opportunities. "I dunno. Maybe. It's a bit strange, really. You can't help who you fall in love with. But I've never been as happy as this, ever. I feel very lucky to have the dream job, and the dream girl as well."

What was his response to the Welsh Rugby Union's facile decision to use the self-exiled Henson to promote the new kit? "I just sort of laughed. That's the first thing I did. I didn't think any more about it than that. That's Gav, isn't it? It didn't bother me. That's just him. I like Gav. I wouldn't say a bad word about the boy. He's an immense rugby talent, he's made his choices, and hopefully one day he'll come back."

And that's that, almost. We shake hands, then talk about his speedboat, then shake hands again. And then, just before we part, he suddenly looks anxious. "Are you going to mention much about the Gav thing?" he asks. He's not the only rugby man in Wales to want "the Gav thing" to go away.

Wales recall: Andy Powell

Wales Head Coach Warren Gatland has named three uncapped players in a 27-man squad for June's Cardiff Test against world champions South Africa and the subsequent New Zealand tour.

The Scarlets trio of scrum-half Tavis Knoyle, hooker Ken Owens and flanker Rob McCusker all feature in Gatland's group.

And there is also a recall for Cardiff Blues back-row Andy Powell, who was kicked out of Wales' Six Nations squad earlier this season.

Powell was charged with driving a golf buggy while over the limit the morning after Wales' dramatic victory over Scotland in February.

Gatland, meanwhile, had already confirmed the absence of four players from next month's fixtures, with scrum-half Dwayne Peel and flanker Martyn Williams both being rested, while James Hook requires shoulder surgery and lock Luke Charteris has been troubled by a neck problem.

After tackling the Springboks, Wales face the All Blacks in Dunedin on June 19 and then Hamilton seven days later.

Elsewhere, Cardiff Blues prop John Yapp returns to the squad following injury, while 18-year-old Ospreys wing Tom Prydie, who became Wales' youngest international when he made his debut against Italy in March, also features.

"I am a great believer in 'if you are good enough you are old enough,' and that applies to the likes of both Tom and Tavis Knoyle," said Gatland.

"We have gone very much for continuity of selection and kept the squad small, but there are also a couple of youngsters in there who we are going to stick by.

"Tom will gain experience from being with us - Shane Williams and even Lee Byrne aren't going to be around forever - and he is someone who can cover those positions and who we are excited about.

"We are excited about Tavis as well. He is a big strong lad, someone who has been compared to Mike Phillips on the pitch.

"He has a good pass and some real speed and he has the frame there as well, so he has it all going for him and he has some real potential.

"Rob (McCusker) comes in as well with a real opportunity to move himself up the pecking order.

"He perhaps wouldn't have had the chance if Martyn had been with us or if Dan Lydiate at the Dragons had been fit, but he has an opportunity now.

"We have been impressed with his form for the Scarlets and he has played some sevens for Wales, and there is no doubting he has the pace and ability."

Gatland has also named an eight-man standby contingent that will train with Wales while they on home soil, and are then in line to be called up for the New Zealand tour should injuries occur.

Dragons trio Will Harries, Gavin Thomas and Jason Tovey join Blues pair Chris Czekaj and Rhys Thomas, Ospreys duo Ian Gough and Craig Mitchell and the Scarlets' Martyn Roberts on Gatland's back-up list.

Gatland added: "I've said all along that the best preparation for us (ahead of next year's World Cup) is to play the best teams, and they don't come much tougher than the Springboks and the All Blacks.

"We have an opportunity to start off on the right foot on June 5 with a victory.

"And, hopefully, by the time the World Cup comes around we will have a battle-hardened squad ready to achieve something special and we will look back and see that it all started here."

Wales Squad:

Backs: Lee Byrne (Ospreys), Leigh Halfpenny (Cardiff Blues), Shane Williams (Ospreys), Tom Prydie (Ospreys), Andrew Bishop (Ospreys), Jonathan Davies (Scarlets), Jamie Roberts (Cardiff Blues), Stephen Jones (Scarlets), Dan Biggar (Ospreys), Mike Phillips (Ospreys), Richie Rees (Cardiff Blues), Tavis Knoyle (Scarlets).

Forwards: Gethin Jenkins (Cardiff Blues), Paul James (Ospreys), Adam Jones (Ospreys), John Yapp (Cardiff Blues), Matthew Rees (Scarlets), Huw Bennett (Ospreys), Ken Owens (Scarlets), Alun-Wyn Jones (Ospreys), Dafydd Jones (Cardiff Blues), Brad Davies (Cardiff Blues), Jonathan Thomas (Ospreys), Sam Warburton (Cardiff Blues), Andy Powell (Cardiff Blues), Rob McCusker (Scarlets), Ryan Jones (Ospreys).

The Ireland and Lions centre is out of contract this summer at Leinster.

And Sport of the World understands the Welsh side are planning an amazing transfer coup.

They were linked with Worcester's wantaway All-Black centre Sam Tuitupou, but have turned all their attention to landing Ireland's Grand Slam winner, who has already held talks with the ambitious Welsh region.

D'Arcy, 30, has spent his entire career in Dublin and lifted the Heineken Cup last season with Leinster.

But he has seen the success of Ireland team-mate Tommy Bowe since moving to the Liberty Stadium and is looking for a fresh move.

D'Arcy, capped 41 times, is a proven match-winner and has been one of the top centres in Europe for the past six years.

He formed a lethal partnership for club and country with Brian O'Driscoll and was Six Nations Player of the Tournament in Ireland's Triple Crown successes in 2004 and 2007.

He also twice toured with the Lions in 2005 and again in 2008 when he played alongside Ospreys' James Hook, Mike Phillips and Shane Williams.

It would be a major capture for the Welsh region to land such a prolific player as they look to build a squad capable of conquering Europe.

Under current rules, D'Arcy would take the overseas spot of Filo Tiatia, who is retiring and one of eight players set to leave the Ospreys this summer.

The decision by the Ospreys to chase another inside centre will also raise doubts over a possible return for Gavin Henson, who commanded the No12 jersey before taking leave following injury.

Mobile religion

With post and pre-match video analysis now old hat, skype was arguably the greatest technological advance on the 2009 tour compared to the trip to New Zealand four years before. The internet video system enabled the players to keep in touch with loved ones and avoid getting homesick.

But Harlequins wing Ugo Monye used the system for more than just a quick hello to friends. Monye conducted prayer meetings with his family while he was away. The England star also kept in regular contact with his Pastor at his local church, All Saints in Brompton.

No wonder then, when asked in his column in the Evening Standard what he would advise anyone who wanted to follow his example of playing for England and the Lions within eight months to do, he said: "Go to church."

The old boys were back in town

Lions spotting was a favourite past time of the hordes of fans who travelled to South Africa. Gareth Edwards, Gavin Hastings and Jason Robinson were there as HSBC Ambassadors, Willie John McBride joined them prior to the first Test and David Duckham was another big name roaring on Paul O'Connell's men.

Ex Lions John Taylor, Paul Ackford and Eddie Butler were all part of the press corps, while Sky TV had a plethora of Lions among their panelists in Dewi Morris, Ieuan Evans, Jeremy Guscott, Will Greenwood, Stuart Barnes and Paul Wallace.

Former Irish international Roger Young, who now lives in South Africa, was a tourist in 1966 and 1968 and was seen having a coffee with his former Ulster team-mate McBride on the eve of the opening international, while Phil Vickery spotted 1993 tourist, Ben Clarke on the beach front.

Three times Lions tourist and 1974 coach Syd Millar was another star name on parade, but top marks must go to 1997 and 2005 hookers Mark Regan and Shane Byrne. They not only came to the Republic to support the Lions, but also got their kit on play for the Classic Lions against the Classic Springboks. Some old habits die hard!

Lion cub on the way

James Hook's tour may not have ended with a Test cap but it did feature another reason to celebrate.

Shortly after kicking the winning penalty goal against Western Province in Cape Town, the Ospreys outside-half heard from his girlfriend, Kimberly, that he was to become a father for the first time in December.

James Hook deserved congratulations outside of his match-winning penalty

Sticks and stones

Nicknames are a standard part of every sporting team, but the Lions ran into a few problems separating Cardiff Blues and Wales prop Gethin Jenkins and London Wasps and England flanker Joe Worsley. Why? Both are affectionately known as 'Melon head' back home.

In the rough

Ronan O'Gara would love to have formed a new half-back partnership with Mike Phillips for the three-match Test series, but he wasn't too impressed with the Welsh No 9's golfing skills.

They paired up to take on the might of Matthew Rees and Andy Powell, but crashed to a humbling defeat.

Not surprising, really, given that Phillips managed to lose 20 balls during the round - and that was a conservative estimate! The penalty for the losers was the cost of lunch for four. Cue the lobster, said Powell!

Andy Powell enjoyed lunch courtesy of Ronan O'Gara and Mike Phillips

Melody makers

They may have gotten off to a slow start but the Lions music committee finally got the rhythm going ahead of the first Test against the Springboks.

Rikki Flutey and Jamie Roberts copped a bit of flak early on for their lack of taste, but they soon got the whole team jumping.

Returning from training in Port Elizabeth, they ordered the coach driver to do an extra lap of the team hotel because the players were still dancing to "Sunchyme" by Safri Duo. Not only that, they stopped the bus at some roadworks and invited a local worker to get on board and join them.

Bowe's band of 'merry' men

The Tommy Bowe fan club grew considerably on tour thanks to some stunning performances. Ulster's finest scored four tries and was widely regarded as one of the Lions' biggest success stories.

But it seems some of his fans took things to extremes. Eight Irish fans from Omagh introduced themselves to Bowe in Cape Town where they produced the previous night's bar bill.

It started with 90 gin and tonics and then went onto 20 whiskeys!

via lionsrugby.com

May 6 2010 by jon doel, Western Mail

Phillips is relishing the prospect of resurrecting his duel with the world champions at the Millennium Stadium on June 5 after starring for the Lions in three brutal Tests last summer.