Jason Robinson

And, you know, like, I was a good premiership player and a good patina.

Like, I was good enough to play international rugby, but I wasn't about to become... jason robinson or you know like i was just you know i was gonna be there but um not tearing it up whereas back in the day i felt like i could have been there and tearing it up

yeah who in that england touring squad was just really stood out for you

uh so it's people who i thought were phenomenal in that

Probably.

You'd like to think so.

But the guys who really stood out to me, not so much on that tour, but of all the time I was in the England training camp was Jason Robinson.

Jason Robinson was a lovely guy, but also just ridiculous footwork, just a natural athlete built like a tank.

say he's a plank and he's a loser.

My second loser of the weekend is Jason Robinson.

I don't know whether you saw the opening ceremony of the Rugby World Cup and the way that ITV had covered it, right? But when they moved away from the studio kind of audience, Lawrence Delaglio and Johnny Wilkinson and others, and they went down onto the pitch, they stood Jason Robinson next to a guy who was 6'10".

Yeah, I saw that.

Martin Bayfield, former rugby player.

... it's quite interesting actually.

My, uh, I did a TV show many years ago called, um, Live Italian, which was on Prime, and it, and it paired me with another Italian guy who's an ex-rugby player, M- Mark, um, Castrogiovanni.

Really, really lovely character.

You know, he's just been on Italy's Got Talent.

And rugby had become... had been professional for a while.

New Zealand, South Africa, Australia were a little bit further ahead than, than, than all of us.

England had got to a wonderful place with the guys like Will Carling and that era with Jeff Cook, and they w- won Grand Slams, but every time they played New Zealand, South Africa, Australia, they'd lose-

Yeah

And I genuinely looked myself in the eye one day and just said, you know, I don't think I've got that talent.

I mean, I was playing at the time, a friend of mine was Jason Robinson, who ended up playing for England over here.

when Johnny Wilkinson nicked the World Cup off the Wallabies.

I remember it well.

yeah it's certainly one to keep a close eye on um and then number three who's next

right chairsling colby right these aren't in order right no well they sort of are because i put the tight head at the top so he is the most important but chesley and colby for me that is a half man half marketing campaign right once you've signed him that's your advertising done for the stormers you don't need anything else okay and i don't know what he's cost to bring him back um it doesn't really matter because he is i'd imagine a lot of the advertising budget's gone and bringing that boy back he is showtime you know he's probably the best undersized wing arguably that's ever been um you know he'd be up there with like jason robinson and shane williams yeah and shane williams i don't know whether you'd put um brian a banner in the undersized category probably not um but he's up there he's incredible his defense is incredible he punches so far above his weight defensively brilliant really good in the air he's also a goal kicker which is something the stormers potentially well they've had issues with over the past few seasons the goal kick has been an issue and i think it always helps if you've got a wing or a 15 on the pitch who can kick a goal to take the pressure off the other players so especially you know with say if you if lee buck for example with the national team you can play manny lee bark if you've got somebody you can kick on the pitch Not that I'm saying he can't kick.

He is a good goal kicker, but it's not quite at that 85% standard.

So I think that's another good reason for signing someone like Colby.

Okay, so let's get to it.

Our first contender at a meter 73, 81 to 84 kg, hailing from England, we've got Mr. Jason Robinson.

Now from South Africa at a meter 78, weighing around 80 kgs, the timeless Mr. Brayton Pulsar.

I'm going to throw a bit of a wild card in here, a bit of a forgotten man.

telling these stories that need to be told about the past because that's, as we know in the world today, if we don't learn from the past, we'll repeat it.

Speaking of repeating mistakes of the past, remember way back in the year 2000 when Wakefield were going to sign Jonah Lomu, the Johns Brothers and Jason Robinson.

What a shame that would have been.

It would have been.

Very cool.

Okay.

So, Wakefield were fined for tapping up Jason Robinson by foolishly saying, we're going to sign Jason Robinson.

And Wigan said, no, you're not.

Yeah.

"I told him," says Richard de la Rivière, "the captain should be Jason Robinson, though there'd be a terrible drinking culture, but he wouldn't listen."

[laughs]

I can't believe Gary Schofield won't listen.