Andy Powell on tour with the Lions to South Africa
Prior to making the headlines about his party hard ways, Andy chatted to Rugby World about The Lions Tour to South Africa, life after rugby, and [worryingly] fake tan.
RUGBY WORLD: So how did you enjoy the Lions tour?
ANDY POWELL: There were some really good characters in the squad so there was plenty of banter. Smiler – Matthew Rees – got everyone to come up with random German words. We didn’t even know what most of them meant, but my favourite was schnitzel (cutlet).
RW: Who was your worst room-mate?
AP: Phil Vickery – he snores really loudly. I tried to snore back to wake him up but it didn’t work. Being with Melon – Gethin Jenkins – isn’t good either. He just saps your energy.
RW: You were known as the joker on tour…
AP: Yeah, I had to get up at the front of the bus and cheer the boys up, come up with a few jokes. Euan Murray was brilliant too, and he was missed when he went home. He came up with great jokes – one got him the nickname Woodeye.
RW: Did you get many fines on tour?
AP: One, for being late for physio. We fined Ryan Jones 500 rand (£40) for arriving late on tour and then 12 hours later he was flying home. That was quite harsh – but we didn’t give it him back.
RW: What are your bugbears?
AP: What really bugs me? On tour I had to weigh in every morning and rate how I’d slept from one to five. When you’re tired, you just want to have breakfast.
RW: And phobias?
AP: Spiders. We stayed in little cottages in Rustenburg and I was sharing with Stephen Jones. There were loads of spiders above us on the ceiling. We kept saying to each other, ‘Look, there’s a spider’ and couldn’t get any sleep.
RW: If you could have one superpower, what would it be?
AP: I’d want to call all the shots on a tour so whatever I say goes.
Stupid purchases, Party tricks and Rugby League…
RW: What’s the funniest thing you’ve seen on the pitch?
AP: If someone is having a bad game, Gethin Jenkins always tells them, ‘You’re having a shocker’. He said to Nicky Robinson in one game, ‘You’re breaking us, you’re crap.’ He once told me to hit more rucks and stop being so lazy.
RW: What’s the silliest thing you’ve bought?
AP: The pair of jeans I paid £380 for in Jo’burg. I thought they were expensive, say £200, but not that much. They fill your head with stuff about how good they look on and I bought them. I got loads of stick off the boys about it.
RW: What would you do if you were Prime Minister for a day?
AP: I’d shut down the country for a day and get everyone out for a massive party.
RW: Do you have a party trick?
AP: Taking my top off. I did it once on tour, just to get a few women over for the boys. Guys like Gordon D’Arcy were struggling big time so I had to help them out.
RW: Who’d you like to be stuck in a lift with?
AP: There are a lot of nice women out there. I’ll say Lindsay Lohan – and a bottle of champagne. She’s a party girl and I like a party girl.
RW: If your house was on fire, what three things would you save?
AP: My dog, Barney. He’d definitely be first out. Then my bed because it’s so soft. That would be it – I don’t have much in my house.
RW: What would you like to achieve outside of rugby?
AP: I’d like to play rugby league. The way I play, I think league would suit me. I’ve just signed a three-year deal at the Blues so I’ll see what happens after that. Outside of rugby, I’d like to open a bar in Spain, maybe with a salon on the side. Then I could get Mike Phillips and James Hook to work in it.
RW: They do like the fake tan…
AP: Yeah, those two and Lee Byrne brought a box of stuff out with them so you went to their room if you wanted any. They even got Paul O’Connell putting some on – he’s pretty white.
RW: How would you like to be remembered?
AP: As a down-to-earth, easy-going guy who’d do anything for a laugh.
Check out his profile for Wales
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Learn more about Andy’s teammates at Wales…