“I“I’m certainly not a typical Welsh half-fly and I won’t apologize for being different,” Danbigh said with a wry smile in a small restaurant on Toulon’s seafront. “I love the fact that I’m different and do things my own way.”
Stormy clouds roll in from the sea, and the atmospheric setting adds to the engaging conversation with Biga, a friendly and thoughtful man in contrast to his lively persona on the rugby field. The darkening sky reminds us of Wales, which for Bigger “has always been the land of poets and dreamers”.
It has also long been a rugby-mad nation, where the front half of the red No. 10 jersey is often idolized or maligned. Biggar speaks eloquently of his “fascinating” predecessors, writing in his excellent new book about the glittering giants who came before him: “Barry John. King, ghostly gliding past defenders” Passed like they didn’t exist. Phil Bennett, the hot stepper. Jonathan Davis, the impish genius, turned on the afterburners. Leaving scorch marks behind.
But none of them can speak French as well as Biggar, and none can speak French like Biggar, and none have 112 caps for his country like Biggar, meaning he has more French than any other player in Welsh rugby history. Half of the players have worn the number 10 shirt more often than not. Nor did they have to endure the vitriol that Bigger often received during his long career. As he said: “I was too slow. I stood too deep. I was short-tempered, aggressive, one-dimensional. I kicked too much and ran too little… Barry John will paint a picture for you, I will Draw a chart for you. Pragmatism trumps romanticism, that’s me.
This pragmatism brings a clarity of thinking that allows Biggar to speak in fascinating detail about the endless fury of Welsh rugby. He also expressed his enthusiasm for playing in France and explained why so many leading players from Wales and England would benefit from a career change that revitalized him at Toulon.
Wells was never far from his thoughts, and as we looked out over the small, once sun-soaked beach, Bigger was reminded of home. He grew up in the small coastal village of Langenness on the remote edge of the Gower Peninsula. Bigger was not obsessed with rugby, but more obsessed with surfing and Manchester United.
“It’s interesting,” Biggar continued, “because when people think of Wales they think of valleys and townhouses in the streets and rugby clubs with a community feel. For me it’s a completely different story because We’re isolated. There’s no shop in our village so we have to drive 15 minutes to buy a pint of milk. We don’t really have a rugby club, so I’m back in Toulon now – even though the weather is usually much nicer than it was today.
Biggar recalls that just as he grew up on the fringes, he too had to fight to be accepted into the heart of Wales rugby. “Even today I feel like I have to prove myself because it’s ingrained in me. I don’t need sympathy but I had to do things the hard way and those first five years at Wells were really tough. I went through There have been a lot of ups and downs, and every time you feel like you’ve taken one step forward, then you’ve taken two steps back.
“So I’m very proud to have played over 100 times for my country and to be able to do that with this jersey is an even better achievement. When you play well and the team wins, it’s world Easiest job on the team. But when the team struggled, almost all the problems were attributed to that jersey, as did Neil Jenkins and Stephen Jones before me. You can’t make any impact as a No.10 when the ball is thrown or a lineout, but Wales’ obsession with flying halves means that because we didn’t play well and didn’t score four tries, it had to be No.10.
Biggar is usually dismissive of such melodrama, saying: “I actually enjoy getting a bit of criticism and then proving people wrong the next week. But there was one occasion, around 2017, when we were in the Six Nations When we lost to Scotland, my wife and I were sitting in the kitchen and we said: “Is it worth playing No. 10 in Wales because of the baggage and shit that comes with it? Sometimes it feels like the No. 10 shirt is strangling you.” .When things go wrong, you feel restricted in that jersey so you have to be mentally strong and I’m glad I broke the mold.
“It’s a hunger and desire to win, not anger. As you get older and more experienced, you know you can’t always achieve those goals, so you tend to relax. I like to think you’re off the field. Saw a very different version of me. But it really bothers me when players say nothing at the end of the game and they just give the same old answers that the press officer wants, which is a waste of everyone’s time. Be yourself and don’t be afraid that no matter what you say, there will be people who disagree with you.
“Conversely, if you want players to be open and honest and give straight answers, the media can’t distort the facts and look for sensational headlines. But I don’t care what people think. I want to make sure I stay true to myself and do what I do for the team I play for. To the best.
There is a bracing honesty in Bigger’s book. He describes the sometimes disturbing mind games used by Warren Gatland when the Welsh Rugby Union offered the New Zealander the chance to return as head coach in December 2022, writes Biggar : “There’s an old adage that you should never go back, and that was my initial reaction to Gatland’s reappointment. It all feels a bit backwards.
He now adds: “Gezi’s pedigree speaks for itself. So I think in the short term it’s probably the right thing to do because we’re doing well at the World Cup. The question is, how is it going to work out in the long term? My gut tells me things are always going to be tricky when you go back, obviously Wales are going through some pain but there’s some wiggle room in terms of off-field issues, finances and the fact that some players are retiring but Gates is a smart guy. . He knew that if he continued not to get results, he would be in trouble.
Biggar, who retired from international duty after last year’s World Cup, detailed the chaos in Welsh rugby. “Self-injury is the WRU’s specialty,” he argued, while also revealing that the economic crisis affecting Wales’ game means at least one of his international team-mates is taking antidepressants, while another is suffering from employment uncertainty. Being Denied a Mortgage. As Biggar emphasized: “This isn’t about numbers on a spreadsheet or abstract policies like the 60-cap rule, it’s about real life.”
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He was particularly disappointed when some of his colleagues failed to remain calm during a heated dispute with the WRU last year when they threatened serious industrial action. Biggar has made it clear that he and other key players refuse to play against England in the Six Nations unless a series of conditions are met.
One of their stipulations is that they need to waive the rule of selecting overseas players. It used to be that players who made their living outside Wales had to make 60 appearances for their country to be eligible for international duty. Eventually, the number of appearances was reduced to 25 games, an unsatisfying fabrication for Biggar that embodied the disappointing compromise reached between the players and the union.
“Obviously it’s a difficult time,” Bigger said. “We took a strong stance in the beginning, but I don’t think everyone had the minerals to hold on. They were happy to take what was given – but I don’t see it as a victory. I just feel It didn’t help a lot of people so that’s disappointing and only time will tell if it was the right thing to do or not.
Biggar, who has scored a century and a Grand Slam for Wales and started at No. 10 for the Lions, said the proposed strike action “certainly has nothing to do with me because I am the only one What’s probably going to be lost is my playing fee. So I try to say: ‘Listen, this is not about us in this room, this is about the next 10, 15, 20 years of Welsh rugby. There was a really good opportunity to do something but we didn’t follow through. People have to make their own choices but if things don’t go their way they can’t start complaining. I think this will go down as a dark period for Welsh rugby. Go down in history.
The horrific consequences continue on and off the field. “Uncertainty is the real problem,” Bigger believes. “Things weren’t looking good and the regional teams were not doing too well. But the team didn’t know their budget until the last minute. The Test side were also in a very tricky position [nine] Rotation failed. But we have to give a little grace because we lost a lot of experienced players.
“The game is very different now to what my generation, Leigh Halfpenny and Sam Warburton experienced. I remember Sam and I did a report on the Wales-Australia game for Sky Sports in the summer. We said we didn’t mean We’re fit for Wales every week and we’ve lost seven games because of spin but we know what it takes to win it will be interesting to see what happens over the next 12 months because Wales do have some. Promising young player.
France’s top 14 is the richest and most demanding domestic league in world rugby, but freed from the Welsh game’s checkered history and ongoing woes, Biggar will be happy to play another season in Toulon when his contract ends next summer . “Sitting here today, I realize how lucky we are to be here for lunch on our day off. Yesterday afternoon, after training, my wife Alex and I took our two sons to the beach for a few hours. The quality of life is incredible.
“I’ll be 35 next month and I see some players just scratching their heads, trying to find a club, trying to get a job, trying to keep themselves in the game. I know how lucky I am. So if eight months or so I have to retire in eighteen months and I’ll be relaxed because I’ve given it all. I’ve had some highs and lows in my career and I’m really happy with myself after all this time. It feels like a gift.
Biggar Picture is available from the Guardian Bookshop for £19.80 and is published by Pan Macmillan September 26
