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Thursday 25th November 2021 | PALATINATE
Sport Sport
“I should be thanking Durham. This is the wrong way round” Continued from
e
“What is university life about? Discovery, excellence in sport, a good degree at the end of it- in that order. Ultimately I studied rugby and played economics.” The pair helped Durham to reach the 1 2 final at Twickenham, where Fennell led the Palatinates out in an 34-10 loss to Loughborough. They are the first ones to admit that the result was fairly expected. Ben reminisces that, “we sort of knew that we’d played our final in the semi, so we had two extraordinary days of celebration at the Court Inn. Will adds that, “Still, 30 years later, it’s ‘one more day’. It means we go again.” This gets to the heart of what Will and Ben, still best friends today, look back most fondly on from their time at Durham. Ben explains, “There’s something unique and special about this place that’s hard to put your finger on. There s ust a thoroughly special group of people that you end up finding. My nearest and dearest and closest happen to be people I was at atfield ollege with.” Greenwood is a Durham legend, who’s since been awarded an honorary doctorate from the University and a place in the Hall of Fame. Yet, despite all this, he still can’t quite seem to believe it’s real. He exclaims, “I should be thanking Durham. This is the wrong way round. Durham was my absolute launchpad, no question. It’s where I changed completely as a human being, grew up and created friendships, and understood life a little bit more.” Despite his somewhat lackadaisical approach to his own studies, Greenwood is a big believer that going to university is still a key step in the life and careers of the rugby players of today.
“There’ s something unique and special about this place that’s hard to put your finger on” “They overspecialise too quickly. There may be a Marcus Smith, Jonny Wilkinson, or Zoe Harrison, who you know will be a global superstar from 18, but these are less than one percentile of those dragged into academies at 12 or 13.” “You’re sold a dream that you’re going to play for England. You pick up six grand a year, live in an academy surrounded by four other lads, and just play rugby or Playstation. Then at 23 or 24, you realise ‘sugar, I’m not
going to make it’, or you rupture an ACL and you’re invalided out of the game.” “For me, I think there is a way to combine both. Go to Durham and be linked with Newcastle academy, or go to Exeter and be linked with Exeter academy. Go and do your 10,000 hours. Go and play amongst your own age group and develop as a player and as a human being.” Another pressing issue in the world of rugby is the longterm effects associated with concussion. A group of players, including Greenwood’s former World Cup-winning teammate Steve Thompson, have spoken out about the effects of early onset dementia from repetitive collisions. It’s clear that this is something Will has put a lot of
thought into. “It’s very sad to hear that some of my friends are going through some really tough times. I have no idea where I’ll be in ten or twenty years time, I had some pretty serious concussions in my career and it is a bridge which I will cross. Knowing what I know now, would I still lace up? Yeah. Would I still go through those knocks and those hits to have the journey I’ve had? Yes.” He then went on to praise the changes World Rugby have put in place to protect players, particularly at a junior level. “World Rugby is creating an environment where at a local rugby club, kids are having a lot of fun with their mates. They’re having 700 more touches than they used to in the olden days where it was just one big dogfight.” “You then get to the stage where you’re 18 or 19 where, just like if you downhill ski, or ride a horse, or box, that there is a danger that comes with a pretty violent sport.
e finished by asking them each for one piece of advice which they’d gained throughout their extraordinary careers. After pondering over it, Will quotes “Being number one in the Mark Twain’s famous epithet: “If world, there was a feeling you only tell the truth, you don’t have to remember anything.” of relief because we didn’t He then goes on to explain, “At want to be another choker, the heart of that is don’t be afraid another English team that to speak out, don’t be afraid to speak your mind, don’t be afraid says ‘could have, should to ask for help, don’t be afraid to have” ask for support, don’t be afraid to offer ideas.” Ben interjects, “There’s There could be no conversation pressure to be brilliant at with Greenwood that ignores everything. I promise you, age his exploits in Australia in 50, no fucker is brilliant at 2003. Being part of a World Cup everything. People who manage winning side is an incredible feat their careers well focus on what for anyone, but when asked about they’re brilliant at, and what his immediate feelings having they’re passionate about, and been crowned champions, it was they absolutely double down on those things. They put people around them who cover off their weaknesses.” With his closest friend of thirty years sat opposite, Will is keen to emphasise, “ f you find people that allow that to happen, a r estay fucking close to them. Not everyone gets that. When you find them, then hunker down and stick in the tail of Halley’s Comet.” Friendship and collaboration are clearly fundamental to Greenwood and Fennell as people. They have the easy banter and almost telepathic understanding of two people who have spent a lifetime celebrating the good times together and supporting each other when things get tough. Ben got Will’s extra ticket for the World Cup Final afterparty. e tells stories of ill finishing playing for England, before rushing from Twickenham to Ben Fennell and Will Greenwood (DU Business School) Rosslyn Park to celebrate his university captain’s simply “relief”. ridged forehead, saying ‘What’re former “I think you may get a you doing, get out of there’, which victories in what was then rugby’s different answer from different creates a total understanding in third division. It’s clear that for teams. Greece winning the Euros terms of our culture. This is me, these two, friendship comes first. They thrive on teamwork and might be ‘oh my God what have this is you, this is how we look have learned to play to each we just done’. Being number one after each other.” other’s strengths, and protect in the world, there was a feeling of relief because we didn’t want “Knowing what I know now, their weaknesses, as friends as much as they have in the to be another choker, another respective teams they’ve been English team that says ‘could would I still lace up? Yeah. have, should have.’” Would I still go through parts of over the years. It’s with this in mind that “In reality, we played our best those knocks and those Greenwood tells us that, however rugby arguably eighteen months before. We had a bit of a purple hits to have the journey I’ve great the World Cup win was, he’d give it all back in a heartbeat patch, a two or three week blitz. had? Yes” rather than lose his university We went to Ireland for three “And then in terms of years. weeks, and went to Australia and “Don’t take away my three New Zealand and won there. But accelerating growth, you have by the orld up, the finish line a guy like (manager of the 2003 years at Durham. Those are my side) Clive Woodward, who’s mates. It would be like taking couldn’t come quickly enough.” Quite rightly, that side has bringing in private equity people, away my right and left arm. I been dubbed as one of the hockey coaches, royal marines, cannot overstate just how much greatest English sporting teams trying to accelerate what we’re fun I had here.” of all time. Characters like Martin doing. He wanted us to learn fast, Write for Sport Johnson and Jonny Wilkinson mitigate the cost of failure, bring became icons of British sport, in interesting people to really Pitch to us at alongside partnerships such as speed us up or do those extra sport@palatinate.org.uk one-percenters that’ll make the Greenwood and Mike Tindall, or join the Palatinate Sport difference over what we’re doing which will go down in legend. Contributors Facebook The makings of a team like this already.” We’ve got to a stage where now you can make an adult decision of what is going on.”
central to the book which Fennell and Greenwood have written. “Togetherness, difference and growth” are the three things which Fennell says make up a great team. “Whether sporting, commercial or military, we found those three things at play. Celebrate difference, forge togetherness, accelerate growth.” Greenwood looks back on his time with England and agrees. “Just look at me and Tindall. Everything I couldn’t do, he could, and vice versa. If you want difference, there you go. In terms of togetherness, I’m at the bottom of a ruck against the French and you have someone like Martin Johnson over you with one bloke in his right arm, one bloke in his left arm and he’s busy headbutting the other Frenchman with his
