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I remember him claiming he was "carbo - loading"

I was at KP in the clubhouse one afternoon many years ago when we had something of an injury crisis. I think I had been to see Mick Hogan about something, and got roped into a huddle around a table where Rob Andrew had people checking through pages of papers.

The upshot was, we had a game coming up, Newport cup game at KP if I remember right, and so many injuries that trying to guess who would be able to play at the weekend was pretty much impossible. Rob had the rules of the competition, many pages of small text in legalese language, which as far as he could tell just said that he had to name a team by noon on Friday. He had us all checking through every word of the documents to see if there was any stipulation that it had to be the same team that would take to the pitch?

After much checking & cross-referencing, it was agreed that it just said name a team, so he duly named 22 players & got on with something else. Not surprisingly, the team that he named bore almost no resemblance to the blokes who turned up on the pitch.

I remember it well. Seem to recall we named James Grindal at fly-half and then played Sparks Wilkinson, who got man of the match in a stonking home win.

The rules of the tournament have changed since then, and we have to provide a medical certificate for any player named in the team who then doesn't play.

I had a brief but memorable (for me) convo with Matt Burke after he finished training one morning at Cramlington Sporting Club. He had been probably the only senior player among academy and fringe players, which prompted me to ask if he'd been running the session. He explained that he was doing a light session away from the rest of the boys to manage his body in order to play that weekend.
As you would imagine, he was charming and happy to engage. Even though the Aussies routinely use the term "mate," when he said it, it felt briefly like he was.

The lads did used to rinse Burkey for having the 'Golden Ticket' of minimal training during the week but playing every weekend. Though in fairness it's hard to argue when he played so well.

Ok, time to roll out an old story. I coach a junior rugby team down here in South West London. In 2014 my squad made the transition from minis to juniors (at that time it would have been the end of their u12 season) so we took them on a long weekend tour to Toulon to mark their graduation.

Unbeknownst to any of us, the parent who had organised the tour had been emailing Jonny about the possibility of a meet and greet. Long story short we were having a training session on the beach and Jonny rocked up as a complete surprise to all bar one of the touring party.

He was an absolute gent. He ran a 45minute skills session, then did photos and autographs for all 25 odd families, before jumping in the car and heading off to catch a flight. In our little local rugby club it is a legendary piece of history.

Great story London.

My affiliation to the Falcons was purely because of Jonny. I am a Norfolk lad born and bred.

My parents owned a corner shop when I was young and Jonny's grandparents lived in the next village. His Grandma always popped in to the store on the Sunday to read his match reports. This was when he first broke through with us, not in his international heyday. Unbeknown to me, my parents asked his Grandma if she could get me his autograph. She got me a signed autograph with a personal message from both Jonny and Inga. I was delighted.

Football used to be my main fixation but having looked up how the Falcons were getting on when they went down to the Championship, I have been a regular follower ever since. I'd even go as far to say the Falcons has replaced my beloved Canaries.

I've chatted to a fair few Falcons players after games over the years, all pretty friendly. Not many funny stories really, I do remember chatting with Phil Dowson in a pub in Limerick and being insulted by two girls beside us. Once I'd got sick of it and gone back to the other Falcons fans, these girls were fawning all over Dowse quite pathetically.

I also once saw Colin Charvis in a pub in Cardiff, I could tell it was him because he kept glancing over at my Falcons shirt. I made a quick, happy comment to him at the bar but he wasn't up for chat.

One for Newcastle United fans though: when I hear a funny story about a player/celebrity, I often text my oldest mate and tell him that it's more of a claim to fame than the time he saw Des Hamilton in Kingston Park Tesco's.

A few years ago my youngest was invited to join the junior academy by the then academy manager John Fletcher. On the first day I dropped him off at the changing room doors and was ushered up the stairs to the east stand bar where I was greeted by Rob Andrew who promptly produced me a cup of tea. This was a man I had watched and admired as a player both for club and country making me a brew, unreal.

Rob Andrew making someone a cup of tea.

I shared an office with him for three years and he never once brewed up!

My memories go back to the late 1960s. Some years earlier my hero was England fly half, Cornishman Ricgard Sharp who scored one of Twickenham's finest tries when he dummied and shimmered through a Scottish back row who had promised to flatten him.

Some years later, I was in a bar in Cornwall when I spotted Sharp. With beermat in hand and heart in mouth, I approached and asked for an autograph. He signed the mat and then invited me to sit by him. He talked me through the legendary try.

I also have a beermats signed by All Black greats Don Clarke and Brian Lahore who visited the club I played for in North London. (Pinner).