Tales from the Members' Bar

No.4 Darren Fox

You get a good idea from Darren Fox's on-field persona as to what he is like when you meet him in the Members' Bar. Up front! Open! Forthright!

For instance, there was no pussyfooting around the biscuit question - reduced calorie digestives with a cup of tea. They cannot be beaten.

There is absolutely no doubt that he enjoys his rugby and he sees every game as an opportunity to improve. He knows what his strengths are and they are the parts of the game he likes. He likes the hard graft: tackling, clearing, creating opportunities for a turnover. That is not to say that he does not work hard on other aspects of his role - especially the linking play. I think that most people will agree that over the past two seasons, and this year in particular, we have seen far more of Foxy with the ball in his hands looking for a way to re-direct the attack.

When it comes to his rugby pedigree Foxy confesses that at his school on the outskirts of Peterborough, the round-ball game was favoured. Were I a flying left winger trying to get past Foxy in the midfield, I would fear for my safety.

It was not until he was fifteen that a master with an interest in rugby started to train the boys in Darren's year and made them into the team. With a couple of years in the juniors at the Peterborough club, Foxy was put forward for the Saints' Academy.

Having been side-lined for the better part of two years following knee surgery, Foxy wishes Seam Lamont well during his current trials. He also admits to a feeling of nervous dread when he went down in the game against Esher recently. He felt the wrench and feared the worst. Fortunately it was nothing serious and he was back on duty the following week.

In the age-old debate about what is an open-side flanker, Foxy does not believe that there is a worthwhile consensus. In looking at the world game he believes that the two outstanding players in his position are McCaw and Smith. Whether they are perfect "sevens" is a moot point because either of them could play right across the back row.

Closer to home Tom Rees of Wasps is spoken of as an out-and-out open-side but, through no fault of his own, was thought surplus to requirements for England in the latter stages of the Rugby World Cup.

Darren has utmost respect for two young men in the West Country who were breaking through around about the same time as him. Whenever he comes up against Andy Hazell or Michael Lipman, he knows he is in for a good scrap. For other reasons, he always enjoys a head-to-head with Paul Volley. Neither of them takes a voluntary step backwards.

I was able to pose the burning question of last week - what did you see when you looked over your shoulder as you crossed the half-way line in the dying minutes at Exeter? He saw the full-back in front of him, whom he tried to draw but over his shoulder he only saw the defender who had insinuated himself between himself and Chris Ashton.

I have been back to the video clip to check. He is right. Well done Danny Gray.

arw

16.11.2007

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