Tales from the Members’ Bar

No. 9 Johnny Howard

Happy New Year, everyone and I welcome you with the news that I am on a bit of a roll as far as this Tales lark goes. Hoppers was Number 8 and, now, just look who is 9!

Entering into the spirit of seasonal trivia quizzes, I thought I would try one of my own. Of which Saints player, apart from her son, Johnny, does Mrs Howard have a photograph (aged about 4)?

This week’s research, well - Google Search of the words: Johnny, Howard and rugby, yielded a phenomenal number of hits. Further inspection and I found that there was an Australian former prime minister that accounted for most of them – even when restricted to the UK. However, our Johnny was noticeable as having loads of nice things said about him (unlike the other one). He was also the only one of the pair to feature on the web-site, Rugby for Girls. Mr April accepts his role as, if not exactly a sex symbol then certainly, eye candy for the discerning young lady. With tongue firmly in cheek he thinks it may only be a matter of time before he is asked to do a calendar of his own.

Johnny took up rugby a year after moving to Buckinghamshire from south London. Starting by playing mini rugby at Aylesbury, it was almost inevitable that one day he would come into contact with Gary Pearce. A behind the scenes tour of the Saints was arranged and, while it may not have been a Road to Damascus conversion, Johnny was more than happy to be invited into the Saints Academy when the time came.

Johnny is now the longest serving squad member at Northampton Saints (and he is only 27). With his one hundredth first team appearance beckoning and, he hopes, a new contract in this New Year, Johnny is settled where he is and hopes that Northampton Saints is the place where he sees out his professional career. He finds plenty of challenge in training – especially with a new, ultra-competitive breed of young men joining the ranks. The result of his man-of-the-match bet with Chris Ashton is now legend. Saints’ stick-man is a lot larger than Johnny had expected and the pain was eye-watering. Johnny damaged his heart-throb status by turning down the opportunity for a photograph of this newest saint to appear on Come on You Saints.

Johnny’s rugby heroes are George Gregan and Justin Marshall – two pretty good practitioners of the scrum half’s art. The match at Leeds where Johnny went head-to-head against one of his idols and shaking hands as equals at the end rates as one of his most precious rugby memories. Although, scrum-half is a strange position insofar as, while he has a direct opponent, the real challenge comes from the opposing pack. From that point of view, any match against the Tigers is a challenge to be relished.

Perhaps his proudest moments have been in an England 7s shirt. He did duty in the IRB series in 2003. Three finals including victories in Brisbane and Hong Kong are grand achievements.

Refusing to dish the dirt on any of his numerous house-mates over the years, Johnny was firm about his choice of crumbly comestible. It has to be a custard cream with a jammy dodger thrown in as a treat on special occasions.

arw

4.1.2008

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