By Duncan Wood
September 19 2002

I was lucky enough to catch up with Daryl Gibson when he took a break from training this week. I was able to ask him how he was settling in, why he chose to come to England and what he's hoping to achieve.

Having only arrived in the UK last weekend, how are you coping after the long flight?

Well, I'm still waking up at 3 or 4 in the morning, wide awake, watching BBC1 because that's all the hotel's got! I haven't got too lost in Bristol, I haven't had an accident yet! And the family will be joining you shortly? My wife will, yes, and we're busy looking for a place and hopefully we can move in tomorrow.

What were your first impressions having watched the game against Northampton?

I was quite excited. I thought we played reasonably well. We just made some crucial errors at crucial times of the game and that really let them back in. Bristol have a huge forward pack and that's not something I'm used to playing with down at Canterbury where we were a bit more mobile and bit smaller. It's exciting to get good, forward ball and hopefully we can get it wide and score a few tries.

So you're looking forward to playing behind the Bristol pack?

Definitely, it's exciting. Good lineout, we're getting good ball. Exciting number 9 and we've got outstanding 10s in Drahm and Felipe so it's all there.

You played your last game at Canterbury a couple of weekends ago so how's your fitness?

I've had 2 weeks away from the game so I'm looking forward to my first game. I hope I don't get a knock on the nose as the doctor's just straightened it up reasonably well for me! That certainly won't hinder my play, I'm just going to go out there and give it my best.

How helpful is it to have a couple of fellow Kiwis at the club?

It's certainly been great for settling in. Matt Carrington has been outstanding in showing me around, transporting me to training and really showing me Bristol. It's been really helpful. Pete's been good and the boys have really welcomed me.

Will you be looking up any other New Zealanders while you're over here like Andrew Blowers, for example?

I caught up with Andrew after the game on Sunday and I'm good friends with Todd Blackadder and Matt Sexton who are also over here. So, no doubt I'll catch up with them at some point in the Autumn.

What was it that ultimately persuaded you to uproot from New Zealand and take on the challenge in England?

It's a question that's commonly asked. A lot of it came down to my personal job satisfaction. I played 10 years in Canterbury and played over 160 games. I played with them since I was 18. I got to the top of the team, I was a senior player and I really just needed a new challenge, something to go to, somewhere where I was the new boy and everything was new and exciting.

What qualities and characteristics do you hope to bring to the side?

Obviously I've played a lot of top quality football in my time. I've got a lot of experience in terms of moves and plays that I can slowly add to the ones that we've got already.

How much do you know about the rest of the Premiership teams, Gloucester for example?

Gloucester? From what I've heard over the last few days, very physical, probably the most physical game we'll have all year. Big forward pack. Strong midfield who really enjoy their big hits and Simpson-Daniel who I've seen play for England at Sevens. And Thinus Delport who I've had a lot to do with in Super 12s. I've seen the last few Bristol games on tape particularly the final and the semi final against Northampton.

That must have been one of the attractions - coming up against new teams and new players?

Yeah. That was one of the attractions of coming here. The Heineken Cup was a big draw because you get to travel around the Continent and get to play different teams from different countries.

Finally, any message for the supporters ahead of Saturday's game?

Obviously, there's a lot of expectation riding on my shoulders and I certainly don't want to disappoint but we're going up there to give it our best and hopefully we can come away with a win.