Northampton Saints
Tales from the Members’ Bar V2 #19 - Joe Ansbro
By Oddshapedballs
March 26 2009
It does not take a great leap of faith to believe that when you sit down with a Cambridge graduate that there is plenty you can learn. With degree in Natural Sciences and a potential career in the research of microbial pathology, I decided to stick with rugby union and Northampton Saints when I talked to Joe Ansbro.
Tales from the Members' Bar
Vol.2 No.19 Joe Ansbro
I had discovered that Joe was born in Glasgow and educated at Stonyhurst College in Clitheroe. I was intrigued to know whether he had an accent and whether it was more like David Lloyd or Kenny Dalglish. Fortunately, it is like neither and we got along fine in English. His early years were spent in south-west Scotland only moving to Lancashire once he was at school. Joe is one of six children but the only one of the family to have been adopted.
If we cast our minds back to the mid-eighties, it was the time of when the nation's conscience was stirred by scenes of famine in Africa. Inspired by Bob Geldof, Joe's parents wanted to do something practical. Having received the advice that adopting a baby from Kenya was going to be tricky, they discovered that there were options to help children born in Scotland. So it was that the two-week old Joe was taken into the Ansbro family.
Apart from being bright and diligent, Joe was found to be a good rugby player, representing Lancashire Schools and England Under 18s. It is interesting to note that while school was excellent in providing the opportunity it was his connections with Lancashire Schools that helped in selecting the right college. There are wonderfully iconic colleges at Cambridge but the joys of a basin dripping water on to Heath Robinson electrics can temper your enthusiasm. Robinson, a modern college with a growing reputation for rugby, suited Joe down to the ground.
Freshmen tend not to get anywhere near the university first fifteen and blues for undergraduates are not as common as they once were. To get two blues, both as an undergraduate, is the mark of a young man with talent. The Oxford Mail picked Joe as its man of the match in his final year but, he pointed out, the official award went to another.
How Joe came to Saints owed something to good fortune. The scouting organisation had heard that a winger with searing pace and a try-scoring record to match was playing at Cambridge. While checking out David Akinluyi, the young man playing inside him also came to notice. Both were signed by the club. While David's contract was not renewed, Joe has put his research career on hold and got down to life as a professional rugby player.
He shares accommodation with Stephen Myler and the pair get along famously. The third member of their house from last season, Chris Ashton, has different arrangements this year. Life is much more ordered without him. He views competition for the outside centre position amongst himself, Chris Mayor and Jon Clarke as healthy and is happy to take any chances that come his way. Given his try-scoring ratio since he made his first team debut last year, it is a piece of advice that he has given himself and taken to heart. He is no slouch in defence either. In my chats with Neil Best and Paul Diggin, one advocated accelerating into the tackle, the other advised to get your opponent to the ground. Joe's tackling is the embodiment of both of those tips.
His own advice is to look after the ball and to keep your legs pumping. He shares Myler's fondness for Marks & Spencer Double Chocolate Cookies and has no strong feelings about Marmite despite what the advertisers would have you believe.
arw
21.03.2009
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No alcohol for January. I'm a dryathlete in aid of cancer research.
Dryathlon
Found this little section telling - very diplomatically put:
Quote:He shares accommodation with Stephen Myler and the pair get along famously. The third member of their house from last season, Chris Ashton, has different arrangements this year. Life is much more ordered without him.
Otherwise, not a bad article I suppose.....
Another fine entry in the Biscuiteria...
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