Wasps will Beat Munster at the Ricoh - Cipriani

Q: At what age did you decide you wanted to be a professional rugby player and how did you go about achieving that?

I didn't really decide consciously. I got picked for the National Academy and England at age group level, and was just getting on with training and enjoying my rugby. I didn't really think about it until I was lucky enough to be offered a contract by Wasps. The decision I did make was at 15, when I chose to stop playing football and cricket seriously and concentrate on rugby. That was a difficult choice, but rugby was the thing I enjoyed the most so it had to be that.

Q: What do you like the most about being a rugby player? And what do you dislike?

Winning! And it is something I love. I'm very proud to play rugby, and it's something I don't ever want to take for granted. It's so easy for something to happen, like an injury, and all those opportunities could be taken away. You can get drawn in to the get up, go training, go home routine, and things could become run of the mill. But the great thing for me about being at a club like Wasps is that every time you train, you want to try and be the best. I love that about the club, but as well as performing for Wasps it's my ambition to also play for England and the Lions, so every time I go out there I want to try and achieve and improve.
When I'm playing I enjoy having the ball in my hands and getting into space. I also like seeing other people do well, make breaks and being able to support that.

I suppose the early mornings can be painful but the thing I most dislike is a bad attitude.

Q: Who is the joker in the Wasps squad? What is the atmosphere like in the squad?

Riki Flutey. I don't know if he means to be, but he's a bit crazy. He has all these different voices and you don't know whether he is being serious or not.

Q: Congratulations on a superb performance in the Heineken Cup Final in May. What did winning the Heineken Cup mean to you?

It meant everything to me. A lot of people feel that the Heineken Cup is the hardest competition, and the rugby can be as intense as international rugby. And in those conditions we proved that we could win away - at Castres - win as underdogs - against Leinster, and win against teams who've nothing to lose and are just going to throw everything they have at you, as was the case with Northampton in the semi.

In the final against Leicester we were once again underdogs, but I had a strong belief for the whole of the week leading up to that game that we were going to win it - and we did.

Q; Do you find a difference playing in the Heineken Cup as opposed to other domestic games?

Many of the senior Wasps' players say that some of the most intense games they have ever played in were European games, and that is coming from players who have played a lot at international level. It is certainly a step up from domestic rugby, and almost every game is like a knock out game -even the pool games, as it is so tight to qualify - so you do have to raise your game to a higher standard. It's a step up in atmosphere and pressure as well as the quality of some of the rugby, and you do have to rise to that.

Q: Do you do your homework on some of the opposition fullbacks? Who do you respect the most in Europe?

A little bit. I look more at the fly half and scrum half though, as they are the ones who normally kick the ball and can make it difficult for me as a full back, but I will do some work on my opposite number, at what his positioning is like and so on.

Q: If you weren't playing with Wasps, which other European Club would you like to play with?

Wasps' second team! Toulouse would be a challenge, not only to play at that level but also to move to a country with a different language and culture.

Q: You are in a very difficult group in the Heineken Cup this year with Challenge Cup champions Clermont, 2006 Heineken champions Munster and Llanelli, do you think you will be able to get out of the group and possibly take the Heineken Cup back to Adams Park for a third time?

Yes. I firmly believe we are going to beat Munster and Llanelli and get out of this group. We have to get our mindset right, but we have the players and we can do it if we get our approach right on the day.

Q: Are you looking forward to playing Munster in front of as big crowd at the Ricoh Arena in Round 1?

It will be a great day. We'll be kicking off our defence of the title, and as a first game they don't get much bigger or better as a prospect than this. The stadium obviously has a greater capacity, it's fantastic for atmosphere and facilities, and the pitch is good too. I've no doubt that Munster supporters will be there in numbers, so we need plenty of Wasps supporters to get there and cheer us on. We've won there already, which is a good omen too, so I'm looking forward to it.

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