My Life in Rugby: Chas Cusani – former Orrell lock

My reputation as a ‘no-holds barred’ player may have gone before me during 20 years with Orrell, Lancashire and the North, but one person who stood out above all others when it came to taking no nonsense was the owner of the Pemps nightclub in Wigan, frequented by the Orrell lads.
Barbara had everyone whipped into shape, literally, even Martin Johnson was turned away at the door by her on at least two or three occasions.
A Wiganer by birth, I went to St John Fisher Catholic HS which has produced quite a number of well-known Rugby League players. Shaun Edwards and I played as under-age players in the Year 11 team that won all 10 national trophies we went in for.
My debut season for Orrell 1st XV was 1984/85. I replaced my brother David who’d been injured in his first game back from an England tour to South Africa. We held our own in Courage League One for a number of years despite being effectively a village club.
In 1991/92, we were runners-up to Bath by one point. A 13-12 loss to Wasps ultimately cost us the title. It was a baking hot day and Huw Davies, the England international, dropped a monster goal from halfway. It was all caught on film as part of the BBC series on rugby in Wigan, Up ‘N’ Under.
We always had hum-dingers against Bath, particularly at home where we’d very much hold our own, although Bath generally came out on top. Nigel Redman always gave a good account of himself, while other opponents who stick in my mind are Dave Baldwin of Sale and Dave Sims of Gloucester. We always had good encounters against each other.
I like to think no-one intimidated me though. From entering the fray at 17/18 years of age, you don’t have respect as a youngster and I think I carried that through; I just took people as they came, as Wiganers generally do. I reckon a lot of the attention I received from referees was because of my height, 6ft 7in, and blonde hair, which made me stand out like a sore thumb.
I got sent off a couple of times in this country and a couple of times in Italy, where I spent an enjoyable season and a half with Rugby Roma Olympic.
One of the red cards came in front of our biggest crowd: for the 1993/94 Pilkington Cup semi-final v Leicester. We were in front at the start of the second half before they ran away with it. I’d been sent off for an incident involving Darren Garforth.
But no complaints, Tony had given me the benefit of the doubt against Nottingham earlier when I’d caught Simon Hodgkinson late with my forearm as he tried to get the ball away.
The club banned me for two games, though.
Simon made an appearance on Blue Peter the following week and was asked whether he’d ever got injured. He could hardly reply because his nose was still badly swollen! Simon took it all in the right spirit and that’s what was good about rugby back then: you played hard and drank hard … together.
Whilst I never got an England call like my brother, I won the County Championship with Lancashire twice and played for The North v the All Blacks as a replacement at Anfield in 1993. We lost 27-21. Lancashire’s tour to Zimbabwe in 1991 was also a highlight. We twice beat their national team.
It was great to sign off with some silverware when Orrell beat Exeter at Twickenham to lift the 2003 Powergen Shield. There was still time for one more sending-off, though: Wakefield away at the end of the season!