GARATH ARCHER
THE FORMER NEWCASTLE, BRISTOL AND ENGLAND LOCK.
Despite the fact my dad played on the wing for Gosforth when they were in their hey-day in the 70s, I wasn’t keen on rugby when he took me to minis at Westoe RFC in South Shields. I was more interested in playing football, however, by the time I went to secondary school at ten years of age and already head and shoulders above my contemporaries, rugby picked me.
I think I’ve been near enough 6ft 6ins since I was about 12 and that gave me an advantage which I was keen to capitalise on. I managed to gain selection for En...