My Life in Rugby: Jamie Noon – former Newcastle, Brive and England centre

My defence was always good but my attack was sometimes questioned. But that’s what I did, I was known as a big tackler and I’m proud of all my hits.
You do so many they merge into a bit of a blur. As a player it’s more of a feel than a visual thing – sometimes tackles that look good on TV don’t feel as great as others.
It’s ironic because at my school, Fyling Hall, I initially hated contact.
I didn’t even get picked up until I was 17 and one of my teachers, Steve Husband, wrote to Newcastle saying I’d gone unnoticed – I was quite small to be playing in the back row.
I was initially playing a couple of games in the Anglo-Welsh Cup and then they asked me to do a full first-team pre-season.
I wasn’t too bad with the banter but as young lads we had to change in the middle of the changing room. I worked quite closely to Va’aiga Tuigamala in the backs – he was just phenomenal on and off the pitch to be around.
Jonny Wilkinson had broken into the team a couple of years before but there was Hall Charlton, Micky Ward, Dave Walder, Michael Stephenson – a core group who were right there with me.
My first try was against Wasps, and on TV as well. I was waiting to offload the pass but for some reason the full-back left me and I went in for the try.
It was more relief than anything and still after the game I questioned myself as I wasn’t sure if I did the right thing by not passing.
In 2004 I made the record for consecutive starts in the Premiership and I suppose that only came as I wasn’t involved with England, but I started three years on the bounce and one season I didn’t even miss a minute because I never got a yellow card or went off for blood. I didn’t even know about the record until someone mentioned it. It was something I was incredibly lucky with throughout my career as my style was not necessarily conducive to being injury-free – I was always in or at the bottom of a ruck.
I was happy to be involved in the 2003 World Cup build-up but I wanted more. I felt I was doing well in camp and on track but just missing out was tough.
The 2005 Six Nations was my first real tournament for England. My wife and I had just our first baby, Lewis, and the first game they came down to watch together was my hat-trick against Scotland.
After the disappointment of the last time it was fantastic to get into the 2007 World Cup squad. I did well in the first game against the USA, but the
36-0 loss to South Africa didn’t go to plan and I ended up trying to make up for it too much right at the end, tearing my medial ligament in the process.
I loved my time at Newcastle, we had something to show for it with two Powergen Cups.
I wanted to continue with England at Brive. I trained with the team before a game against Italy – as cover more than anything – but it was not to be.
It would have been quite difficult to go forwards and backwards from France.
I gave 100 per cent to Brive, embracing the culture and language. It makes me proud that my kids can speak French, too.