Room 101: Rob Cook – Gloucester full-back

1. Smoking: I’ve never been a fan of smoking and I can honestly say I have never tried it! Smoking in itself is bad enough – the health dangers, the smell, the cost…I could go on, but you also get ignorant smokers who are not considerate to the fact that the people around them do not want to inhale their toxic fumes. Only recently whilst I was on holiday in Majorca, when it is warm enough to eat outside, did I actually realise how bad the smell was during a meal. It’s enough to put you off your paella. If people have to smoke why don’t they try these electric cigarettes; they are much more discreet.
TRP verdict:  You make the (silk) cut. You’re in Room 101.
2. Football divers: I’ve watched a fair bit of the World Cup and it makes me mad when I see players diving and the rolling around on the floor like they’ve been shot only to spring to their feet once they realise they’ve conned the referee into awarding a free kick. I switch over when that happens. I’d love to see how some of them coped on a rugby field. That said, Bryan Habana did have to apologise for taking a dive in the Heineken Cup final.
TRP verdict:  Take a bow, not a dive… you’re in again.
3. Skinny Jeans on men: I’m no fashion guru, as I’m sure the boys at Gloucester would testify, but even I can tell that skinny jeans on rugby players just don’t look right. A few of the lads in the squad try to pull off the look but it just doesn’t work when you’ve got large thighs. Thankfully, I can’t fit into them. I’ll stick to the James Simpson-Daniel look – nice and baggy.
TRP verdict:  This is no pipe jean, you’ve completed the hat-trick!
*This article was published in The Rugby Paper on July 13