Room 101: Matt Price – Coventry hooker

1. Limp handshakes
I struggle to think about someone in a positive light for quite a while if their handshake is limp. Handshakes should be firm without ripping your hand off. Ideally, the skin between the thumb and the fore finger should meet rather than the fingers – that just feels weird. Cliffie Hodgson normally offers me a limp handshake on the 18th after I’ve hammered him again at golf.
TRP verdict: There’s no way we can palm this choice off. let’s shake on it … properly, of course.
2. The soft hit at the scrum
More and more teams are using this tactic to ‘buy’ free kicks at scrum time. Rather than both front rows going in and hitting hard some sides like to play a bit of kidology and take a step back. Because all your weight is going forward, you can’t help but over step the mark. To the referee though, it just looks like you’ve tried to push early. Refs need to get wise to this.
TRP verdict: The front row is for hard men and hard hits. You’re in again.
3. Messy cooks
I am quite methodical in the way I go about things. After all, as a rugby player there is a process behind everything you do. My Mrs, however, flits from one thing to another, and our different approaches are highlighted perfectly in the kitchen. I cook typical rugby player’s meals like steak and pasta and use only the minimal number of pans in order to keep the mess to a minimum. I also tidy up as a go along whereas Georgina will use every pot available, every knife, multiple chopping boards etc. and leave mess everywhere. After a meal it’ll take her a good 15 minutes to clear everything away.
TRP verdict: Not wanting to stir up trouble or anything but messy cooks have us brothing at the mouth too.