20 Questions: Joel Hodgson – Yorkshire Carnegie fly-half

What’s the mood in camp after that narrow defeat to Nottingham?
Take nothing away from Nottingham as they performed well especially in the second half. But from our point of view we felt the game was there for the taking but we couldn’t do it.
It’s not the first time you’ve lost by a point this season, what do you put it down to?
We can be very dangerous in some areas but not so in others so we’ve been working a lot on being consistent for the whole 80 minutes.
Areas for improvement?
We have to be more ruthless and take our opportunities.
Concerned about it?
There’s no panic at the club. We know what we have to do to put things right. But as we said all week it’s all good talking about it we have to get out there and do it. London Scottish in the B&I Cup is a good opportunity to do that.
Is there less pressure in the British & Irish Cup?
No! We set out some goals at the start of the season and the Cup is one of them. It’s a chance for player to put their hand up but most importantly it’s a chance for the club to win some silverware and put the Yorkshire Carnegie name out there.
What do you expect from Scottish who snatched a late win at Headingley earlier in the season?
They came to us and stuck to their guns to get the win so fair play to them. But it’s all about us from our point of view.
Teams raise their game against you, is it a pitfall from being promotion favourites?
It’s hard to say what opinions teams have of us. They’re entitled to it but we know the potential we’ve got and we want to achieve the goals we set out.
Is that winning promotion to the Premiership?
I don’t think it’s a secret to anyone. We’re really focussed on bringing back the club and Yorkshire as a whole where it belongs. We know we have to lift our fingers but we think it’s a realistic target.
Do you pay attention to what’s being said about you?
Not really. Like with Bristol, people will always comment about the club, the players or the facilities. We hope they have the correct opinion of us but we’re focussing on ourselves.
How are you settling in?
I felt very welcome from day one after joining this summer. It took me a while to get used to play at fly-half after playing at scrum-half for a season.
How hard is it to join a new club as a fly-half?
Rugby players want to play as much as they can and I’m being given that opportunity right now which is great. Hopefully I can build from the past couple of weeks and hold onto the shirt for a while.
Any regrets about your time at Northampton?
Although I wasn’t playing in my preferred position I was part of an amazing environment. The professionalism there helped me improve in a lot more areas than just playing like the way to look after myself off the pitch.
Was it the right move to drop down a league and get playing again?
In order to be good in this game you have to be playing week-in week-out and that goes for the best players in the world. Game time is key and I just felt like coming to Carnegie would give me that opportunity to play more.
How much pressure is on a fly-half?
Quite a bit but it can be very satisfying. If you can lead a team to promotion or win a trophy it’ll look good on a CV being the fly-half. That’s what I’m looking to do at Carnegie.
Coming through Newcastle academy before that?
I spent four years there. I’m so thankful to them for giving me the opportunity to play at the highest level.
If not rugby what would you be doing?
My old man would probably like me to work in the family business. He’s got car dealerships up in the North East.
What’s your cheat meal?
I do love a burger. I think it’s important to go away for the strict diet of a professional rugby player in order to keep you sane.
Three dinner guests?
Justin Bieber, David Beckham and my dad Steve to see how he react with these two in the room.
Best and worst banter at Carnegie?
Best would be between the very witty and dry Tom Casson and Andy Forsyth but Pete Lucock is just horrific.
Best and worst dressed?
Easy for best it’s Seb Stegmann while Chris Pilgrim still dresses like a student despite his advanced age.