Q&A with Tom Tierney and George Chuter

By TigersTart

Pictures by Ian B and Ali

With an Irish pedigree in Gaelic football, hurling and singing, the talent Mr. T has 8 caps for Ireland under his belt, having played up through the ranks. With a catchphrase of “produce good karma”, you can guarantee that he is focused on the game with that quiet Irishness about his persona. One of the key games TT has played in this season was the pool game away at Neath that gave him Man-of-the- Match.

Saracens provided the back-drop for Chuter to work his way up to being first-choice hooker and England “A” regular with mobility and accuracy in his play. With an appetite for hard graft, Chuter has worked himself into the first team at Tigers battling against Cockerill (before he left) and West for the hooker shirt. At last year’s TSB 6-Nations quiz, Mr. Comedy sought to entertain the audience with his singing.

MC for the night, PR man Sam Rossister-Stead, (as Matt Poole was in training for running the London Marathon for the Wooden Spoon Society), started the night by taking questions from the floor:

Q When will the names for the marquee for the Munster game be finalised?

SRS: The club received more tickets than we actually needed, so I would like to thank those fans that sent theirs back. For example, people who had brought tickets but realised they can’t come have returned their tickets. We are having a meeting on Thursday (20th) and supporters will be informed by Friday (21st). After the game, players will come into the marquee to thank the fans.

Q What has been done about the Munster tickets being sold on E-Bay?

SRS: Some Munster tickets have gone on the Internet auction site, E-Bay. The people who have been selling them have been too descriptive about where their seats are and seem to be out to make a quick buck. We are tracking these people, and two have already had refunds on their season tickets.

Q What’s happened to the Sale fixture (moved from Friday 4th April k/o 7.45pm to Sunday 6th April k/o 4.45pm)?

SRS: Its is a Sky game which they moved to Sunday – Premier Rugby asked us to move it to Sunday but we had planned out the training for the week leading up to the Munster game, but we couldn’t do anything about it.

Then SRS introduced the players and it was time to get down to the nitty-gritty questions.

Background questions

Q George, you were settled at Saracens and looked promising with England “A” – why did you leave to go to Australia?

GC: I spent the last 4 years being on the treadmill of rugby with only a 2-3 week break every summer, which was repetitive every week season after season. I “kicked-back” whilst I had the chance and as my contract was up for renewal at Saracens, I took some time out and caught up with my mates in England, went to Sydney to see the Olympics and went to see my girlfriend who was teaching in the USA. I came back to Britain refreshed and with an appetite for the game. It was a challenge to come to Tigers with two international hookers already here, so instead of sitting back I had to work hard.

Q What was Sarries like compared to Tigers?

GC: One is in London and one is in the Midlands! Generally, clubs are similar in training structure and methods. At Sarries, the coaching came from a southern hemisphere perspective, though Francois Pienaar, which involved a lot of bag work and high intensity training. Whereas Tigers focus on set-piece work and forwards and backs separately concentrate on their manoeuvres, which comes from a northern hemisphere point of view.

Q Why didn’t players get on with Pienaar?

GC: Players did get on with Pienaar but there were some high profile personality clashes. Pienaar was surprised and not used to the fact that in England, players are more laid back. In the southern hemisphere rugby is a religion that is lived, breathed and NO.1 priority. Pienaar was frustrated by the way players switched off and didn’t live/breath rugby like him, as wasn’t our NO.1 priority.

Q Have you always played Hooker?

GC: I started at NO.8 at Colts level, loosehead prop and then got moved to hooker.

Q Tom, after your injuries how did you end up at Leicester?

TT: I have dislocated my shoulder and tore my knee ligaments, which took 9-months of rehabilitation. Last June, I put my CV round and Tigers took an interest. I am enjoying it at Tigers and am good mates with Franck (shared a house with him and Rhys Williams).

Q Have you always been at NO.9?

TT: I played Gaelic Football and Hurling, which is my favourite sport. I didn’t take rugby up until I was 15/16 years old. When I was 20, I played hurling and rugby, which meant from the Wednesday night hurling game I would be black and blue for the Saturday rugby.

Q What do you miss about Ireland?

TT: My family and girlfriend.

Rugby-related questions – Leicester

Q Why didn’t the team perform at Newcastle?

GC: I was not involved, but as a spectator we were flat at the back, allowed Newcastle to slow down ball and didn’t finish the Falcons off. There was a shocking bounce in front of Vesty which lead to a try when he’d just come on at full-back. It was a combination of not playing to our potential and not getting quick enough ball and putting away our chances. Tigers came up against a strong running side, who value being good on home territory (just like us) with a kicker who can slot over the vital goals in Wilkinson.

SRS: I felt that Tierney had a good game, Josh played very well and Boothie had a good line of running.

TT: Tigers had so much of the ball but nothing that we did seemed to be working. We were the better side but we made wrong decisions at crucial times. It was a bad day at the office, which wasn’t helped by injuries (Geordan in warm-up and Ollie went off in the game) and we had to re-jig the back-line.

Q Do you hear the fans and does it help?

SRS: Asks audience for hands to who made the trip to Newcastle and emphasised that it was an 8-9 hour coach journey for fans.

TT: It’s very bleak up in Newcastle. I didn’t know what it would be like, but the noise from the crowd lifted the players. I don’t like coach journeys, so I can only image the length of journey time for the fans.

GC: As a hooker, I do notice the crowd as I am throwing in 2 yards away from the stands and the fans. Different players react differently to the crowd noise, like kicker could use the “booing” as a focus instead of kicking in silence.

Q What is life like on the bench?

TT: I am having some good practice at it! It is frustrating, as I want to play. You need to be mentally strong, as it can easily get you down. When I lost my place at Limerick, it got to me, but now I keep positive and I can only influence selection by training hard.

GC: I like to remember that it’s not just a job to play but it’s also important to do functions like this and community work. Still, I would like to play and be involved in front of 16,000 crowd at Welford Road.

Q George, what have you learnt from Cocky and Nobby?

GC: We swap ideas and pass on knowledge. I get on with them very well. We now have a specialist throwing-in coach, Simon Hardy, who comes to help the hookers at Tigers once a week.

Q Tom, you now have a specialist NO.9 coach?

TT: Josf David works with Jamie, Hazza, Oz and me and assists in passing/kicking skills for scrum-half. This has added to our game through the one-on-one coaching. Josf is very meticulous with his crib notes of the opposition, as well as, the Monday morning session with the video from that weekend’s game.

Q There’s a lot of competition for the NO.9 position, as Oz has said he wants to play at scrum-half - comment?

TT: There is nothing I can do. If I get picked at NO.9, then I get the chance.

Q The authorities seem to be against Tigers winning anything i.e. Gloucester scrums and Sale date change, is there a siege mentality?

TT: We just get on with things and keep our heads away from politics. Things like this, though, pull everyone together as a team.

GC: Gloucester scrum - it is dangerous to play in a position where you have not played before and it’s a big ask at a key moment. However, Azam propped before against us and for France, which was the issue from the PowerGen semi-final.

Q How do you remember whom to throw to?

GC: Normally before a lineout, we would have a pre-call and decide whom to throw to but we keep it simple, as we are the forwards!

Q Tom and George you are two laid-back guys, do you need strong captains to influence you?

TT: The less I think about a game, the better I seem to play, as otherwise I wind myself up in knots. Some guys need to be coaxed into playing a game, but I don’t.

GC: When I was younger I did the head-banging bit (but as you grow older it hurts). The role of a captain is not purely motivational, as that comes from an individual, but a captain must assess the situations on the pitch with a cool head i.e. whether to kick for goal or take a penalty. A captain’s job is very varied theses days and takes input from those around.

Focusing on Munster game (European Cup quarter-final, Sunday 13th April 2003 k/o 4pm)

Q How can we beat Munster?

TT: It is going to be very hard. After the European Cup Final 2002 at Cardiff, Munster will have a chip on their shoulder. Munster come into the game in a position as they have got nothing to lose.

Q How will Tigers prepare for Munster?

TT: The team will go through the pros and cons of the backs and forwards and I can bring some insider knowledge, as I have played against most Munster players through the different age groups.

Ireland/England

Q What is the difference between club rugby in England and provincial rugby in Ireland?

TT: You get more games over here and it is more intense. In Ireland, there are 4 Provinces and Munster would take players from the senior clubs, which would be from Leicestershire. Normally after a match, there would be about a 3-week break but would have warm-up games, unlike the week-in-week-out rugby schedule here.

Q Are Irish players not looked on favourably if they play in England?

TT: Yes, they are looked upon unfavourably. There are exceptions if people are playing well and then they get into the Irish squad – Geordan has been overlooked.

Q 6-Nations Ireland Vs England game is going to be the decider – who will win?

GC: England – it is going to be a very passionate affair!

TT: Ireland are playing better at the moment. Its going to be a grand occasion and Dublin will be rocking that weekend!

Other questions

Q How was the performance last Wednesday night? (Neil Back’s Testimonial Dinner @ LCFC with players as waiters)

GC: Five of us did a Full Monty type-strip show! It was for a very good cause as proceeds were split between Backy’s Testimonial Year and the families of the two policemen Andrew Munn and Bryan Moore who were killed on duty last summer.

Q If you were in the Big Brother House with the Tigers squad, whom would you vote out first and why?

GC: I would vote out first someone big and fat, who would eat all of the food, like Darren. I would leave in Josh, as he is a Kiwi, very interesting, plays the guitar and harmonica.

TT: I am still getting to know the lads.

Q Best and worst roommate?

TT: Best roommate would be Cameron Diaz and my girlfriend!

GC: I love ‘em all (referring to the players). I don’t like people who walk around naked in the bedroom (SRS says Franck’s out them).

Q: Who takes longest in the shower?

GC: Johnno.

Q Who has the worst gas problem?

TT: Balders, especially when you are at the back of the scrum with him.

SRS: Who farts in the bath?

TT: Balders and GG.

Q What’s your most embarrassing moment?

TT: On the hurling pitch, I ran into a post!

Q If you drink too much Guinness, does it make your poo go black?

TT: It does that and puts hairs on your chest!

GC: Yes!

Q George, why has the beard gone?

GC: I was having a mini competition with Peter Short (Short to grow his hair and me to grow my beard) but my 20-month old daughter was sick and I couldn’t get rid of the smell, so I shaved it off.

Q What’s it like being the only man in your house?

GC: Ok at the moment, but in 14 years time with the hormones it could be difficult!

Q Who were your heroes when you were a young player?

GC: Deano (to much amusement from the audience) and he’s now my boss! When I started to play, he was in England and had an influence on the game, as he was always around the ball and dominated the game. Deano was a fantastic guy to watch.

TT: I didn’t have any rugby heroes, but had heroes from hurling.

SRS: Who’s had an influence on you rugby career?

TT: When I decided to give rugby a go, I did it on my own. I looked at the top scrum-halves, like George Gregan and Oz and watched how they played.

GC: I am a big fan of Mohammed Ali and Tiger Woods who dominated/dominate their sport through hard work and not only natural talent.

Q Who’s the most famous person in sport you have met?

GC: Princess Anne. When I attended a dinner, about 4 years ago, at a London Hotel for the Spinal Injury Foundation she was there as a patron of the charity.

TT: Sonia O’Sullivan passed me whilst I was running in Limerick (says Jesus whilst thinking and SRS says who can top that?)

Q What’s the best stadium you have played in?

GC: I played in the Cup Final 1998 at Twickenham before the re-development. When Welford Road is packed, it is not rivalled by any other Premiership Club. I played for Sarries against Newcastle at Vicarage Road in front of a 20,000 crowd. Saracens led the way in the professional era, at the start, with the off-field activities like dancing girls and an electric car to bring on the kicking-tee, as well as work in the community, which is very important.

Q What’s the best rugby tour you have been on?

GC: When I was 17, I went with my junior club to The Isle of White. In 1998 I went with Australia and New Zealand with England where bad on pitch but good off the pitch.

TT: I went to Prague for a few days with Garryowen at the end of a season.

Q What would be your talent in a talent competition?

GC: Probably watching TV but I did play the saxophone as a youngster.

TT: I can play one song, “Knock, knock knocking on heaven’s door” by Bob Dylan on the guitar.

Q Who would your ideal romantic date be and how would you woo a woman?

TT: I would make the lady feel like they were the most important person in the room.

Q If you were an animal, what animal would you be?

GC: Would it be silly to say that I would be a Tiger (to much audience amusement!) I would be a pigeon, as that would be nice after a few pints of Guinness!

Q What’s the longest time you have worn the same pair of pants?

TT: I don’t wear underwear (Editor note: goes commando!)

Q Tom, can you do an Irish jig?

TT: No

SRS: Can you sing any songs?

TT: Yes.

SRS: Entertain us, then!

TT: (Sings limerick ditty to much applause).

SRS: If we beat Munster you can sing the whole tune.

SRS: Go on then George.

GC: Sings row, row your boat with audience.

Q If you were in a fight, whom would you want on your side?

GC: Darren.

SRS: If Darren was on George’s side, who would you want are your side?

TT: Franck.

SRS: Have you learnt much French from Franck?

TT: Oui et non etc. His pronunciation of French is very coarse as it has an element of Spanish.

Q If you could invite 6 people to a dinner party, whom would you invite?

GC: 1. Peter Cook (comedy element), 2. Dudley Moore (comedy element), 3. Kylie (as she’s fit and could do entertainment after dinner), 4. Mum (would cook) and 5. Dad.

Q Name your World XV?

GC: 15. JPR Williams. 14. Rory Underwood, 13. Mike Gibson, 12. Frank Bunce, 11. Lomu, 10. Les Cusworth (after picking Tony ward and Phil Bennett), 9. Gareth Edfwards, 1. Craig Dowd (NZ) 2. NZ, 3. NZ, 4. Martin Johnson, 5. John Eales, 6. Michael Jones, 7. Josh Kronfeld, 8. Deano.

TT: 15. Serg Balnco, 14. Joe Roff, 13. O’Driscoll, 12. Gibson, 11. Holtbot (NZ), 10. Andrew Merhants, 9. Van der Vesthazen (SA), 1. Craig Dowd (NZ) 2. NZ, 3. NZ, 4. Martin Johnson, 5. Ian Jones, 6. Jones, 7. Backy, 8. Wily Duggin.

It was definitely Mr. Limerick and Mr. Penguin that can both talk for their native countries. TT taught the audience that he goes commando, knows some French (and can understand Franck), can sing a mean song; whilst George enjoys community work, would have Josh as his room mate and says fatherhood doesn’t get any easier second time round! At the end of the evening, TT had a picture with her namesake and asked how he was settling in and TT and Pinky enquired whether George could give them a guided tour around Oval Park’s new training ground facilities

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