Austin Healey: Colourful and Controversial
By Julie Gates July 23 2002
What do we make of Austin Healey? An inspiring player who, for the life of him, cannot avoid controversy. His middle name it isn't, but a characteristic it is!
By Julie Gates July 23 2002
What do we make of Austin Healey? An inspiring player who, for the life of him, cannot avoid controversy. His middle name it isn't, but a characteristic it is!
He's a colourful character, is our Austin Healey. A good-for-nothing trouble-maker, some assume; others are in awe of his initiative and pace, which undoubtedly make him one of the finest players in English Rugby today.
The Eddie Irvine of Rugby
The guy the media loves to expose, he is the Eddie Irvine of rugby: the guy who speaks his mind, the guy who can often let his short fuse land him in hot water when things don't quite go his way. Just for good measure, he enjoys the odd heckle, the odd wind-up. Love it loathe it, this is Oz all over. Take it or leave it, as they say.
We'll look at his past career and magical moments later on, but first let's take a look at the incident which took place on December 27th. Oz allegedly - and I say allegedly because the Tigers accepted his plea of tripping! - kicked Sale Sharks winger, Anthony Lewis when making a somewhat dubious tackle on the player. Although this went un-noticed during the match itself, footage was later shown on Sky Television's Rugby Club programme, immediately catching the attention of the Rugby Football Union (RFU) and Tigers boss, Dean Richards.
Austin to miss 6 nations start?
Oz has been cited by the RFU and a hearing will take place on Thursday January 10th to determine whether or not foul play was used. If he is found guilty, he could face a ban that would see him miss the opening round of the 2002 Six Nations Championship, which kicks off at Murrayfield on February 2nd.
The Tigers have held their own inquiry into the matter and Oz was consequently banned for 14 days - missing out on the Heineken Cup clash with Calvisano at the weekend - and fined £1000. Should no further action be taken by the RFU, he will be free to play in Saturday's away game against Llanelli.
Kicking an opponent is far from acceptable. There's no reason to do it, it doesn't achieve anything and it isn't clever. But it's hard to imagine what it's like in the heat of the moment, isn't it? You're on the pitch, you've got the crowd roaring, the adrenaline is pumping and you want to do anything in your power to help your team. It's not surprising that occasionally tempers flair and trouble brews. It isn't a positive side to any sport, but it's something that happens day in, day out, at every workplace in the world. The only difference is that cameras are there to catch players' mishaps, whereas we can all sound off in the privacy of our office!
Lions, Tigers & Roses
Any of you who have read Oz's brilliant book, Lions, Tigers and Roses, will see that he doesn't take himself half as serious as others do. This is part of the fun in it for him - he just speaks his mind and before he knows it, the whole of the media are on his back, misquoting original articles and interviews to make them sound ten-times worse. He's publicised as the bad-boy of rugby, but what about the highlights of his career?
Does anyone remember the fact that he was voted the Leicester Tigers' and English Premiership Player of the 1999/2000 season? What about his fantastic performance during the Heineken Cup final in May, 2001? Doped to the eye with painkillers due to a previous injury, he made the break, side-stepped three players, and handed the ball to Leon Lloyd, who scored the winning try of the game. Can't get much better than that, huh?
Then again, what about his solid performances for the English Rugby team? His fast-thinking approach to the sport means he has put in some incredible performances during the Six Nations Championship, not to mention the 2001 Lions Tour of Australia.
Loved in Australia
Ah, the Lions Tour. A rogue let loose, a troublemaker, a menace to society. Oz didn't much like Oz, did he? It's fair to say they didn't particularly take to him either. His controversial columns in the Guardian newspaper, which he didn't even pen himself, received much ridicule and in a hearing on September 6th, was fined £2000.
Yet imagine his frustration. Hindered by injury problems and originally thought to be playing at scrum-half, he only managed to take part in one of the three tests. Yet how did he perform in this game? Absolutely superbly! Against the ACT Brumbies on July 3rd, Oz scored two tries - one of which won the game for the Lions. After eight minutes of extra time had ended, the scores were level and everything was to play for. Healey broke free, sprinted over the try line and gave Matt Dawson the opportunity to kick the conversion, which gave them victory by two points. When the heat is on, you can be sure Oz will be at his best.
Colourful past
However, as we all know, he has had a colourful past. At 18 he head-butted a guy at a nightclub in Leeds when paralytic, and one-year later received 200 hours of community service because of this. He always regretted the offence and was - probably still is - sorry it ever took place. Yet just a few weeks later, when his then team, Waterloo, were playing against Nottingham, he was sent off for nutting Dorian West. Another court hearing, another ban - this time for 56 days.
He openly admits that the worst moment of his professional career came when he stamped on Kevin Putt's face during the game against the London Irish in February, 1999. He never intended to inflict injury to Putt, yet in a split second he felt the stud on his boot tear into Putt's face. As a feeling if repulsion swept through Oz, reality set in and he knew he was for the high-jump. He received an eight-week ban and many had thought justice had been done.
World class
This is the same man, who as a kid at school was bullied until he stuck up for himself and struck back at his bullies. The same boy who trained night and day, took part in every sport going and concentrated all effort into becoming a professional sportsman.
Don't let his exterior fool you. Yes, he sometimes acts like he doesn't give a toss about his career and he can put the boot in when it really isn't called for, but he is a world-class player through and through. Everyone sportsman has their moments: David Beckham with his infamous kick against an Argentinean player and Michael Schumacher with his heavy-handed racing tactics are two perfect examples of world-class athletes who have stirred controversy more than once during their career.
Oz isn't an angel; he revels in the fact he claims so many column inches, but what he revels in more is the success of playing for the Tigers, the Roses and the Lions.
Date: 9/1/2002
The Eddie Irvine of Rugby
The guy the media loves to expose, he is the Eddie Irvine of rugby: the guy who speaks his mind, the guy who can often let his short fuse land him in hot water when things don't quite go his way. Just for good measure, he enjoys the odd heckle, the odd wind-up. Love it loathe it, this is Oz all over. Take it or leave it, as they say.
We'll look at his past career and magical moments later on, but first let's take a look at the incident which took place on December 27th. Oz allegedly - and I say allegedly because the Tigers accepted his plea of tripping! - kicked Sale Sharks winger, Anthony Lewis when making a somewhat dubious tackle on the player. Although this went un-noticed during the match itself, footage was later shown on Sky Television's Rugby Club programme, immediately catching the attention of the Rugby Football Union (RFU) and Tigers boss, Dean Richards.
Austin to miss 6 nations start?
Oz has been cited by the RFU and a hearing will take place on Thursday January 10th to determine whether or not foul play was used. If he is found guilty, he could face a ban that would see him miss the opening round of the 2002 Six Nations Championship, which kicks off at Murrayfield on February 2nd.
The Tigers have held their own inquiry into the matter and Oz was consequently banned for 14 days - missing out on the Heineken Cup clash with Calvisano at the weekend - and fined £1000. Should no further action be taken by the RFU, he will be free to play in Saturday's away game against Llanelli.
Kicking an opponent is far from acceptable. There's no reason to do it, it doesn't achieve anything and it isn't clever. But it's hard to imagine what it's like in the heat of the moment, isn't it? You're on the pitch, you've got the crowd roaring, the adrenaline is pumping and you want to do anything in your power to help your team. It's not surprising that occasionally tempers flair and trouble brews. It isn't a positive side to any sport, but it's something that happens day in, day out, at every workplace in the world. The only difference is that cameras are there to catch players' mishaps, whereas we can all sound off in the privacy of our office!
Lions, Tigers & Roses
Any of you who have read Oz's brilliant book, Lions, Tigers and Roses, will see that he doesn't take himself half as serious as others do. This is part of the fun in it for him - he just speaks his mind and before he knows it, the whole of the media are on his back, misquoting original articles and interviews to make them sound ten-times worse. He's publicised as the bad-boy of rugby, but what about the highlights of his career?
Does anyone remember the fact that he was voted the Leicester Tigers' and English Premiership Player of the 1999/2000 season? What about his fantastic performance during the Heineken Cup final in May, 2001? Doped to the eye with painkillers due to a previous injury, he made the break, side-stepped three players, and handed the ball to Leon Lloyd, who scored the winning try of the game. Can't get much better than that, huh?
Then again, what about his solid performances for the English Rugby team? His fast-thinking approach to the sport means he has put in some incredible performances during the Six Nations Championship, not to mention the 2001 Lions Tour of Australia.
Loved in Australia
Ah, the Lions Tour. A rogue let loose, a troublemaker, a menace to society. Oz didn't much like Oz, did he? It's fair to say they didn't particularly take to him either. His controversial columns in the Guardian newspaper, which he didn't even pen himself, received much ridicule and in a hearing on September 6th, was fined £2000.
Yet imagine his frustration. Hindered by injury problems and originally thought to be playing at scrum-half, he only managed to take part in one of the three tests. Yet how did he perform in this game? Absolutely superbly! Against the ACT Brumbies on July 3rd, Oz scored two tries - one of which won the game for the Lions. After eight minutes of extra time had ended, the scores were level and everything was to play for. Healey broke free, sprinted over the try line and gave Matt Dawson the opportunity to kick the conversion, which gave them victory by two points. When the heat is on, you can be sure Oz will be at his best.
Colourful past
However, as we all know, he has had a colourful past. At 18 he head-butted a guy at a nightclub in Leeds when paralytic, and one-year later received 200 hours of community service because of this. He always regretted the offence and was - probably still is - sorry it ever took place. Yet just a few weeks later, when his then team, Waterloo, were playing against Nottingham, he was sent off for nutting Dorian West. Another court hearing, another ban - this time for 56 days.
He openly admits that the worst moment of his professional career came when he stamped on Kevin Putt's face during the game against the London Irish in February, 1999. He never intended to inflict injury to Putt, yet in a split second he felt the stud on his boot tear into Putt's face. As a feeling if repulsion swept through Oz, reality set in and he knew he was for the high-jump. He received an eight-week ban and many had thought justice had been done.
World class
This is the same man, who as a kid at school was bullied until he stuck up for himself and struck back at his bullies. The same boy who trained night and day, took part in every sport going and concentrated all effort into becoming a professional sportsman.
Don't let his exterior fool you. Yes, he sometimes acts like he doesn't give a toss about his career and he can put the boot in when it really isn't called for, but he is a world-class player through and through. Everyone sportsman has their moments: David Beckham with his infamous kick against an Argentinean player and Michael Schumacher with his heavy-handed racing tactics are two perfect examples of world-class athletes who have stirred controversy more than once during their career.
Oz isn't an angel; he revels in the fact he claims so many column inches, but what he revels in more is the success of playing for the Tigers, the Roses and the Lions.
Date: 9/1/2002
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