Advertisement
BBC BLOGS - BBC Sport: Simon Austin
« Previous | Main | Next »

Martyn Williams answers your questions

Post categories:

Simon Austin | 09:53 UK time, Tuesday, 2 June 2009

I asked you to think of some questions for Martyn Williams and you certainly came up trumps.

Everything seemed to be covered, from who is the fastest player on tour to who's the hairiest. I think it makes for an entertaining read that gets behind the scenes on the Lions tour...


Comments

or register to comment.

  • 1. At 4:52pm on 02 Jun 2009, rigggoooo wrote:

    This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the House Rules.

  • 2. At 5:18pm on 02 Jun 2009, SwannyWilkinson wrote:

    Whats the mood like within the tour party? Have there been any on going in jokes or pranks played between the boys?

    Complain about this comment

  • 3. At 5:45pm on 02 Jun 2009, 'Arrys White & Blue Army wrote:

    Who are the worst and best player to share a room with?

    Complain about this comment

  • 4. At 5:52pm on 02 Jun 2009, Tonyilic wrote:

    Nugget, are the players doing another "Living with the Lions video for this tour"?
    Tony Ilic

    Complain about this comment

  • 5. At 5:54pm on 02 Jun 2009, Tonyilic wrote:

    Oh and I also want to know what the tour song is ? I remember it was "Wonderwall" 12 years ago, do you have one?

    Complain about this comment

  • 6. At 6:48pm on 02 Jun 2009, welshtkdmat wrote:

    Martyn
    - You mention in your column that the coaches have stated it takes 8 days to acclimatise to altitude. Is it poor planning that the tour didn't go out to SA earlier to get around this problem? Will Leigh Halfpenny suffer the same problem as he's joining you later on?

    Complain about this comment

  • 7. At 7:22pm on 02 Jun 2009, ellfromgavenny wrote:

    Hi Martin

    Obviously you know the Welsh lads well, but out of the other lads on tour, who has impressed you most with their overall professionalism towards the game (no coaches allowed!!)?

    Complain about this comment

  • 8. At 00:29am on 03 Jun 2009, fergaljpc wrote:

    Hello Martyn.

    Who has impressed you most in training, given that you may have not played with most of the players before.

    Complain about this comment

  • 9. At 11:21am on 03 Jun 2009, Simon Austin wrote:

    Good questions guys...thanks for posting

    Keep them coming...this is a great chance to get the inside chat from a key member of the Lions party.

    Are there any other bits of insight you'd like to know?

    Complain about this comment

  • 10. At 11:25am on 03 Jun 2009, akaTommySmith wrote:

    Here you go then Simon:
    - Who's got the worst dress sense/ taste in music?
    - Who's been the butt of most jokes and why?
    - Have you got a judge on this tour?Who is it and who has been before them?
    - Who have your room-mates been? Who was best and worst of them?
    - Has this been better fun than 2001/2005 already?

    Complain about this comment

  • 11. At 12:52pm on 03 Jun 2009, Cob_Gen_2 wrote:

    Hey Martyn...

    Do you hope none of the test games have to be decided by penalties ;) just kidding.

    My question is will the strategy be to play a pace game at the breakdown, or a contact game, or even a mix of the two. Will you try different approaches against the provincal sides before deciding what works best?

    Thanks mate and extremely good luck from the boyos!
    Lee

    Complain about this comment

  • 12. At 1:00pm on 03 Jun 2009, Lenny wrote:

    Martyn, Are you worried about the South African referees during the warm up matches leading up to the tests? They seemed to total disregard the advantage the Lions had in the scrum, the royal props were standing up during scrum time and the ref did nothing about it. Is it a case of looking after your own?

    Complain about this comment

  • 13. At 1:04pm on 03 Jun 2009, welsh_7 wrote:

    Hi Martyn

    just like to ask...

    Whats the competition been like in the back row to get that test start, obviously your biggest threat for the test jersey is David Wallace but is there a chance you and David will both start in the same back row with maybe David at 6 or 8?

    Good luck with the rest of the tour Martyn, lets hope you get that 7 jersey and make Wales proud!

    Complain about this comment

  • 14. At 1:08pm on 03 Jun 2009, welsh_7 wrote:

    Did Donnicha O'Callaghan have a punh up with Andy Powell?

    Complain about this comment

  • 15. At 1:11pm on 03 Jun 2009, Minitaff_III wrote:

    Martyn, out of the whole Lions set-up, who has the most embarrassing nickname and who's nickname suits them the most?
    Cheers,
    Chris

    Complain about this comment

  • 16. At 1:20pm on 03 Jun 2009, theswissjob wrote:

    Hi Martyn,

    I was flying to Switzerland the other day and had three hours to kill in Heathrow terminal five. I was on an escalator minding my own business when I realised you were standing behind me! When I went to get a bit of food I noticed Ronan O'Gara, David Wallace, Ugo Monye and Joe Worsley tucking into some noodles. It seemed everyone was relaxed and getting on fine.

    My question is this: How much contact do you have with the other players during a regular season? Do the four guys who sit down to have noodles know each other mostly through handshakes at the end of games and by reputation alone?

    Cheers and best of luck,

    Complain about this comment

  • 17. At 1:57pm on 03 Jun 2009, Safri1000 wrote:

    Who's the biggest joker and what sort of jokes/pranks have been played and on who?

    Complain about this comment

  • 18. At 1:58pm on 03 Jun 2009, Jenks15 wrote:

    You have been the best openside in Wales for the last 10 years, do you think Wales (We) are cheapining the regard to Welsh Caps on the summer tour to Canada and America, Some of these players have only played once or twice this year for their region. Do you think that there should of been Non Cap Tests? (Probably know what your going to say as not to upset anyone)

    Complain about this comment

  • 19. At 2:01pm on 03 Jun 2009, BigAAAA wrote:

    Martyn
    how are the different nationalities in the party gelling, I mean do the lads mix much socially or do they generally tend to stay with their countrymen?

    Complain about this comment

  • 20. At 2:08pm on 03 Jun 2009, BigRicoSuave wrote:

    Martyn

    Congratulations on getting the tour off to a winning start. Maybe not what the tour party envisaged but some strong individual performaces and good character at the end.

    In what areas of the game will the series be won and where do you think the Lions have the edge?

    Who's had the biggest fine in court and what was it for?

    The very best of luck mate, we're all right behind you!

    Complain about this comment

  • 21. At 3:39pm on 03 Jun 2009, ieuanhuw wrote:

    Hi Martyn,

    Firstly well done on your first game. My question is what player or players have surprised you most in training?

    Complain about this comment

  • 22. At 3:53pm on 03 Jun 2009, Spraggy wrote:

    Which of players seems the most in awe of the whole lions set up and which of the newer players seems most like a seasoned pro?

    And finally who snores the loudest?

    Spraggy

    Complain about this comment

  • 23. At 3:54pm on 03 Jun 2009, TreorciRugby wrote:

    Hi Martyn,

    How does training differ between working with Ian McGeech as Head Coach instead of your regular head coach of Wales, Warren Gatland?

    Complain about this comment

  • 24. At 3:56pm on 03 Jun 2009, Ssssnake15 wrote:

    Martyn,

    Did you have any preconceptions of how you thought certain tourists would be, either socially, or when it came down to the rugby side of things, and have any of those tourists suprised you?

    Best of luck to you and the rest of the boys!

    Complain about this comment

  • 25. At 4:26pm on 03 Jun 2009, I'm not the messiah....I'm a very naughty boy wrote:

    Martin.....

    What happens on tour, stays on tour!!!

    Dont forget that when answering these questions.

    :)

    Complain about this comment

  • 26. At 5:14pm on 03 Jun 2009, Jinormous Von Hugendong wrote:

    Hiya Martyn,

    I'm a big fan of your work.
    My missus would like to know who the hairiest man on tour is.

    Also I heard you once say "The days of 14 Pints of Bow after a game are over". I'm sure some of these tourists would disagree. do yu get much chance for a social on this tour?

    Cheers Fella!

    Complain about this comment

  • 27. At 8:10pm on 03 Jun 2009, Fred James wrote:

    are you worried about pierre spies?

    Complain about this comment

  • 28. At 8:23pm on 03 Jun 2009, rugby_lover_99 wrote:

    Do you feel like a father figure to the younger players, such as, Leigh Halfpenny and Keith Earls

    Complain about this comment

  • 29. At 9:20pm on 03 Jun 2009, grandslamshanks wrote:

    what are you doing in your spare time? i know you have a large collection of foreign dvds. Did you bring them out with you? are are you still the yes man?

    shanks

    Complain about this comment

  • 30. At 11:08pm on 03 Jun 2009, WayneDIY27 wrote:

    Hi Martyn, after seeing the first 2 games, it already looks like there will be great competition for the test side. The previous tour to NZ was so badly managed by Sir CW, its brilliant to see a Lions tour being run properly. From your perspective, what are the main differences between the NZ and SA tours? Good luck for then rest of the tour (and for Wales in the future !) Cheers, Wayne

    Complain about this comment

  • 31. At 10:42am on 04 Jun 2009, InkyMuffinWhiteBar wrote:

    What off the field activities have you done so far? e.g. safari etc

    Complain about this comment

  • 32. At 11:16am on 04 Jun 2009, Grono0607 wrote:

    Alot is made of Monye's pace, is he the quickest guy on the tour (over say 50m) if not who is i assume Shane Williams is quickest over 10-20m

    Cheers and good luck, if the performances continue like last night i reckon you will be coming home as victorious hero's.

    BRING ON THE BOK's!!

    Complain about this comment

  • 33. At 11:33am on 04 Jun 2009, JosephFromNantymoel wrote:

    When did you first become interested in rugby?

    Complain about this comment

  • 34. At 1:04pm on 04 Jun 2009, juiceyjones wrote:

    Martyn,
    Which player did you think would be difficult to get along with, but has pleasantly surprised you on tour?

    Complain about this comment

  • 35. At 5:18pm on 04 Jun 2009, supersi77 wrote:

    Martyn,

    Thought the performance last night showed what the Lions should be all about. Keep it up! Everyone here talking about the Lions non stop, I stayed up til two am so I could see the highlights, would never do that for any other team, it means so much!

    Best of luck for the rest of the tour

    ps what is Andrew Sheridan like? Any funny stories?

    Complain about this comment

  • 36. At 02:36am on 08 Jun 2009, LionsChoir wrote:

    This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the House Rules.

  • 37. At 02:59am on 08 Jun 2009, LionsChoir wrote:

    This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the House Rules.

  • 38. At 11:12am on 09 Jun 2009, upforwork wrote:

    well west ham we love them now think of a team we could field that could win the premier of players we sold that are still playing suce as lampard tevez j cole de foe glen johnson beniju rio ferd and carrick to name a few so get to it

    Complain about this comment

  • 39. At 1:41pm on 12 Jun 2009, revolt100 wrote:

    Hey Martyn,

    Who has surprised you the most on this tour in how well they are playing and also in terms of personality; are there any nutters who you didn't realise were nutters?

    Complain about this comment

  • 40. At 1:44pm on 12 Jun 2009, revolt100 wrote:

    Hi Martyn, is Donncha O'Callaghan as mental as he appears on the 2005 Lions Tour? If so, who are his main rivals for prize idiot?

    Complain about this comment

  • 41. At 1:49pm on 12 Jun 2009, revolt100 wrote:

    Who would win in a fight between Andrew Sheridan and Paul O'Connell?

    Complain about this comment

  • 42. At 1:53pm on 12 Jun 2009, revolt100 wrote:

    When it comes to drinking, who is the biggest heavyweight and who is the biggest lightweight?

    Complain about this comment

  • 43. At 2:04pm on 12 Jun 2009, scoi wrote:

    Martyn, have any of the coaches or physio's brought along some strange techniques or complimentary therapies to help recovery? If not it could be a good opportunity for a prank.

    Has anyone made a promise to do something if we win the series. Geech lost his hair 12 years ago, Adam Jones could offer the same.

    Complain about this comment

View these comments in RSS

Jump to more content from this blog

About this blog

I'm a sports news reporter and write about most sports, but especially football, rugby union and cricket. I'll try and give you some insight into the stories setting the agenda in this blog. You can also follow me on Twitter.

Here are some tips on taking part and our house rules.

Subscribe to BBC Sport: Simon Austin

You can stay up to date with BBC Sport: Simon Austin via these feeds.

BBC Sport: Simon Austin Feed(RSS)

BBC Sport: Simon Austin Feed(ATOM)

If you aren't sure what RSS is you'll find our beginner's guide to RSS useful.

Related Links

Explore the BBC

This page is best viewed in an up-to-date web browser with style sheets (CSS) enabled. While you will be able to view the content of this page in your current browser, you will not be able to get the full visual experience. Please consider upgrading your browser software or enabling style sheets (CSS) if you are able to do so.