Summary
TWO years ago, Budge Pountney was a man riven by frustration, compelled to walk out on his country. A horrific injury sustained while playing for his club cost him a testicle, and raised concerns over whether he was able to start a family. It brought into sharp focus his concerns at the "unprofessional" management of the Scotland international squad and he chose to effect an immediate and dramatic retiral from Test rugby.
This weekend, he will lead Northampton back into the Heineken Cup, aiming to secure a place in the quarter-finals, not as a player but as their head coach; a position he was handed just six weeks ago after a sudden change at the Saints helm. He had a brief few hours off yesterday, and made the most of it by playing at home with his five-month-old daughter Naeve. Given what he'd been through, it was a domestic scene of utter contentment. How life has changed.See the full content of this document
Extract
Pountney Born Again After the Turmoil
"It is quite remarkable," he says, shaking his head at the turn of events since that day in January 2003 when the former Scotland captain walked out of Murrayfield for the final time. "The past two years have been an incredible, emotional roller-coaster.
"I've gone from the injury to retiring from Test rugby the way ...See the full content of this document
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