At 6ft
3ins and 17st 4lbs Ayoola Erinle makes an imposing
impression when you meet him in the flesh. He is a
beautifully sculpted athlete, a truly modern rugby player,
but with a tale that offers hope to all who felt the boat
had passed them by.
The
Nigerian-born centre has been around the international
fringes for the best part of a decade now, but only made his
full England debut on Saturday,
when he came on after 67 minutes as a replacement for Dan
Hipkiss.
He may
have been unable to break the resolute Aussie defence as
England pushed frantically for a late score, but his
entrance alone justified a journey that has seen him
traverse continents and countries in search of rugby
success.
"If I am
brutally honest, my prospects of playing for England were a
dream that had been and gone. You try to hold on to it - but
as time goes on it starts to fade to the periphery," he
admitted.
Erinle's
family moved from Nigeria to England when he was just 18
months old, and his rugby prowess shone through during his
schooling at Oratory, Reading.
By 19 he
was already pulling on an England shirt - to represent his
country at sevens - and he made a dramatic start to his
professional career as a free-scoring winger for London
Wasps. In all he played 106 games for the former European
champions, racking up 26 tries in five seasons before moving
on to Leicester Tigers.
His best
spell at Wasps saw him notch 11 tries in 19 games during the
2004/5 season and the England selectors were sufficiently
impressed to include him in the Saxons sides of 2005, 2006
and 2007. He was also picked by England for a non-cap
international against the Barbarians in 2005, but his move
to Leicester proved unsuccessful.
Indeed,
Leicester has not been a happy hunting ground for Erinle in
general, with the strapping finisher suffering a broken leg
against his future employees in November 2006.
All
told, he managed just 25 games for the Tigers and even found
himself farmed out on loan to National One side Nottingham
last season. He returned in time to start (and star) in the
2008/9 Heineken Cup final - which Leicester lost to Leinster
- but the dye had already been cast by then for Erinle.
'Dark
place'
He said
the Leicester coaches were "apologetic" about his lack of
opportunities and admitted that he was "in a pretty dark
place" before the move to France came up.
"There
were so many questions running around my head last year,
questioning this and that," he said. "I just wanted to go
somewhere and enjoy myself," he added.
His
hulking presence sometimes lulls people into squashing him
untidily into the 'brawn' pigeon hole - as indeed The
Guardian did just last week - but Erinle is far more
than that. Before signing for Wasps he had enrolled on a
four-year pharmacy course at King's College, London, and his
sharp mind also earned him a run of appearances on Channel
4's iconic Countdown show.
This is
clearly a man who favours both brain and brawn, someone for
whom the word 'dummy' remains strictly a rugby term.
His struggles at Leicester forced him to seek
new horizons, with the result that he signed for Basque
giants Biarritz and joined the British exodus to France's
Top 14 during the summer. His departure caused less
hand-wringing than it did for the likes of James Haskell and
Jonny Wilkinson, but Erinle kept his head down and
concentrated on trying to secure a starting spot with his
new club.
Three
months into the new season and, appropriately enough given
his location, he appears to be riding the crest of a wave.
He has consolidated a starting berth in the newly
attack-minded Biarritz backs, scored a high-profile try
against Gloucester in a recent Heineken Cup game and now
this - a full England debut at the ripe old age of 29.
'Spiritual journey'
"It's
been such a spiritual and emotional journey to get to this
point," he reflected. "When I went to Biarritz I just
thought 'At least I will be playing rugby and enjoying
myself'".
And
enjoy himself he has. At Biarritz he has struck up an
understanding with French international centre Damien
Traille and the club appears revitalised after a couple of
years in the doldrums. A Top 14 play-off berth is there for
the taking, and president Serge Blanco remains optimistic of
a decent Heineken Cup run for the 2006 runners-up.
He
already speaks fluent French, is settled and happy. "It is
everything you envisage," he said of his move to Biarritz.
"The French lifestyle is interesting - very laid back, but
they are hugely passionate about their rugby. They haven't
changed me as a player; they have just made me more
confident by playing me week in and week out. I have had the
longest run of games in quite a while."
That
inner contentedness was further soothed when Martin Johnson
came calling last week after Mike Tindall was forced to
withdraw from the original squad. Erinle's calibre then
ensured he made the final 22, with his debut cap following
as a replacement on Saturday.
It's
been quite a journey so far, but at 29 it surely isn't over
yet.
