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As a player Martin Corry has been there and done pretty much everything. Enjoying great success at club level with Leicester (2 Heineken Cups, 5 Premiership ***les), Corry also won 64 caps for England, captaining his country later in his career and was selected for two Lions tours - leading the Test side in New Zealand in 2005.
[FONT=&]It's obvious that the former Tigers forward has plenty of experience within rugby, so TRF gave him a call on Thursday to pick the great man's brains...[/FONT]
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TRF: Hi Martin. We'll talk first about the upcoming England Legends v Ireland Legends match you're participating at Twickenham Stoop on Friday March 16. You're captaining the side - how much are you looking forward to the game?
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[FONT=&]MC: Hi there. I am looking forward to it. I'm captaining the side and there are plenty of great players on show again this year. We've got some quality internationals in the team - the likes of Jason Leonard, Josh Lewsey, Austin Healey. The Irish have a strong group of lads too, so it should be a great occasion and we'll be looking to add to the win we enjoyed in Ireland last year.
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TRF: Despite the game's friendly nature, it is currently 1-1 in games between the two sides from previous years. I guess the players won't have lost their competitive edge?
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[FONT=&]MC: Not at all, it'll be a full-blooded encounter - well for the first five minutes at least. Old limbs and bodies may mean it won't be as competitive come the second half and it will probably be a very open free-for-all. The teams will definitely be going all out to win though - take no prisoners on the field, but I'm sure we'll all be friends in the club house after the final whistle; it's all for a great cause.
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[FONT=&]TRF: On a personal level, you've achieved a great many things in rugby. What do you consider your greatest honour?
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[FONT=&]MC: Thankfully, I'm very fortunate to have a few to choose from. I've done a lot in my career but it has to be my first cap for England. I'm a patriotic guy and there's no better feeling than pulling that jersey on for the very first time.
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TRF: Can you describe the feeling of lifting a World Cup and realising, after all the hard work, that you are the best team on the planet?
[FONT=&]MC: Oh, it's unreal. For us it was the culmination of a number of years' hard work from a group of guys who fought in the mud for each other. We gave everything to be the best, so finally lifting the cup in Australia was an incredible feeling.
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[FONT=&]TRF: You achieved great success with Leicester too. Surely building a rugby dynasty like that is what spurs a player on?
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[FONT=&]MC: Definitely. It was fortunate that we had a great number of like-minded guys at Leicester at that time. We all had a similar mentality and desire to win at Welford Road and guys like Ben Kay, Neil Back had the ability to make it happen. Playing under such a great leader in Johnno [Martin Johnson] always gave you great belief and pushed us all on to be the very best that we could. The trophies we won is testament to that.
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[FONT=&]TRF: When you were winning leagues and European ***les, who was your favourite team to come up against?
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[FONT=&]MC: There were plenty. I love the passion of rugby, it's all about the occasion and there were a few rivalries that had that in bucketfuls. We had a great few tussles with Wasps when both teams were at their peak in the early 2000s. Gloucester a few years back too were great fixtures - they played some lovely rugby and those games were proper derbies. Matches with Northampton in the early days when I'd just joined Leicester from Bristol were tough. [/FONT]
[FONT=&]We had a fair few games with the Ospreys too. It's true that you don't take the EDF [now LV+ Cup] seriously until the semi-finals, but those finals with the Ospreys were great games. We always seemed to draw them in Europe too - so playing a team all the time, you get to know them and is great in developing a rivalry.
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[FONT=&]TRF: What do you make of the current crop at Welford Road? The likes of Manu Tuilagi, Ben Youngs and Dan Cole - how do you see the future going for the team?
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[FONT=&]MC: It does look bright for the team, I think. The next five years are going to be important for us, if we can keep hold of a core of players then I think something special can happen. Those guys you named are key to any success. [/FONT]
[FONT=&]George Ford is another guy who has an exciting future ahead of him. But it's critical we keep these players together for the next few years, especially with the current trend of big-money moves abroad.
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[FONT=&]TRF: Playing for Tigers for 12 years you're clearly an immensely loyal man. What do you make of the recent comings and goings in club rugby - with the Welsh exodus to France and, for example, Luke Narraway's recent switch to Perpignan?
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[FONT=&]MC: It's a different game these days. It's far more professional and the players have different mindsets and have other things to think about to make the most of their careers. I played for the love of the game so don't understand it myself, but like I said the players of today have other considerations.
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[FONT=&]TRF: So you would never consider a move if you were still playing today?
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[FONT=&]MC: No I don't think I would really. I played for the passion of the fans and the love of the shirt and that's what it's always ever been about for me.
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[FONT=&]TRF: Moving back to the England team - who was the best English player you played with?
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[FONT=&]MC: I've got huge respect for so many guys, but the people who transform the game are the ones that stand out for me. Players like Jason Robinson, Jonny Wilkinson and Johnno.[/FONT]
[FONT=&]Playing with Johnno at Leicester was fantastic - he was such a talisman and a huge presence for the club and obviously for England. What Jonny did in applying extra elements to his game and the player he turned himself into was amazing.
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[FONT=&]TRF: Watching such a fantastic game between England and Wales a fortnight ago, I guess you would have given anything to be out on the Twickenham turf with the boys?
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[FONT=&]MC: Was it fantastic? I didn't think so. It was a loss at Twickenham and as a proud Englishman that's just not acceptable. I have never been one for the 'gallant losers' tag and people who are only bring down their own levels of expectation. For me, only a win for England is enjoyable. Defeat is not on.
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[FONT=&]TRF: [/FONT][FONT=&]How do you see this young England side developing over the next few years? Is the World Cup in 2015 a realistic aim?
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[FONT=&]MC: To be fair, it's a similar side to the one that Johnno took over. The job now is to move the team on in the next two years and grow it. [/FONT]
[FONT=&]If Lancaster sees the future in the middle of the park as being Flood - Farrell - Tuilagi, then he has to stick with that axis and develop it. I don't think we've seen the best out of this side by any means, but if they do continue to grow together as a team the next World Cup is always a possibility.
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[FONT=&]TRF: With the last couple of rounds of this season's 6 Nations looming large, how do you see the rest of the tournament panning out?
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[FONT=&]MC: It's Wales's all the way. They have been the best team by far and I've been impressed by their professionalism and consistency. I think France are stuffed with having to play a game each week for the last month of the competition, but they haven't really the set the world alight either. I fully expect Wales to win the Grand Slam against them in Cardiff next week.
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[FONT=&]TRF: Which individual players have impressed you?
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[FONT=&]MC: Oh, George North. He is really something special - the Jason Robinson of his time. He's re-defining the role of a winger. He's taken the Chris Ashton role of coming in-field and looking for work and ball off his number 10 - a fantastic player.[/FONT]
[FONT=&]Owen Farrell too has encouraged me and he controlled the game very well against Wales. Chris Robshaw has been excellent as captain and epitomised the industrious nature of the team.
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[FONT=&]TRF: Quick-fire questions:
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[FONT=&]TRF: Favourite rugby ground?
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[FONT=&]MC: Welford Road. Easy.
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[FONT=&]TRF: Hardest player to play against?
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[FONT=&]MC: For a lumbering forward the quick guys were always a nightmare to deal with - Jason Robinson and Shane Williams.
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[FONT=&]TRF: Best place to tour?
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[FONT=&]MC: Australia in 2003 for obvious reasons. Also, you might find it strange, but Canada - it's a lovely country.
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[FONT=&]TRF: Greatest friend in rugby?
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[FONT=&]MC: Fortunately I've got a fair few. It would have to be Craig Joiner, who played for Scotland and Leicester and Ben Kay. Ben and I had similar careers, coming to the club at a similar time and we then went on to win trophies with Leicester and England; he's a brilliant bloke.
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[FONT=&]TRF: Score prediction for France v England on Sunday?
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[FONT=&]MC: If we can stop them playing like we did against Wales I'm confident we can sneak it; 15-18.
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[FONT=&]TRF: All kicks?!
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[FONT=&]MC: No... Actually, yeah probably. And we'll probably let France in for a couple of tries too. But we'll win.
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[FONT=&]TRF: Finally, any advice for any aspiring rugby players?
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[FONT=&]MC: Attitude. That's what it's all about. You can have all the skill and ability in the world but if your attitude sucks you're nothing.
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[FONT=&]TRF: Thanks for taking the time to speak with us Martin, it's been a pleasure to talk to you and we wish you the best of luck with the England Legends v Ireland Legends game next week.
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Martin will take his place as captain on Friday 16th March, in a star studded England Legends Squad, which takes on the Irish Legends Squad. This will be the 3rd year the event has taken place and will be played in aid of the RFU Injured Players Foundation, RPA Benevolent Fund in England and the IRFU Charitable Trust in Ireland. The game takes place at The Stoop, Twickenham with Kick Off at 7.45pm. Tickets start at £10, with concessions at £5 and are now on sale from www.englandirelandlegends.co.uk or www.quins.co.uk . Tickets will also be available on the gate.
Images from http://www.sportinglife.com/, http://www.dailymail.co.uk, http://www.telegraph.co.uk/
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