Inverdale earned his reputation on the BBC but played just shy of 1000 games of senior rugby throughout his life
Broadcaster John Inverdale was a staple of our screens as he fronted rugby coverage on the BBC.
Flanked by Jeremy Guscott and ‘Jiffy’ Edwards, Inverdale loved the game and even managed to play close to 1,000 games of senior rugby himself.
During the Six Nations, we caught up with the man himself to talk rugby on the T.V, his relationship with the sport and what its future might look like.
Find out all you need to know below.
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What’s your first rugby memory?
Watching games at US Portsmouth and running to collect the ball when it was kicked over the stand. My dad, who was a dentist in the Navy, would pay me in bottles of Coke.
Which player did you admire growing up?
We moved to Wales and my father and I would watch games at Ebbw Vale, Pontypool, Newbridge and wherever else. Welsh rugby was on such a high then and we had endless discussions over who was better – JPR Williams or Andy Irvine.
I preferred Andy Irvine. He was better-looking and he missed a few tackles, which I could identify with as a full-back who took mediocrity to new levels.
Andy Irvine of the British Lions evades a tackle by Kevin Eveleigh (Getty Images)
How many games of senior rugby did you play?
I played 963 (for universities, Esher et al). I kept a record of every one – I played 83 games in the 1983-84 season. I had an ambition to reach 1,000 but I got my head stamped on in a game when I was 48 and that was that. Playing on for so long is a regret. I’ve got a lot of great memories but if I’d stopped ten years earlier, my hips and knees wouldn’t be in the state they are.
What’s the strangest thing you’ve seen on the pitch?
A Boston winger being taken off the field with hypothermia. The conditions that day in Lincolnshire were beyond arctic. He had to go to hospital.
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In your broadcast career, who was your favourite rugby interviewee?
Jack Rowell. When he was England coach, we went for a drink in Bath and built a rapport. If both parties know and understand each other, the honesty in an interview is much better. That is an increasing problem with the proliferation of platforms now. Ninety per cent of interviews across all sports are bland.
Any embarrassing moments?
The first Five Nations commentary I did was Scotland v France in 1986 and I missed the first try. The kick-off went straight into touch, France took a quick lineout when everyone expected a scrum and Pierre Berbizier scored while I was still looking at my notes. I had no idea what had happened!
Who’s the best rugby pundit you worked with?
Jonathan Davies. The best pundits don’t tell you what has just happened, they tell you what is going to happen and Jonathan can do that. Of the modern ex-players, Sam Warburton is fantastically astute.
Wales fly half Jonathan Davies makes a break (Getty Images)
What’s your favourite rugby city?
Cardiff. There is nowhere like it on match day. The first International I went to was at the Arms Park – the Barbarians v New Zealand in 1973. I still have the programme and my ticket.
What’s it like being on the RFU Council as National Clubs Association rep?
The best part is in feeling you can move the tanker a bit. The worst part is realising it’s a very small bit.
What was it like being part of the Bill Sweeney roadshow?
Rugby says it’s ‘all for one, one for all’. But it made me realise that actually, and understandably as a lot of clubs are fighting for their survival, a lot of them are very self-motivated. They won’t look at bigger issues. The hardest thing was getting people to understand that the collective well-being of the sport should be paramount. You see a lot of level three/four rugby.
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What’s your takeaway?
I watch far too many games where the dominant figure is the referee. Referees and referees’ assessors must understand it’s a competitive sporting landscape. They need to referee intelligently.Every sport is fighting for people’s attention and we need to ensure the spectacle warrants someone spending ten or 20 quid on a Saturday to go and watch it.
Thomas Ramos of France avoids a tackle from Ange Capuozzo (Getty Images)
Where do you recommend we visit?
Wharfedale. Or Tynedale. They are what rugby is all about.
Is the game in a good place?
In 1991, I wrote a piece for the Telegraph saying: ‘Wouldn’t it be great if the last four in the Rugby World Cup featured two nations who you don’t think of as rugby powerhouses.’ Today, nothing has changed. We pretty much know who will be in the 2027 semi-finals.
The sport has been betrayed by World Rugby. The way football has expanded globally puts rugby to shame. African football is now a bedrock of the sport. Rugby, with its crazy obsession of developing the USA down the years, has neglected a lot of other areas, South America being one.
Who is your favourite current player?
Thomas Ramos. What a player. One of those who, when they get the ball, has you wondering what he’ll do next.
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