every man wants to be a macho man...

A new graduate trainee joined our team at the beginning of January.  She's a pretty bright spark and has been a welcome addition.  She has that fearlessness of youth where she says what she thinks without really understanding or caring about the politics of the situation, but at the same time without any of the cynicism that might come with greater experience.  I like her.

We were talking the other day, just shooting the breeze, when she suddenly blurted out that she found it really hard to imagine me taking part in any other sport but running.  I replied that, in fact, I used to play rugby for many years.  She just burst out laughing.

Slightly wounded that this seemed so inconceivable, I told her that, not only did I play rugby, but that I used to be a lock forward.

The essential qualities to be a lock forward (as listed here) are as follows:

- Height is great
- Lots of muscle is good
- Weight is good
- Handling ability is good
- Agility is good
- Mobility is good

The rugby lock is a mobile, skillful, agile, tower of strength!

This is a lock forward:

That could be me, right?

No?

Well it seems that I don't look much like a lock forward any more. When pushed on the subject, my colleague thought that I might once have been a scrum half.

A scrum half: the smallest, weediest man on the pitch.

Hmm.

Once again, it becomes clear that I need to give some thought to pumping some serious iron before someone kicks sand in my face on the beach.

Yeah, Arnold!  No pain, no gain!

Stop sniggering at the back.  It could happen.