Former Gloucester wing Marcel Garvey has found his feet at Worcester and is ready to take on Bath for European glory. He spoke to rucked.com…
How’s it going Marcel?
Yeah not too bad, all’s good…
Worcester had a shocking start to the season. Did you ever think you wouldn’t turn it around?
Not at all, we’re a close-knit team and we always had faith that things would right come for us. We had a bad start to the season season, the bounce of the ball wasn’t going our way – instead it would bounce the other way and get picked up by the opposition who would run it in under the posts.
What’s it been like having Mike Ruddock in charge?
He’s different to John Brain. John is the best set piece coach in the country, whereas Mike wants us to be more expansive. I think the set piece was lacking a bit at the beginning but now the forwards are getting back to where they were now.
Second season, new contract, guess you’ve settled in now?
Yeah, I’m enjoying it at Worcester, I’ve made a lot of new friends and coming here was a fresh beginning for me. I’ve just signed another contract too which shows I’m enjoying it.
What happened with Gloucester?
With Gloucester I left before my contact ended. I was told that I wouldn’t be playing much rugby the following season, so I asked my agent to see what was around and if I could go on loan or something somewhere else. Worcester came in and Gloucester let me go early.
Was it tough to move on?
Not really, I’d spent my time there and it was time for me to move on try something different. When I signed for Worcester they were fourth in the Premiership and I was expecting good things. We’ve slipped a bit since then and we should’ve done better last year. This year has been similar though, there were games that we should’ve won but instead lost by narrow margins. We need to find that winning mentality and with the coaches we’ve got and a few more players coming on board, we’ll find a lot more belief.
The ‘new’ coaches aren’t so new now, was it a shock when John Brain left?
Yeah it was a shock because earlier on in the season he’d handed in his resignation and it had been turned down. We had a meeting after the Saracens game and thought everything was okay, we were planning pre-season and everything – then a day later he wasn’t there. But it’s one of those things, it happens to coaches and it happens to players – you just have to deal with it. Changes do bring a new vibe to a place though…
And the new signings at the beginning of this season must have been good news too…
Yeah it was exciting – Rico was a big signing and so was Greg Rawlinson. I think we are building a good squad, we’re getting to know each other and hopefully we can now become a winning squad.
How far can this side go?
There’s a lot of potential, next year will be a tough year, but I think we can finish in the mid-table or higher if we play to our ability and the new players fit into the squad.
Can it compete with the big boys?
Yeah definitely, you look at Worcester and how long they’ve been in the Premiership and we’re a baby, we’re a toddler in terms of years. It’s all about evolution, look at Wasps – six years ago or so they were second from bottom, not they’re one of the main teams in Europe. And then the likes of Gloucester and Leicester have been at the top since the Premiership began – for me there’s a lot of exciting times ahead for Worcester.
Happy with your own form?
Yeah, I am, I think I’ve been much more consistent in the games I’ve played. I had a bad 40 minutes against Sale at home, other than that I’ve been pretty consistent…
In your early days at Gloucester you were tipped for England – aiming to get back to that stage?
Hopefully one day, I feel I’m a better player than I was then – I was young and naïve and didn’t have the skill set I have now. My game management is much better, I never used to think about the game – I just used to get the ball and run. Now I’m passing the ball more, I can kick and I’m working on other skills too.
Have the coaches had a big impact on your game?
I think everyone everyone mentions Mike and Clive but Bill McGinty has done a phenomenal amount of work with the squad. He gets the boys in early to do extra skills, he looks at videos and tells you what’s going well and what you’ve got to work on – he’s sort of been my mentor since I’ve been here. Clive has done a lot too, he sat me down at the beginning of this season and said ‘this is where you are’, ‘this is where you need to be’ and ‘this is how you’re going to get there’…
Still in touch with anyone at Gloucester?
Not really, I speak to a few guys, I’m best mates with James Bailey and I speak to Andy Hazell now and again but that’s pretty much it.
How big is the Challenge Cup final?
It’s a phenomenal day for the club, we can write history – Heineken Cup rugby is just 80 minutes of rugby away and that’ll be a massive step for the club. And, as a player, everyone wants to play in the elite competitions.
And the opposition…
I think Bath, at the moment, are the best team in English rugby. If we beat them we’ll make a statement about us as a club. The players they’ve got are phenomenal, from one to 15 all of them offer themselves up to carry ball, they’ve all got handling skills – even the props are throwing out long passes. When they played us at home they broke the line so many times – that’s how Mike wants us to play.
Is there a rugby rivalry because you’re from Gloucester and you’re facing Bath?
Not at all, it’s not like that, I got into rugby quite late and didn’t even watch Gloucester until I was 17 and in the academy, I was always a football fan – I’m a [Manchester] United fan. I played a lot of basketball when I was younger too.
So how did you get into rugby?
I was sort of pushed into it, I went to St Peter’s High School in Gloucester and I didn’t want to play rugby, I didn’t like. I thought it was, well, not wanting to be offensive, but sort of a weird type of game what with where second rows put their hands and stuff. But I played a few sevens tournaments, enjoyed them and kind of got into it.
And how do you feel about second rows now, are they still ‘weird’?
Yeah, Tim Collier is the most disgusting person in the world!
Why’s that?
He just is, if you ask anyone at the club, they’ll say Tim Collier is horrible!
Does it make a difference to you with the final being played at Kingsholm?
I’m not bothered where we play it really; although for me it’s closer to home so at least I don’t have far to walk afterwards!