91Èȱ¬

Raise Your Game: You're from New Zealand, how different is sport there compared to Wales?

Paul Tito: The rugby culture is pretty similar. When I was a younger, I always wanted to be a rugby player. My teachers told me that I couldn't be a rugby player because it wasn't professional in those days. Luckily enough that changed and I've had a pretty good life since then.

I don't think there's much difference between Wales and New Zealand. I always strived to be an All Black, but I didn't make it. I don't think being an All Black makes you a better person so I've come to Wales to ply my trade, and I'm really enjoying myself.

RYG: How did you respond when your teachers said that they didn't think that you would make it?

PT: I think they were just being teachers in fairness. There wasn't a career path in rugby then, and they wanted you to do your maths and science. I wasn't any good at that, so I thought I'd concentrate on my rugby, and it's paid off. Saying that, I think that education is very important and I've gone back into education so that I've got options when I stop playing rugby.

RYG: What skills have you learnt from rugby?

PT: Time management and self-discipline are the biggest things. Most of the time it's up to the individual. If they want to get better, or if they need to recover, they have to do it for themselves. At the weekend we don't have much time to recover, so I make sure I go to the swimming pool or go for a run. If I'm feeling a bit unfit I make sure I take myself out for a run, so self-discipline is a big thing in rugby. You can go a long way with natural talent, but you wont stay there if you don't put the work in.

RYG: Which gets the best out of you - the carrot or the stick?

PT: It's a hard one. When I was young I liked the direct route. I've been around for a while and I know what works best for me. If one of the coaches tells me to sort something out, hopefully I'll be able to sort it out myself. There's a time and a place for both the carrot and the stick. When you're a young player you need a lot of direction. When you get older you learn your own ways of handling different situations.

RYG: Are you always on time for training?

PT: Yes I'm always on time for training. I've always been pretty good with that kind of stuff.

RYG: How disciplined are you during training?

PT: I would say that my discipline in the gym is average. I'm not a big gym monkey. In Wales a lot of the lads enjoy their weights. Gym work is something I've struggled with all my life. I do enough to get by and the trainers are always on my back (laughs).

I enjoy being out on the field and my training and discipline are very good. For weights I'd be a four out of ten. For everything else I'm an eight or nine out of ten.

RYG: How important is being a member of a team to you?

PT: It's good. I've played squash before and it's an individual sport. You can get a little bit arrogant, and think you're a little bit better than you actually are. In a rugby team you need 15 people doing the right things for the team to be successful. Team sports have been great for me. You make mates for life because, in our job, we go to war every Saturday. If someone's not going to front up it's hard to go to war. In this team everyone's in the same boat once we step over the white line.

RYG: It's a fine line between giving your all and letting your discipline slide - how do you manage that?

PT: It is a fine line. Whatever happens on the field, happens on the field. You can't hold grudges against people. Sometimes someone might be having a rough day and you might get into them, but you don't mean anything by it. You just want what's good for the team, so if someone needs to pull his socks up for the team he gets told. It's a little bit harsh sometimes, but that's just the way team sport is.

RYG: How do we get more youngsters to participate in sport?

PT: When I was growing up we had a big backyard. I had an older brother and he'd have all his mates over and we'd always be outside playing cricket in the summer and rugby in the winter. We'd play golf and squash too. I'm from a little town and we loved our sport.

I think parents need to spend more time with their kids, throwing the ball around in the backyard, and make sure that they're getting involved with sport because it's very good for you. Sport gives you discipline and time management. Stuff like that is crucial in everyday life.