Fidler on the hoof

"I FEEL that among all the Gloucester players he is the fittest and most certainly hot totty." So says the nameless (presumably female) fan on the www.robfidlerfans website.

Fidler on the hoof

And when she says 'fittest' she is not referring to his score in the bleep test. The message also says a lot about the social background of English rugby fans, 'most certainly hot totty' is not a phrase you come across too often on soccer websites.

Rob Fidler of Gloucester and England is not a name well-known to Irish rugby supporters. It is easy to find higher profile players at Kingsholm. There's Henry Paul, the ex-rugby league star from New Zealand whose switch to union and subsequent selection for England caused such a furore last season.

There's Phil Vickery, the teak-tough Lions prop forward, widely expected to be the long-term successor to Martin Johnson as England captain.

Or James Simpson-Daniel the exciting winger who flummoxed Jonah Lomu when scoring that wonderful try against the Barbarians at Twickenham a few months ago.

There's even Andy Gomarsall, the first choice England scrum-half for a period in the late 1990s who suffered a dramatic loss of form and confidence before resurrecting his career spectacularly under Nigel Melville at Gloucester.

But when Munster run out at a packed Kingsholm in the Heineken Cup next Saturday, no man will embody the Gloucester spirit more than their 6 ft 5" second-row and totem Rob Fidler.

To put it in Munster terms, Fidler is the Mick Galwey of Gloucester.

The Cherry and Whites have a very particular reputation. For years they have been known as a club which produces massive, uncompromising forwards and a team almost impossible to defeat in front of their beloved 'Shed'.

Over the years England have regularly relied on Gloucester to bolster their international packs. They called on men of the calibre of Mike Burton, John Orwin and Mick Teague tough men, guys who would swallow the towel before they would throw it in.

One of that brood was a certain John Fidler, a legend among Gloucester supporters for his honest, abrasive play. Fidler won four caps for England in the 1980s and it is no coincidence that those appearances came in two tests against Argentina in 1981 and two against South Africa in 1984 for the Pumas and Springboks were famed for having the hardest forwards in world rugby.

Therefore, it was somewhat inevitable that his son Rob would follow him into Gloucester colours.

"I used to go to all the games as a boy to watch my father," he recalls. "I grew up in Cheltenham eight miles away and though I played underage with Cheltenham I was always going to try and emulate what he achieved at Gloucester."

Fidler Jnr graduated through the ranks before playing his first senior game in 1994 and has practically been a fixture in the second row ever since.

Consequently, people often assume he is a lot older than he is, much as they do with Munster's Anthony Foley. In fact, Fidler turned 28 just a few weeks ago.

In many ways, he is an old-fashioned second row. Powerful in the scrum, a forceful grappler in ruck and maul and a secure source of possession at two in the lineout. Yet he has adapted to the higher athletic demands of the professional game very well.

"Rugby is a job but it's a job I love," he says enthusiastically.

"It doesn't suit some guys, there's a lot of discipline involved in the lifestyle.

"You have take care of yourself, watch what you eat, the hours you keep and so on. But the satisfaction you get when it all comes together is immense."

If rugby is your job then Gloucester is a good place to work.

An oval office, so to speak.

"The town is rugby mad," confirms Fidler. "There is no high profile soccer club in the surrounding area so the people follow rugby.

"They congratulate you on the streets after a victory and commiserate with you, or ask you what happened when you lose. Some players like the anonymity of London but I like it just fine here."

Remind you of anywhere? One suspects Fidler would fit in well on Shannonside.

And what about the Kingsholm ground, how important is the Shed to the home team?

"I think the Munster fans are going to enjoy the Kingsholm experience," Fidler says with a chuckle. "I think they will find a lot of similarities with their own Thomond Park.

"The Shed? Well, it's just amazing to play in front of. It runs all the way down one side of the ground and it's jam-packed with die-hard Gloucester fans.

"When you run out of the dressing rooms you're hit with this wall of noise and it lifts you.

"Those supporters are the best, they never turn on us when things are going badly and they go mental when things are going well."

Of all the times to play Gloucester, Munster could hardly have picked a worse one.

Surging along at the top of the Premiership (they walloped Saracens 44-14 at home last weekend) many observers believe Gloucester will be the team to end Leicester's four-year stranglehold on the competition.

"It's far to early to say that," Fidler says hurriedly. "We have got off to a good start but there is a long, long way to go yet."

Worryingly for the opposition, the Kingsholm outfit have kept their traditional abrasive forward effort and married it to an expansive, adventurous approach in the backline. Paul, Thinus Delport, James Simpson-Daniel and the new young scoring sensation Marcel Garvey mean they now pose as much of a threat out wide as they do up front.

"Things are going well under Nigel Melville," confirms Fidler.

"I suppose over the years we have been known for our forward play but now I think we are a more rounded team and we have some very exciting young players.

"It's a good time to be at the club," he adds.

GIVEN their tremendous start to the Premiership season, where does the Heineken Cup rank in their list of priorities? "It's hugely important to us and to our fans," he says. "Doing well in the Premiership is obviously vital as it is a route into next years Heineken Cup.

"Winning our domestic league and ending Leicester's dominance would be a fantastic achievement but Europe is a step up from the Premiership. It's just a level below internationals and the most prestigious club title available.

"Also we have a very proud and demanding set of supporters and they want us to test ourselves against the best around."

Having taken note of Munster's exploits over the last three seasons, Fidler has developed a healthy respect for next Saturday's opponents.

"They're a hell of a side," he says. "Munster are without doubt one of the top teams in Europe and their record proves that. I think they are very similar to ourselves in that they play with a lot of power and aggression up front and also have backs that can cause damage out wide. It should be a great contest next Saturday."

Fidler has amassed numerous A caps for England over the years and played full internationals on the 1997 'Tour to Hell' Down Under and last year's tour of North America. Like Galwey during his period of international exile, Fidler's devoted followers believe he should have won many more caps but a certain Martin Johnson has presented a large obstacle to his international ambitions.

"I haven't given up hope," he says. "It's every player's ambition to be first choice for their country and I'm no different.

"The problem here is that there are so many top class second-rows going for the two positions. Martin Johnson, Danny Grewcock, Ben Kay, those guys are world class but hopefully, if Gloucester keep playing well, and I'm a part of it, I'll come back into the equation.

"I'd love to be involved for the World Cup, people think I'm a lot older but I'm only just 28."

What about his own legendary status among the supporters, does that add extra pressure on match day?

"Legend? I don't know about that. My father was very popular and it's great to be popular with the fans although that website is a bit embarrassing, I'm no David Beckham. I just get on with playing the game and try my best for the team and to reward the fans for their support."

As with Gaillimh, it is Fidler's modesty and self-deprecating humour that make him so popular with the supporters.

Ludovic Mercier may be a lethal goal-kicker, Simpson-Daniel and co are deadly finishers but if Munster are to win on Saturday they have to quieten the Shed and that means quietening Rob Fidler and his forward cohorts.

It's not going to be easy.

Most certainly not.

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