A man called horse

JUST six months ago few had heard of Alex Cuthbert, even within Wales, yet now the Cardiff Blues wing has been caught by the trappings of fame.

The tallest member of Wales’ venerated giant back-line, 6ft 6ins Cuthbert not only stood out for his physical presence but secured his place in Welsh rugby folklore with the try that clinched a Grand Slam.

It was a moment that was to change Cuthbert’s life forever.

For a start there is the money. The 21-year-old, who studied a Sports Business Management degree in Cardiff, still lives in student digs in the city having begun the season on a low-paid development contract with the Blues worth little more than £5,000 (€6,000).

However Cuthbert’s potential had already been recognised by Wales after Sevens coach Paul John spotted the giant Gloucester-born wing playing for an invitation team at the Middlesex Sevens, in front of the England selectors no less.

A central Sevens contract took his annual salary towards £20,000 (€24,000), the figure that many of his Wales team-mates earn in a month at the biggest clubs in Europe, James Hook at Perpignan and Mike Phillips at Bayonne for example.

Never more was the contrast more starkly illustrated than while taking a walk around the car park of the Wales team head-quarters in the Vale of Glamorgan. Cuthbert may be used to towering over the rest, but dwarfed by his team-mates’ Jaguars and Mercedes cars sat his humble Renault Clio. A typical motor for your average 21-year-old, but hardly the norm for a modern-day professional rugby player.

Yet what followed was a meteoric rise befitting an edition of Roy of the Rovers, tries against Scotland and Italy before skipping past four French defenders for a match-winning score that triggered wild celebrations within the Millennium Stadium.

Cuthbert’s reward? A slice of the team’s winnings and bonuses for playing all five games topped £85,000(€102,000) and countless offers of a new club contract that will see him pocket ten-times his previous annual salary in the space of two months.

“It is crazy how much everything has changed in such a short time. I would never have thought all these things would have happened to me,” said Cuthbert.

“At the start of the season my only real aim was to get regular rugby for Cardiff Blues yet now I’m a Grand Slam winner. It’s an unbelievable feeling.

“I was only just starting to play rugby when Wales won the last Grand Slam in 2008, so to be involved this time is special.

“In terms of money and contracts, the last two months have been life changing but it’s all about doing your job on the field and that’s my focus. There are plenty of years to come, rugby is the priority and everything else follows after that.”

The rags to riches star is no longer the butt of changing room jokes, having been handed the keys to an Audi S5 Convertible worth up about €50,000. Red, of course.

Yet the modest farmer’s son is smart enough to know fame — and the sports cars that come with that — don’t last for ever.

“The new car is great but I’ve still got my old one. I guess there’s a lot of sentimental value to it, plus the Audi is only on loan. You never know if you’re going to be offered another one,” he said. “Some of the boys give me stick for my car but it does the job and gets me from A to B. New cars and all that stuff can wait until the important stuff is done.”

It was horse-power of another sort that used to propel Cuthbert, who feels equally at home in the saddle as in the driving seat of a new sportscar or scoring tries in a Welsh jersey, having emerged as a promising show-jumper.

“Growing up on a farm meant riding a horse was second nature. I travelled around to various show-jumping events with my horse Neopolitan the Second. At 16 I was pretty good and qualified for the Horse of the Year Show. But I haven’t ridden for about two years now and I really miss it.”

Show-jumping may have taken a back seat but opportunities are opening up before the youngster, who has held talks with Toulon, Toulouse and Racing-Metro over a possible move as contract negotiations with Cardiff drag on.

First, however, is the matter of a Heineken Cup quarter-final and a return to the Aviva Stadium, this time to face defending champions Leinster.

Heading to Dublin no longer hold fears for these Welshman following the dramatic — and not least controversial — 23-21 victory over Ireland on the opening weekend of the Six Nations, that set Wales up for their march towards the title.

Cardiff, as Wales were for most of that game, will be without the inspirational openside scavenger Sam Warburton, who is likely to miss the rest of the domestic season, unless the Blues should make it to a European or Celtic final.

However, Gethin Jenkins will start as well as Leigh Halfpenny at the scene where he exorcised the demons of his penalty miss in the World Cup semi-final with his late winner.

Bradley Davies, meanwhile, will return to the scene of his eternal shame following a gratuitous tip-tackle on Donnacha Ryan, that earned a seven-week ban to end his involvement in the tournament.

“Winning in Dublin was an amazing feeling for all of us so I’m sure all the boys are going to be buzzing for this one,” said Cuthbert.

“Leinster have been in great form but the Heineken Cup has been a good campaign for us so far after wins in Paris [Racing-Metro] and at London Irish, and hopefully we can take that form into this weekend.”