Drybrook RFC Website

Welcome to the Drybrook player profile page of:

Chris 'Soapy' Rawlings

After a session with the Truck!!!!

Soapy's Pink un profile from the 17th November 2001

Keeping up with the dump truck is easy for Soapy

Chris follows dad's lead

Chris Rawlings is fast becoming as much of a legend as his father at Drybrook Rugby club, despite his tender age of 26. Earning the first team captaincy at the Mannings Ground club was a dream come true for Rawlings, who has been devoted to the club throughout his life. The centre has been wearing the black and green of Drybrook since the age of five and his proudest moment was leading the Forest side to victory in the Forest of Dean combination Cup in 2000.

FACT FILE

Full name: Christofer James Rawlings.

Born: 30.11.74

Birthplace: Gloucester

Star Sign: Sagittarius

Job: General Manager of Ross sporting Activities based at Highnam.

Family: I still live with my parents.

Pets: Tropical Fish, Gary Taylor and Quango.

Nickname: Soapy, Ladies' Luv and Young 'un.

Position: Centre, but I have played in nearly every position in the back line. I have even propped once.

Current team: Drybrook.

Former teams: I have played for Drybrook all my life and started playing for them when I was five..

Debut: I made my senior debut for Drybrook fifth XV when I was 16, but my 1st XV debut was down at Keynsham in the league in 1993. The only thing I can remember about it was a massive punch-up. I think we lost.

No. of tries last Season: 18

Highest level coached at: I played for Gloucestershire Under 18's and 19's. I have also captained the Forest of dean combination a few times. I have also guested for Lydney United and Cinderford Under 21's.

Cup achievements: I have won the Forest of Dean Senior Combination Cup three times with Drybrook and captained the team when we won it in 2000. We have also won the Kingsholm Sevens Plate twice. Last year we deliberately got ourselves knocked out in the first round so we could go and win the plate.

MOST MEMORABLE MATCH
Captaining Drybrook to the final of the Forest of Dean Combination Cup in 2000 and winning it was amazing. When I was young, I saw a few cup finals and always wished it was me. Representing Gloucestershire under 19's was superb, running onto the field knowing 30 people from Drybrook had turned up just to see me was a fantastic feeling. Another memorable match was one I did not play in. Dene Magna school had lost to Heywood school, but I coached them for 3 months and when they met again in Cinderford, Dene Magma won.

WORST MATCH
When I was playing one of my first games for Drybrook, we went to Launceston and lost by 100 points. We used to face them in the league when the leagues first came about. We had a few players drop out and were humiliated. Losing to Cheltenham North in the semi-final of the county cup in 1999 was devastating. I think the score was 38-24 but we had gone 15 points up in the first 10 minutes and thought we were on the way to the final. To get that close and lose was so disappointing.

FUNNIEST MOMENT
My mate Gary Taylor saw the ball come to him and tried to fly-hack it through but failed miserably. the ball went behind him - he looked like Graham Norton in size 19 boots. even though the ball was still in play everyone ignored it because they were all falling about laughing. We gave him a nickname after that - Larry Lloyd - after the Notts forest footballer.

MOST EMBARRASSING MOMENT
It was about three weeks ago when we were playing Spartans in Gloucestershire Premier. I had a kick in front of the posts in the dying minutes and if I had kicked it, it would have levelled the score. I missed it and wanted the ground to open up and swallow me. fair play to the Spartans crowd, they didn't cheer and our boys rallied around me but I walked over to one of the corners and sank to my knees. I felt so small.

RUGBY HEROES
Billy Beaumont and Rob Andrew.

GREATEST INFLUENCES
My dad, who is a living legend at Drybrook, got me into rugby while the bloke in charge of Drybrook juniors, Clive Brooks also influenced me. But watching people like Billy Beaumont and Clive Woodward was my real inspiration.

CURRENT PLAYERS ADMIRED
Martin Johnson because he is a man who commands respect. Also Johnny Wilkinson because he has given a new meaning to the word 'training' - does he know what a day off is?

YOUNG PLAYERS FOR THE FUTURE
Scrum-half Scott Ward at Drybrook. I think he has a massive future, not just at county level. He is in the county schools set-up and is an unbelievable talent - his running, tackling and kicking is awesome. He is too young to play for drybrook 1st's and I doubt he ever will because he will be snapped up before then by a bigger club

CLAIMS TO FAME
My great uncle Gordon played for Tottenham Hotspur and England under 21's, but my claim to fame is that i can keep up with the front row in drinking terms - even Ian 'Dump Truck' Treherne..

MAIN COMPLAINT ABOUT LOCAL RUGBY
Players who continually moan at referees - Leon Meek, take note. Once a referee has made a decision, he is not going to change it so why bother? If players are moaning, they are not concentrating on their game. Drybrook are getting terrible for it and I want to rectify the problem/

CHANGES TO IMPROVE LOCAL GAME
More friendlies between local clubs. I would also like to see the county selectors come to see more junior clubs play. They always look for players at clubs like Stroud, Lydney and Cheltenham but there are some cracking players in our league this year - look at Spartans quality of players - but I doubt they will have anyone in the county team. Many players are not getting a fair crack of the whip and they are being penalised for staying loyal to their clubs.

FAVOURITE GROUNDS
Kingsholm, but also Cinderford's Dockham Road because I always seem to play well there and it is a nice place to play.

RUGBY and COACHING AMBITIONS
I want to carry on playing for as long as I can and I would love to Captain a promotion-winning Drybrook team. I have been coaching youth teams for about nine years and I did coach one team at Drybrook from Under-Sevens to Under-17s level. I had a few years off, but I' am now helping out part-time again and I would look to coach more seriously in the future.

MAIN HOBBIES AND INTERESTS
I have started learning to scuba dive at Berry Hill with the Forest Pirates and I am loving it. I also collect Rugby programmes and have about 3000 - most of them from internationals. Some of them are quite invaluable - I have an England v Scotland programme from 1932.

CLOSEST FRIENDS OUTSIDE CLUB IN LOCAL RUGBY
I can go to all the clubs in the Forest and have a pint with someone but, at Drybrook, Neil Morgan, Leon Meek, Gary Taylor and Quango are my closest mates..

INJURIES - I snapped all the ligaments in my leg at the Kingsholm sevens. When I was younger, I had an eye operation and took my kit on tour with the under-16s. I was not supposed to play but I did - my parent did not know that until now. the fact i did not play is not even in the clubs record books because I was so desperate to keep it a secret.

RUGBY PET HATES:
Hypochondriac players say they can't play after a slight niggle or they have a cold. If I broke both my legs, they would still struggle to stop me playing.

RUGBY SUPERSTITIONS:
I always put my left sock and boot on before my right and always put my shirt on last. I also only ever wear the number 13 shirt, never 12.

OTHER SPORTS FOLLOWED AND SPORTSPEOPLE ADMIRED
I like watching Liverpool football, particularly Robbie Fowler. I also admire Ian Botham because he liked a few beers and showed you can enjoy life and still be a professional sportsman

WHAT DO YOU LISTEN TO IN THE CAR? - Radio One and the Beatles.

FAVOURITE TELEVISION PROGRAMMES - Only Fools and Horses and the Simpsons.

FAVOURITE ACTORS - James Dean.

FAVOURITE AUTHOR: Kukkoka - one of the authors of the Kama Sutra.

FAVOURITE FILMS - The Wild Geese. First Blood and the Star Wars trilogy.

FAVOURITE DRINK - Carling Black Label and milk.

FAVOURITE FOOD - Chicken Jalfrezi or Chicken Curry Balti.

FAVOURITE HOLIDAY DESTINATION :
Australia, I went there on the Lions Tour and the atmosphere was amazing. I saw so many people I knew and there was so much to do in Sydney..

FAVOURITE RESTAURANT - Shahi Balti.

PERSON YOU WOULD MOST LIKE TO MEET:
I met Billy Beaumont on the Lions tour but I would still love to go for a pint with him and Paul Gascoigne.

WHO/WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE TO HAVE BEEN IN A PREVIOUS LIFE?
Either Bobby Moore lifting the World Cup or Winston Churchill giving his 'on the beaches' speech.

MOTTO IN LIFE - Drink til' you drop.

BACK

FACT FILE

RUGBY HEROES Billy Beaumont and Rob Andrew.

GREATEST INFLUENCES My dad, who is a living legend at Drybrook, got me into rugby while the bloke in charge of Drybrook juniors, Clive Brooks also influenced me. But watching people like Billy Beaumont and Clive Woodward was my real inspiration.

CURRENT PLAYERS ADMIRED Martin Johnson because he is a man who commands respect. Also Johnny Wilkinson because he has given a new meaning to the word 'training' - does he know what a day off is?

CLAIMS TO FAME My great uncle Gordon played for Tottenham Hotspur and England under 21's, but my claim to fame is that i can keep up with the front row in drinking terms - even Ian 'Dump Truck' Treherne..

FAVOURITE GROUNDS Kingsholm, but also Cinderford's Dockham Road because I always seem to play well there and it is a nice place to play.

MAIN HOBBIES AND INTERESTS I have started learning to scuba dive at Berry Hill with the Forest Pirates and I am loving it. I also collect Rugby programmes and have about 3000 - most of them from internationals. Some of them are quite invaluable - I have an England v Scotland programme from 1932.

CLOSEST FRIENDS OUTSIDE CLUB IN LOCAL RUGBY I can go to all the clubs in the Forest and have a pint with someone but, at Drybrook, Neil Morgan, Leon Meek, Gary Taylor and Quango are my closest mates..

OTHER SPORTS FOLLOWED AND SPORTSPEOPLE ADMIRED I like watching Liverpool football, particularly Robbie Fowler. I also admire Ian Botham because he liked a few beers and showed you can enjoy life and still be a professional sportsman