Gloucester Rugby: Holm Truths with Huia Edmonds

HUIA Edmonds has made the most of his time in Gloucester – now he is relishing the opportunity to grace the jewel in the crown of English rugby today.

The Australian hooker joined the Cherry and Whites in 2012 and was determined to see the sights across England and beyond.

He has visited Twickenham once before but was forced to pull out of the Wallabies’ starting line-up due to injury and was left in the stands.

But he will pack down at Twickenham today as Gloucester take on London Wasps in the Premiership.

Edmonds said: “I was picked to play England in 2010 but the week I played Wales I injured my hamstring and didn’t pass the fitness test on the captain’s run.

“That was really frustrating because playing a Test at Twickenham in front of 86,000 would have been a massive achievement.

“You get a bit of a buzz about where you are travelling and when you come to Europe the number one stadium that pops into your head is Twickenham because it has that tradition and everything about it with the fans singing ‘Swing Low’.

“It was in my head when I travelled with the Wallabies which was unfortunate but it will be great to play there this weekend.”

The 32-year-old is set to leave Gloucester at the end of the season and has offers on the table from several clubs both in England and overseas.

He remains undecided over his future but insists he has loved every minute in Cherry and White and admits it will be a wrench to uproot from what has become his family home.

He said: “I’m not too sure where I’ll be next season and want to keep it quite close to my chest. I’m talking to a few clubs overseas and also in England.

“I haven’t actually made my mind up but at this stage I’m not in discussion with Gloucester but things can always change.

“I’ve loved every minute of my time here, it’s a great place to raise a family and I’m just trying to get through to my four-year-old daughter that we’re possibly leaving in a few months.”

Edmonds has ticked off plenty of the major attractions on the continent, in particular in the South of France where his elder brother, former Perpignan star, Manny Edmonds, is now head coach of Pro D2 side Beziers.

Any spare moment outside the rigours of professional rugby is spent taking his four children out and about in Gloucestershire but he regrets not venturing further afield in England. He said: “When I decided to come here, one thing I said to my wife was that we had to take the kids and travel around the place a bit because we might not get the chance again. I’ve just tried to make the most of it.

“I’m not going to come to a place and sit in my house all day, I’m an outdoors person coming from a country where you live and breathe the outdoors. I really like my kids to get outside and have a good run around rather than play video games all day. Farms, parks, places like Bourton-on-the-Water, Birdland, anything that will get them out and about and active. Seeing a smile on their face puts a smile on my face.

“I have travelled a lot around Europe but not much in England. Any time off I’m usually in the south of France or Italy just because I have family there. But if I do leave the country, one thing I will regret is not travelling around England and visiting a lot of the places here which is a shame.”

But before packing his bags ahead of the next chapter in his nomadic professional career, Edmonds is well aware what is at stake in the remainder of Gloucester’s season.

The battle for seventh remains very much alive and while Edmonds missed the Amlin Challenge Cup defeat to Wasps due to a knee injury, he insists they are very much beatable.

He added: “It’s good to be back on the pitch, getting the okay ahead of Bath was a big plus.

“It was a grade one MCL, I lost my footing in training and my knee went in and my ankle the other way. But it’s fine now and game on.

“There’s a lot of frustration but the boys are in good spirits and we know what we have to do to get those four or five points that we need.

“We’re going to go out there and play a really attacking game, it’s an open pitch and with two attacking teams going at it there should be a really good atmosphere.

“We have said with that consistency and how we play, look what can happen if we turn up.

“It’s very much winnable. We know the mentality we have to have and it will be a big one for us.”

Article source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/rugby-union/24828377

Gloucester Rugby: Holm Truths with Huia Edmonds