As a stalwart of the All Blacks for many years and for the last few years as a player and coach for London Wasps – Dowdy has been there and done that. I remember when i first signed on for Wasps in 2005 he wa
s the first to pick me up from the airport, and from then on was my chauffer to and from games for the next couple of months. As a big fan of Dowdy when i was growing up, i was naturally nervous and a bit shy when conversing with the man. This lack of banter was observed to the delight of my brother , who used to travel with us on the 45 min drive to the games. On one occasion, knowing my propensity to sweat when faced with new and awkward situations, Nick (my brother) decided to turn up the heating in the front seat where i was sitting. It was an ingenuis and devilish ploy. For 45 minutes i was a blithering, sweat dripping mess. I dont know what Dowdy was thinking of me, but he must of thought he had signed a barely literate, stumbling sweaty simpleton.