Andrew takes another ride on the rollercoaster

FACE TO FACE: Newcastle's former England hero will be back on centre stage in the Pilkington Cup on Saturday. Ian Stafford met him

If 1995 will go down in history as Will Carling's annus horribilis, what then of Rob Andrew's last 12 months? At least the England captain's year was, after the Grand Slam, a consistently horrendous time. On the other hand Andrew's status turned from that of near deity to one of traitor and poacher, who was unceremoniously kicked out of his club, forced to quit his country, and was seen by many as the principal reason for England's demise.

As rollercoaster rides go, this probably beats the main attraction on Blackpool's Golden Mile by some distance.

The man in question can now be found, suited and bespectacled, at the neat, new home of Newcastle RUFC, where Andrew's future lies. He hopes, both for the sake of his family, who have now moved up north with him, and from his own career viewpoint, that the upheaval is now over. Somehow, as he prepares for his biggest day at Newcastle so far, the visit of Harlequins to Kingston Park this Saturday in the Pilkington Cup, he doubts it.

The new director of rugby for Newcastle, courtesy of Sir John Hall's latest vision, still finds the past eight months difficult to believe. It began, of course, with a moment of rugby drama he is never likely to forget - the drop-goal.

"It's as good as anything I've experienced in the game and, in terms of a split-second, has to be the biggest moment," Andrew says, referring to his last-gasp effort to undo Australia in the World Cup quarter-finals last summer. "The kick hasn't been blemished by our later results, probably because it was the abiding memory of success for England fans, and also because we beat the Aussies which, in any sport, is especially sweet for the English.

"I didn't get a real feel for what the reaction was back in England until I returned home, but just about everyone I've met can remember where they were, and what they were doing as the ball sailed through the posts."

It may not have been quite as momentous as the assassination of JFK, but you know what he means. So, Andrew returned to his job as a chartered surveyor in his central London offices, and life at home in Pinner. As for the rugby, despite the public mauling from New Zealand, and the couldn't- care-less third place play-off defeat against France, Andrew intended to prolong his international career into an amazing 11th year.

"I didn't want to retire," he says. "My last chance at the World Cup had gone, but I wanted to redirect my energy and play a part in looking at the game and taking it on. The England team felt we were beginning to get there in our games against Canada and Romania, but we reverted in the Five Nations, mainly because, when it's windy, raining and muddy in Dublin, you have to grind out a win."

Andrew therefore reported for the England squad sessions, unaware of the turmoil about to hit him. It began with a phone call.

"Freddie Fletcher, one of the directors, called from Newcastle Football Club the day after Sir John Hall had announced that he'd bought the rugby club. I had a good idea what they wanted to talk to me about, and went to see them the following day."

The package Hall offered Andrew - a long-term, highly paid contract, a playing and administrative role, and a dream and a vision which Andrew could turn into reality - was clearly too good to turn down. The Newcastle revolution began, and so, too, did Andrew's problems, beginning with his club, Wasps.

"The problems were caused by the archaic, 120-day rule system which, until recently, the game maintained," he explains. "Without it, I could have joined Newcastle the day I signed for them, and began my work in attracting players to the club.

"Instead, I had to wait three months. Wasps knew I was the director of rugby, and they knew it meant that I would be looking to recruit, but they wanted me to keep on playing for them. It was the club's decision. There was nothing stopping them from saying: 'Off you go'."

With Newcastle at the foot of the Second Division and, before the powers- that-be withdrew relegation this season, facing the drop, Andrew then went into action, first by signing his team-mates, Nick Popplewell and Steve Bates, and then, crucially, by persuading his friend and the Wasps captain, Dean Ryan, to be his right-hand man at Newcastle.

The north London club, angered by what they saw as poaching, kicked both Andrew and Ryan out, in what turned into a very public spat. Andrew, the hero of the summer, had suddenly become public enemy No 1.

"First, I didn't poach anyone," Andrew said, beginning his defence. "I could have contacted anyone I wanted to, whether I played for Wasps or not. I knew from the moment I signed that I wanted Bates and Ryan. I knew it would cause trouble, but Wasps didn't really have a case.

"Popplewell had gone back to Dublin and Wasps had already said they didn't want to play him, until he signed for me. Bates had told Wasps he wasn't going to play for them next season well before I came in for him. I wasn't worried about those two, but the issue over Ryan was the straw that broke the camel's back.

"The stupid aspect of this is that recruiting's been going on for 10 years. I know, because I played a part in bringing Popplewell and Norm Hadley to Wasps. I was just being open about it with Newcastle. A lot of people in glass houses started to throw stones at me as a result, but have you noticed how they're all coming out of the closet now?"

Despite his attempts to remain diplomatic, even Andrew has to admit that he is bitter about the way Wasps treated himself and Ryan.

"I don't think they handled the situation too well," is his verdict. "The club could have come out of the whole affair a great deal better than they did. Dean and I have loyally served Wasps for a long time. I would argue that we have put as much into the club as any player in its history. Dean was making a long-term career move. I had the right to offer him that, and he had the right to accept it.

"We were told that they were having an executive meeting to discuss us on the Wednesday night, and then we were asked to turn up the following night at the club, but not to do any training with the team. When we got there we were handed a press statement announcing our departure from Wasps, just half an hour before it was released.

"We thought we were going to play against Leicester that Saturday. They could have said to us that Thursday night: 'Look guys, we understand why you're doing this. We accept your decision, thank you for all the service you've given us, and wish you well for the future. Play against Leicester, and we'll make it your farewell game. But we feel it's in the best interests of the club if you don't continue playing for us after Saturday.' But they didn't. Their actions were all down to emotion."

A day later Andrew, realising that without competitive rugby he would be unable to fulfil his responsibilities as stand-off, announced his retirement from international rugby. Far from sparking off pleas to stay, the decision merely accelerated the anti-Andrew brigade, already strengthened by Jeremy Guscott's criticisms in his autobiography.

Never mind the drop goal, Andrew was the reason why England could never consistently beat the southern hemisphere countries. He lacked vision, speed, and the ability to create, from his pivotal position, the expansive game that Jack Rowell, the players, (notably Mike Catt and Stuart Barnes, who voiced their opinions publicly) and the country wanted. In short, thank goodness he's gone!

"Actually, I didn't think that debate was worse than the other times throughout my 10 years with England, but maybe I've become immune to it. I wasn't entirely surprised by the criticism from the players. I think that kind of thing will happen more and more as the game becomes more professional. Nor was I hurt by it. A few years ago I'll admit that it would have really stung me, but now it's my view that making such statements says a lot more about the people who say them than about the person they're aimed at."

So much for Messrs Guscott, Catt and Barnes, then. But what about this expansive game we all yearn for? "This is where we're getting our knickers in a twist. Don't forget that the South Africans beat the All Blacks in the World Cup final by playing an English-type game. I mean, what the hell does throwing the ball around mean?

"I'm afraid that Barbarian, seven-a-side rugby does not exist in competitive matches. What we should be moving towards is a dynamic, power- based, ball-in-hand game which includes all 15 members of the team. There is a crucial difference here. We must play to our strengths, and that means combining power and skill to keep the ball in hand."

The future looks as difficult to predict as his recent past. The goals for Newcastle are clear enough: promotion next season to the First Division, followed by a top four place and European competition, followed by complete and total domination of the universe.

But Andrew himself? "I'll play for as long as I can, until Bates and Ryan tell me otherwise," he says.

And has he really, definitely, completely closed the door on England for good? A long pause follows, then a considered reply. "I just don't know," he finally says. "I'm still the player I was in the World Cup, once I've regained match fitness, but they may not want to consider me any more. I may not want to go back. I don't know."

His answer is honest and, when the crunch comes, it may well cause a genuine dilemma for him. "We'll have to see," he concludes, rushing off to a meeting. Well now, this might give Jack Rowell some food for thought.