Iestyn Harris, Rugby's new union leader
A nation's wait, a man's weight
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Your support makes all the difference.As debuts go it made Boy's Own fantasies look mundane. The hero returns home to a thunderous fanfare and justifies the hype, and the expense, with an astonishing performance.
Iestyn Harris arrived by scoring 31 points, including a hat-trick of tries, on his debut for Cardiff against Glasgow in the Heineken Cup and was promptly hailed as the next Cliff Morgan, Barry John, Phil Bennett, Jonathan Davies rolled into one. From a Leeds Rhino to king of the jungle in 80 minutes.
"It went exceptionally well but I was a bit worried after the game," Harris said. "Expectations were high and the pressure on me grew. There was always going to be a backlash."
It came very quickly indeed, in the return leg at Hughenden where Glasgow put 47 points on Cardiff, for whom Harris scored 17 points. Nothing else went right but it didn't deter Graham Henry, the Wales coach, from introducing Harris to international rugby union last month.
The country may be bankrupt but the Pumas of Argentina were enriched with a 30-16 triumph that stunned Wales and Harris. "They scored two tries from my mistakes and it went poorly to say the least. I crashed down to reality. There is a lot more emphasis on charging kicks down, something I'd never experienced in eight years of league. I never expected to play in the autumn internationals. My goal was to make the Six Nations' Championship. At the time it was very disappointing but it could be the best thing that's happened to me."
Against Argentina he wore the No 10 jersey and was subsequently moved to inside centre. He considers stand-off his natural position. "I've got a hell of a lot to learn yet," he admitted. "There is a massive difference between the codes and the most difficult aspect is the rule changes. I spend a lot of hours working and I'm getting there."
It was never a question of if Harris would live and play in Wales but when, and that too came sooner than expected with Cardiff and the Welsh Rugby Union pooling resources in a deal worth an estimated £2m buying him out of his contract at Leeds. When Harris joined the Rhinos from Warrington in 1997 it was for a club record £350,000 and it was money well spent.
Harris was huge in Leeds. He was Player of the Year in 1998, 1999 and 2000. Two years ago he led them to their first Challenge Cup win in 21 years. He captained Wales to the semi-finals of the Rugby League World Cup and also played for Great Britain.
Born in Oldham in the summer of 1976, Harris was destined to follow the example of his father and grandfather, who both played league although the latter had also played for Pontypool, Ebbw Vale and Newbridge. The conversion of union to professionalism reversed the process of players going north. That and the attraction of international rugby in front of a crowd of 75,000.
"I'd been thinking about the move for five years," Harris said. "It was always going to happen. I talked about union when I played with Jonathan Davies and Allan Bateman at Warrington. I like Cardiff, I'm proud to be Welsh so there was only one place to go. If I hadn't moved I would have regretted it for the rest of my life. I fancied the challenge."
It has been all of that and more. Both Cardiff and Wales have been misfiring and compared to Jason Robinson, who has been a big success with Sale, England and the Lions, Harris has had a tough time. "Jason is an out and out wing so it was easier for him to change. Nobody in league is surprised he's made such an impact. He's been leaving defenders on their backsides for the last five years."
Harris has a busy Christmas programme followed by a crucial Heineken Cup match against Montferrand at the Arms Park on 5 January. "It's a bit strange," he said. "Playing league I always had Christmas off but then I hadn't had a summer holiday for six years. I've got that to look forward to." And the Six Nations. "I knew it was never going to be easy. I remember when Jonathan Davies came to league as one of the best players in union and for the first 12 months everyone thought he was rubbish. A year later he was the best player in the game."
Perhaps Harris is destined to become a redeeming feature of Henry's tenure. What they have in common is the weight of a nation on their shoulders.
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