Big Ben Rings in the Changes

Born in Christchurch and brought up mainly in Wellington, he’s been playing rugby for more than a dozen years having gone to the same Under18 as several past All Blacks and Mark Ella. Ben Fisher came to Boroughmuir with an impressive pedigree and his appointment as club Captain this year shows how well he has lived up to it.

He admitted that he was honoured when invited to be Captain and had no hesitation in accepting. There had been a lot of speculation at the end of last season when the players knew that Sandy Penman was retiring but Ben thought there were other players in line ahead of him, especially Davie Cunningham. Having said that, he’s up for the challenge “I’m going to try and play it from the front” he said, “try and lead the guys by example”.

Fisher doesn’t see himself getting too involved with the backs “There’s enough talent and enough knowledge there for them to run their own show” but he does see it as important to motivate the forwards. “The inconsistency in the forwards was an area that let us down a bit last year and there’s room for improvement this year” he acknowledged.

Tribute

Fisher’s predecessor, Sandy Penman received a warm tribute before he went on to talk about his own qualities and style: “Sandy was an ideal Captain. He was someone who had been there and done it. But there are a lot of young guys in this team and I’m only 24. I may be able to communicate with some of the younger guys a little better and have a bit more enthusiasm”.

Open Captaincy would describe Fisher’s approach: “I want to get input from everybody in the team. It won’t be just Packy’s ideas, Sean’s ideas or my ideas” he admitted “If we all want to be thinking on the same wavelength we want to get everyone’s input so that we can create a winning formula”.

Reflections

As the club is about to embark on a challenging new season, Ben Fisher was able to spare a moment to reflect on how he came to be where he is today. With two Scottish grandparents he has no worries over visas or work permits. He had already spent a year playing in the UK for Belfast Harlequins and having visited relatives in Scotland decided he wanted to play rugby here. “I got in contact with a couple of people in New Zealand who knew of clubs over here and straight away Boroughmuir was the club that was suggested to me”. The Edinburgh base of the club and Sean Lineen’s persuasion quickly worked and Ben joined the club just after the start of last season.

“The standard was a bit stronger than I had expected” he commented, “Coming from New Zealand it is seen as a lower standard of rugby over here. We get the impression that teams play 10 man rugby and they’re just going to kick the ball all the time”. Fisher soon changed that opinion “I was very, very impressed when I learned that Boroughmuir are willing to throw the ball around and play running rugby”.

It took Ben a couple of months to settle in to the city and the team, and to learn all the new moves, but on the whole he was satisfied with last season. “It was really good, especially the rugby side of it. To be selected for the Edinburgh side in my first year here was something I really didn’t expect.” He was also delighted with the Cup Final success “All through the year I’d heard about the success from the previous year so it was good to be involved this year”. Involved is something of an understatement. Ben Fisher and his back row colleagues Chris Capaldi and Olly Brown gave what many observers consider to be the best back row performance in Scottish club rugby for many a year.

Future Thoughts

When invited to offer his opinion on the coming season, Fisher gave careful consideration before drawing his conclusion: “We certainly have the talent on paper. I don’t think anyone would argue with that” he opened, but he also stressed the importance of belief. “If we play to our potential, if the guys believe in themselves and believe in the cause,” then Fisher believes Boroughmuir can have the consistency to challenge for and win the league.

Training is going well he says, with a lot of urgency from the players. It is always difficult to blend so many new players to form a team but Fisher believes there are a lot of players ready to stand out this year and really make an impression. Who can blame them for wanting to take the next step up to the professional ranks. He doesn’t feel that he is yet ready for that move, “I’ve thought about it a little but it’s probably a long way away for myself” he admitted. “I’ve got a lot of work to do before I can even be suggested for those teams”.

Looking longer term he is coming round to the view that his longer term future may lie in Scotland. “If anything draws me away it will be the weather, but I think the good things outweigh the bad” he remarked.

Club Man 

I closed the interview by inviting Fisher to offer a message to all the players at the club, no matter what level. His thoughtful response showed that ‘Muir have chosen the right man to lead:

“The first thing I would say is stick with Boroughmuir, don’t give up. If you don’t make the first team, or a particular grade, stick with it because a club is something you can have for life. You don’t want to be one of those players that jump around clubs just for the sake of it. The player that I make friends with here will be friends for life.”

“ You’re better off staying in one place and trying to break through into that next level with guys who will support you, rather than always changing clubs. There are a lot of people who don’t make it to International level until they are quite old and some people who haven’t even made there Under18 1^st XV can go on to represent their country.”

“Boroughmuir’s a real family club and it’s got a good atmosphere. There isn’t a division between the 1^st XV and the rest of the club which is good. It’s a real united club.”

Let’s hope Ben follows his own advice and stays with Boroughmuir until and unless he is drawn off to the professional ranks.

Mark Furnivall