My life as a hooker: when a middle-aged bloke discovered rugby

Steven Gauge's response to an impending midlife crisis didn't involve piercings, tattoos, or a red sports car—instead, he decided to take up rugby. What he found on the pitch was a wonderful game, far removed from the professional televised glamour of international rugby, where ordinary blokes with ordinary jobs (and some extraordinary bellies) get together once in a while and have a great time rolling around in the mud. By the end of his first few seasons, Steven had cracked his nose and various other parts of his anatomy—but he had cracked the game too, and found a place in the club as Captain of the Fourths.