- Mike Carr
- 27 Jul 07, 01:18 PM
I'm the Rugby Editor for ´óÏó´«Ã½ Radio Sport, along with my day job as Assistant Editor of Midweek 5live Sport.
At the moment it's all rugby, with my main role being the co-ordination of 5live's coverage of the World Cup. Over the next two months we'll be broadcasting a whole range of programmes and live commentaries with a wonderful line-up including the likes of John Inverdale, Matt Dawson, Gavin Hastings and Ian Roberston.
Rugby Union is my passion. I grew up watching my Dad play for (not a Shark in sight in those days) at Heywood Road. I didn't quite have the talent of my Dad - but I played a lot of junior rugby, plus a few years in the States coaching and playing in South Carolina and Louisiana.
I tried mixing it with the big boys at - but a knee injury cut short my unpromising career. Sale remains my team - but not a fan of Edgley Park! Strangely, as an Englishman, my favourite all time player is .
I did manage to get my boots back on in 5live's reinactment of Jonny's drop goal... as an Australian! Getting to tackle Matt Dawson was probably the highlight of my career - although it took a fair few takes!
Rugby is a wonderful social sport - it has given me friends for life (and a limp), and on 5live we want to capture the excitement in the stadiums, but also back home as people gather to watch the Home Nations in action. Your comments on our coverage will be most welcome.
For what's its worth I can't back against New Zealand. From the Home Nations Ireland and a fit O'Driscoll will make the semis.
- Alastair Hignell
- 27 Jul 07, 09:58 AM
I will be 52 during the opening week of Rugby World Cup 2007. This will be my sixth World Cup as a journalist, having acted as anchorman for ´óÏó´«Ã½ Radio in 1987, commentated in 1991 for ITV, for whom I anchored the 1995 coverage from South Africa, before returning to ´óÏó´«Ã½ Radio, and commentary, for the Rugby World Cups of 1999 and 1993.
As a sportsman in the 1970s, I played rugby for Bristol, Cambridge University( four Blues-1 as captain), Gloucestershire, the Barbarians and England (debut 1975 v Australia,14 caps 1975-79) and cricket for Cambridge University(4 Blues- two as captain) and Gloucestershire ( from 1974-83, capped 1977, century against the West Indies, 1000 runs in a season on 2 occasions).
After graduating with a History degree and a PGCE from Cambridge, I taught at Bristol Cathedral School and Sherborne before joining the ´óÏó´«Ã½ in 1985 as a junior sports trainee ( in the same batch, I am told, as John Inverdale, Mark Saggers and football commentator Ian Brown). I moved to HTV in Bristol in 1989 and worked on daily sports programmes as well as rugby documentaries until 1996, when I joined the fledgling Radio Five Live.
I have been married to Jeannie for 27 years and have 2 sons, Adam (25) and Daniel (24). I live in the West Country.
I was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis in 1999, but with a lot of help from my friends- especially ´óÏó´«Ã½ rugby correspondent Ian Robertson- and a lot of support from my family and the wider sporting world, I have managed to keep working. My electric scooter is now a familiar sight at all the world’s big stadia.
I am patron of the MSRC- all contributions always welcome, please give generously- and I help raise funds for my local MS Therapy centre at Nailsea near Bristol, which I attend weekly for treatment.
The ´óÏó´«Ã½ is not responsible for the content of external internet sites
