Howley proves he's close to his best

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Rob Howley is so selfless that he regularly refers to himself in the third person.

'I've never gone out to play for Rob Howley and never will,' he said.

'When I was captain of Wales the performance of the side was first and the performance of Rob Howley was second.'

There's a thing. Maybe that was why coach Graham Henry stripped the scrum half of the captaincy after a disappointing World Cup in 1999 and Six Nations in 2000.

Not that Howley, preparing this week for Saturday's Six Nations showdown with Scotland at Murrayfield, will concede that the responsibility and attendant pressures affected his game.

Howley said: 'I'll fight him tooth and nail on that. Graham's never told me the reason for his decision. I might ask him before he gets on that plane back to Auckland.'

Henry would already have landed back in his native New Zealand had Wales lost to England by the '70-point margin' that seemed a distinct possibility to Howley at one stage during proceedings at the Millennium Stadium earlier this month.

That a national disaster - and the Welsh would consider a thrashing by England at rugby nothing less - should have been such a personal triumph for Howley represents one of team sport's fascinating contradictions .

Amid the chaotic capitulation, Howley produced one stunning dummy and break for a glorious try and another of similar vintage to put in Scott Quinnell.

Suddenly, we were back in 1997 when he won Lions tour selection and was described by former Wales scrum half Terry Holmes as 'the Alan Shearer of rugby'.

Howley was being talked off in the highest possible terms - as the second Gareth Edwards. Lions manager Fran Cotton even said: 'Rob's challenge is to come back from the tour and be spoken off in the same breath as Gareth. I think he can do it'

He never got the chance. Howley dislocated a shoulder against Natal seven days prior to his first Test duel with Joost van der West-huizen which was billed as the scrum half championship of the world.

The legends' legend Edwards said: 'Rob struggled to find his form last year after getting over the disappointment of it all. But now he's back to his best.

'He's sharper, making breaks and runs again. His confidence is growing. I think he's neck and neck with Matt Dawson in the race to be first-choice Lions scrum half in Australia this summer.'

The disappointment of 1997 is still with Howley. He said: 'The Lions in Australia are in the back of my mind. But what happened to me in 1997 will make sure that I never count my chickens.

'I'll only look forward if - and it remains a big if - I'm on the steps of the aircraft going to Australia. That's the way I have to be because of '97.

'The Alan Shearer of rugby? That was a long time ago. Things have changed. But I can be that again.'

Comparing his form is for others. But as a big believer in measurements of fitness, he does compare his condition with that of his playing peak four years ago.

He said: 'I keep my own diary of what I'm doing and how I'm feeling week to week, year to year. I'm not far off. I've worked very hard in the summer with certain private goals in mind. I'm stepping up one rung at a time.'

Saturday should offer us further evidence of the renaissance of Rob Howley, as he would say.

 

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