Name: Nick Selway
Date of Birth: 17/07/1989
Born: Gloucester
Height: 6’2”
Weight: 20 stone 11lbs
Education: Qualified Bricklayer
Previous clubs: Lydney, Plymouth Albion (loan),
Cinderford
Outside interests: Old comedy
It has been a tumultuous few weeks for Nick Selway,
signed by Jersey as a full time professional, only days before the second
pre-season match against Coventry, thrust into the starting XV in only the
fifth game of the season. I met Nick or Salad as he is known, on a glorious
October afternoon to ask him his thoughts on the game and about his move to the
Island.
His rugby career began virtually in his own backyard, at Longlevans
Rugby club in Gloucester. His dad was a coach there; ‘A lot of forwards went
from LongLevans to Gloucester so it was a good place to be and learn your trade’
he said. From there he progressed to Lydney where he faced a rampant Jersey
side in January 2011. Jersey won 24-7 on their way to another promotion, and although
he missed the return match back at St Peter, suffering a knee ligament injury, he
had made enough of an impression for Ben Harvey to keep a watchful eye. Selway’s
first big break came when he went out on loan to Plymouth during the 2011-12
season, where he played in the British and Irish cup matches, including matches
against Cornish Pirates, Ayr and Pontypridd. This preceded a move to Cinderford
last season. Things were going well; ‘Gloucester
was keeping a watchful eye, and then Ben rang,’ said Selway, ‘it came as a
complete surprise. I was actually on my lunch break.’ Harvey had been keeping an eye on his
progression and was impressed and pleased with the hard work Selway had been
putting in. Injuries in the tight-head area had left Jersey a little light, and
Selway more than filled the void.
The quietly spoken Gloucestrian kept the faith in his
ability despite disappointment. ‘Not making it happen at Plymouth (who went in
a different direction) was a blow but not a setback as it made me more
determined to work a bit harder and push on, I kept my head down a little bit,
moved to Cinderford – you wonder whether it will ever happen, but then it did.’
Just reward for the efforts he has put in. ‘Every day I count myself lucky as
only a handful of people are doing something that they actually love to do.’
As you’d expect from a man weighing over 130kg, scrimmaging
is his forte, his number one asset, but with one of, if not the best front rows
in the Championship. I asked Nick how much of a challenge is it to come here
and win a place? ‘It’s a big challenge, JB (John Brennan) was the number one
tight-head in the league last season and (David) Youngy obviously has a hell of
a pedigree, they are two people I can learn massively off, as well as the coach
Bodes (Steve Boden).’
No bread, no rice, no pasta, a carb free diet is one of
the things JRFC have changed for the better; ‘It’s hard at the start but after
a while you begin to enjoy it.’ His training regime was completely revamped.
‘When I came here they changed everything, I wondered if I am actually as good
as I thought I was.’ Getting rid of the day job and wholly concentrating on the
rugby does bring its perks however; ‘It’s nice to have a free night instead of
going from work to train every evening’, he said. Seeing the results first-hand
and reaping the benefits gave him a first start against Scottish champions Ayr.
‘I’m always proud to pull on the shirt whoever I play for, I feel even more
proud here as it’s an island and everyone looks to you, for me it is massive. To
score a try (vs. Bristol) was massive but it’s a privilege to be the starting
three.’
I asked Nick about his first Jersey try against promotion
favourites Bristol; ‘It was just a pick and go after a solid scrum,’ he said
with a glint in the eye that hinted he was prouder of this landmark than he
wanted to let on; ‘No one’s stopping you at 130kg from two metres out.’ Even
though the game ended in defeat, it was the first fifteen minutes that proved
the undoing; ‘I think we gave them too much respect,’ it was as much a learning
curve for the team, as it was for Selway. ‘It showed at Nottingham where we
were able to grind out a win, even though we weren’t playing that great, if you
can win when you’re not playing well imagine what you can do when you do play
well.’
Selway believes Jersey has recruited well; ‘We are a very
forward oriented team and the pressure this brings forces teams into doing
stupid things.’ This power has been shown by the amount of yellow cards shown
to the opposition recently. The patterns of play are followed meticulously,
even more so after the Ayr game where things weren’t quite going to the plan
set out pre-match. ‘We trust the system and realised when we stepped outside of
it, just how much the system is working for us.’
I asked Selway about his slightly unusual nickname of ‘Salad’.
Unusual for a player who still weighs in at nearly 21 stone; ‘It came from
Lydney, I was much bigger then (147kg) and someone said I was a vegetarian, and
people actually believed it, it just went from there.’
At Cinderford last season, the average attendance was
381. This season Jersey’s league matches have averaged over 2500. I asked Nick how
he finds the Jersey support compared to other grounds he has played at; ‘It’s a
massive lift, especially when you are five metres out and everyone’s rumbling,
the hair on the back of the neck stands up and sometimes you can’t even hear yourself,
it’s an unreal place.’ The new scrum laws are taking big bulky forwards like
Selway and John Brennan a bit more time to get used to than David Young who is
slightly more technical, but Salad firmly believes it is only a matter of time
before he catches up; ‘Once I do crack it we will be laughing, cause you will
have power, plus technique and you should be blitzing people.’
Away from game he likes his comedy, but in listing
Porridge, Only Fools and Horses and Steptoe & Son, he has a penchant for
the older style. ‘I’m a bit of an old man really, a cup of tea man.’ Extra
sessions in the gym with fitness coach Jake Aliker mean that there is less time
to enjoy this hobby, but it is all for the greater good, Selway has completely
bought into the systems, lifestyle and coaching that a professional player
needs to have if he is to be successful. Having his better half join him in the
club flat has helped him settle, despite having trouble navigating the Jersey
roads. ‘I was coming back from Latu’s (Makaafi) in Gorey and ended up in Devils
Hole.’ Jersey has its obvious beauty, Selway was taken in by the beauty of
Gronez, its ruins and a phenomenal sunset, but; ‘First and foremost it was the
rugby that was the attraction, fulltime it was a place where I could sort
myself out, the conditioning, here I know I am in the best environment to do
that, being in a place like Jersey is just an added bonus.’
Looking from the outside in, Selway was always of the
belief that Jersey was going to reach the Championship. ‘It’s nice to be part
of it, be part of the team,’ he said. ‘I am doing something I really enjoy.’ With
able praise from Ben Harvey, who said after the Ayr match; ‘He put himself around
the park well for a big man and his scrimmaging was good too, so we’ve got a
luxury of choice at tight-head.’ The underlying notion I get of the 21 stone
tight-head prop is one of humility. Looking out from the clubhouse as the sun
bathes the lush green turf of St Peter, the man mountain gives me the
impression that he loves his rugby and has totally bought into the Jersey way,
despite only being on the Island for six weeks, he said; The best thing about
Jersey is how relaxed and laid back it is.’
Certainly this is
a player who is in the right place and on the right path when it comes to the
rugby. Jersey over the weeks and months will undoubtedly reap the rewards of a
man who is quietly determined to make a starting place his own.
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