Anthony Watson is used to his teammates treating him as the ‘special one’. As the solitary member of England’s World Cup side with unattached next to his name, the winger is in the unique position of being the only squad member employed by the Rugby Football Union rather than a club. “You know what it’s like with rugby players,” says Watson, a touch wearily. “Very little goes unremarked.”
The jokes about extra food at lunchtime and his company-man status, however, mask a deeper, darker reality. Watson’s entire rugby future would have been on hold had the RFU not stepped in to pay his wages for this summer. “I would be lying if I said it wasn’t a stressful period,” he says quietly, gazing down at his fingernails. “There were definitely days when I was expected to play in big games and would be under a fair bit of stress outside rugby.”
