George Gregan: The best scrum halves I played against

George Gregan, Rugby World Cup winner and one of the world's most capped rugby players of all time, reveals the best scrum halves he played against and what he thinks of Antoine Dupont. George, an ambassador for DR.VEGAN^® Men’s ProMulti, also shares his diet and tips for prostate health, and why it's so important more men get their prostate checked.

George captained Australia a record 59 times and led Australia to victory in the World Cup in 1999, and went on to become the second most capped player in history with 139 caps. Here he's talking to the team at DR.VEGAN^®...

What did you feel gave you an edge in your game?

It evolved over time, and it had to do with my size. I wasn't the biggest, so I was probably destined to be a halfback, but I started playing as a fly half at the age of 10. A guy called Jack McGuire taught me the basics of catching both sides of the body. You can't have a weak side. If you've got a weak side, work on that, and he encouraged you to work off both feet. He made it fun, and everything was games-related. He taught me how to steer the team around the field, and I learned game management from one of the best.

When did you first start playing scrum half?

I wasn't growing, so I started playing halfback at the age of 14. I’d been passed the ball a lot by nine, so I knew the combination was very important. I flipped between the two positions until I was about 19. The connection between scrum half and fly half is so important, particularly playing in Australia; if it's quick ball, you've got to flatten up. It's an easier game when you play flat – you can’t always do it, but when it's quick ball and you're on top, it means you don't give them a chance to recover.

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What tips would you give scrum halves today?

Good communication is really, really important. Pass on both sides and kick off both feet and play both sides of the ruck. Your blind side is always available; it’s your friend, and if they haven't marked up enough, you can get some pretty easy yards. If you’re getting in behind them, spread it wide, again where good communication with your teammates is essential.

Who were the best scrum halves you played against?

I played against some wonderful scrummies. Justin Marshall, you've got Dawes (Matt Dawson), you've got Kieran Bracken, you've got Rob Howley who I think was a really underrated player, because he played behind the Welsh pack, which wasn’t a dominant pack, but he was such a threat. He had a beautiful pass, had a great kicking game, had an incredible running game, had good vision. He was a really dangerous player.

If I had to say the one who probably gave you the most unrest before a big game, in that era, it would have been Joost (van der Westhuizen), because he could really change a game, and he was really dangerous. He was electric. For an all-round and consistent player, Marshy was very, very good. He was just a winner, a super-competitive player. He played like an extra back row with his running game.

Aaron Smith – what a player. I think he was probably the best passer of a ball at nine I've seen. Graeme Bachop was a beautiful passer of the ball too, but Aaron Smith's pass is fantastic. I remember Dan Carter talking about his passing. The delivery and speed of his pass gave Dan probably another meter to a meter and a half of width, which is a lot of space in international rugby. That's a bit of extra stress and separation for the defence straight away. And his running game, his energy in the game.

And I look at Antoine Dupont; I've never seen anything quite like him in terms of the skill set, passing game, running game. He plays like a loose forward; he can tackle, he kicks short, he kicks long, and he just loves the game. You can just see it. And he's only going to get better. He has an impact on any team that he plays on, and you look at his resume already; he's a winner, and it shows a lot about his character, and he's very humble. He's always looking to get better, and you can see he just enjoys the game.

One in eight men will receive a prostate cancer diagnosis in their lifetime, which doubles to one in four if you’re Black or your family has had prostate cancer. Is there enough awareness across society about the risks of prostate cancer?

I think it's improving, but can it improve more? Yes. It shouldn't be a taboo subject. It’s something that if you can avoid, avoid it; get an early diagnosis, understand where you are, and see if there's any changes you can make to help you live a longer, healthier life; that's what we all want. We don't want to be diagnosed suddenly and say, “Oh gosh, I could have potentially prevented this or reduced the risk of obtaining this condition.”

What does your daily food plate look like?

When I was 19, I was lucky enough to go into the Australian Institute of Sport. They looked at your nutrient level, which I still think about today. You might be low in some nutrients, or you may have a propensity to be low in a certain nutrient, like Vitamin B12. For me it was iron; I was always at risk of being low in iron.

• I’m not training like I used to, but I’m still exercising a lot, so my diet is really important.
• Carbs are very important when you're training at a high intensity. Complex carbs with a low GI (glycaemic index). Sometimes it's rice, sometimes I like fries; no one's perfect! I like sweet potato fries, which have a low GI, and they're really good for you.
• Fibre is essential, and it sounds simple, but it's all about a rainbow plate and lots of colour. I love broccoli; there's a lot of broccoli in our house and lots of green leafy vegetables. We love our salads; I love a mixture of olive and balsamic oils, love avocado. It's probably a bit of the Aussie thing, but we just love throwing avocado into everything.
• I like my flavours, so I’ll throw in a bit of goat’s cheese or some mustard seeds, which are very good for you. The colour is really key; it creates ‘umami’ (a rich, savoury taste). I spent some time in Japan, where I learnt about this and also how important the portion size is.
• I love brown rice and do a hybrid of brown and Japanese rice in the rice cooker. For my protein, it could be chicken; it could be some fish — we’ll do fish a few times a week.

 

Why do you take Men's ProMulti?

I used to take a standard daily multi-vitamin but I'm 51 now, and I want to invest in my gut health, support my prostate, and so much more. I did my research and decided to take Men’s ProMulti and I feel really good on it. It's the most comprehensive and the only one that includes probiotics and supports everything I need it to.

What's so good about Men's ProMulti?

My gut health improved when I started taking it. I've been sleeping really well. I don't get mid-afternoon slumps, at sort of three, four o'clock. The fact is, when I don't take it, it's noticeable that you're a little bit flat because there's a lot of B vitamins in there too, which is critical. One of the key pieces is gut health; you notice that you're feeling better, not feeling bloated, and I notice it when I don't take it.

It's an all-in-one and replaces the need for many individual supplements with the most important ones. Just take two of those each day, and you've got it. Take them in the morning or at night, whatever, and it's job done.

Learn more about Men's ProMulti, or view the award-winning range of DR.VEGAN supplements. 

Watch now

Watch our interview with George Gregan, where he chats about men's mental health and prostate health. 

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