Episode #2 | Navigating the Highs and Lows of Elite Rugby with Anthony Watson

Welcome to Harry’s Gym Chat, we’re in my gym and we’re going to chat! This is a podcast powered by USN; we’ve got some exclusive offers for you that we are going to be giving away a little bit later in the episode. At the same time we are on YouTube so make sure you subscribe, we’re going to be talking about all things health and wealth and fitness. But, also all things positive because I’m a positive guy and we like to keep it fun and friendly. 

Ever wondered how elite athletes navigate the peaks and valleys of their careers? Join me Harry Aikines as we get to know Rugby superstar Anthony Watson (@anthonywatson https://www.instagram.com/anthonywatson/), for a heart-to-heart on triumphs, tribulations, and the tenacity it takes to stay at the top. This episode peels back the curtain on the life of a world-class athlete, revealing Anthony's poignant thoughts on team dynamics, leadership, and the emotional whirlwind that was the 2019 World Cup.

We tackle the gritty truth behind injury recovery and the personal battles waged against media scrutiny. Our candid conversation delves into the loneliness that shadows athletes during injury layoffs, the quest for mental resilience, and the role of social media in shaping public narratives. The stories shared offer an unvarnished look at the importance of support systems and the impact of criticism, shedding light on the athlete's journey both on and off the field.

Rounding out the episode, we muse on everything from the tactical finesse of coaching to lighter topics like Pilates and NFL dreams. Hear about life beyond the game, from the rituals that keep our bodies in top form to the wholesome joy of cooking and the profound experiences of fatherhood. Anthony and I don't just stick to the playbook – we're here sharing the richness of our lives, the lessons learned, and the laughter that keeps us grounded. Tune in for a conversation that's as multifaceted as the lives we lead, bridging the divide between the stadium roars and the quiet moments that make us who we are.

Harry Aikines Aryeetey is an Olympian having represented Great Britain in the Rio Olympics as well as the Commonwealth Games, World Championships and European Championships earning him medals, including 5 gold medals, in 4x100m relay and 100m events. Harry is also a well-known fitness influencer where he shares his passion for sport and fitness with his audiences on Instagram, TikTok and YouTube. 

For more from Harry visit:

Instagram: @aikines https://www.instagram.com/aikines/

TikTok: @harryaikines https://www.tiktok.com/@harryaikines

YouTube: @aikines1 https://www.youtube.com/@aikines1

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Transcript

Harry Aikines : 0:00

Welcome to Harry's Gym Chat. We're in my gym and we're gonna chat. Now is a podcast powered by USN. We've got some exclusive offers for you that we are gonna be giving away a little later in the video, but at the same time we are on YouTube, so make sure you subscribe. We're gonna be talking about everything health and wealth and fitness, but also all things positive, because I'm a positive guy, I'm a big guy. We're keeping it fun and friendly. So, look, jump in, turn the volume up, let's do this. What's happening? People Welcome. Harry, double A here, your GB 100 meter sprints are and sat opposite me. I have an absolute unit. He's pretty quick. He's a quick guy. We're talking 50 caps for England. He's a very, very useful player in terms of the rugby scene. We're talking about rugby union, but he's a very, very good player. He's a very, very good player. He's a very, very good player. He's a very, very good player. He's a very, very good player. We're talking about rugby union. Anthony Watson, what are you saying, bro? I'm good man how are you?

Harry Aikines : 0:59

Yeah, I'm good thanks for coming on, man. I mean, there's so many accolades that I can touch on as well, because you're a World Cup finalist.

Anthony Watson: 1:07

Unfortunately. Yeah, I'd like that to be World Cup winner.

Harry Aikines : 1:10

of course, of course, man but come on, let's start at the highs, at the peaks. Yeah, that's the creme de la creme, right?

Anthony Watson: 1:17

Yeah, it was mad, it was I don't know, bro, it's a weird one. It's like a bittersweet experience because it was sick. Going out there, going to Japan, experiencing the whole thing especially given 2015 was obviously awful.

Anthony Watson: 1:30

getting knocked out at your home World Cup at home, it's not something you want to feel, yeah, but especially, we had to play Uruguay in a dead rubber after we'd been knocked out at the Etihad, and it was just the weirdest week ever bro, everyone's on us and we got to play Uruguay and it was just like no disrespect to Uruguay, but it was just like how are we getting up for this game? And then 2019, yeah, to go all the way but then lose in the final. It's not okay, honestly.

Harry Aikines : 1:58

I can sense just from you you're still feeling it. Oh 100% being so close to anyone. I'm looking as an observer, for example, just being in that position. Dreams are made in World Cup final, but obviously, yeah, I can sense that you're still feeling it.

Anthony Watson: 2:12

Yeah, 100%, and that's why missing out on this World Cup made it a little bit harder as well. It's just like I wanted to right some wrongs and obviously the lads are gonna have an opportunity to do that tomorrow no, saturday against Africa in the semis. So it's just like a bit of me is now like fucking, what the fuck? How does?

Harry Aikines : 2:28

that feel. Obviously, you just touched on it. It's disappointing. I can try and to be relatable. I remember going to Olympics in 0-8 for myself 100 meters, 4x1, whatever and I took it for granted because the next four years I thought, yeah, I'm gonna be at London, everything's gonna be good. And I went to European champs, finished fourth, tore my hamstring three weeks before and you were in that literal position right just a few weeks before.

Anthony Watson: 2:53

Yeah, it's mad, and you touched on a point there as in thinking it's all just gonna unfold again. Like I had the same thing when I was young, getting to the Prem Final and we were the best attacking team in the league that year we were barf and then we get to the Final and we lose to Sarasen's and everyone was mad, disappointed, obviously, but I was a bit like yeah, obviously it's rubbish, but we're gonna be back there next year it's not a problem Next week.

Anthony Watson: 3:15

it takes me another six years to get to another semi and I haven't been to a final since so it's just like as much as it's a cliche. You've gotta take those opportunities when they're right in front of you, and it's hard to verbalize it to people who haven't experienced that, but they can just come and go so quick.

Harry Aikines : 3:31

So is that something that you're trying to do, like in these team environments, when you are in a team where you're trying to let the because you're an elder statesman now aren't? You I mean you've been around, you're experienced enough to be able to pass on that knowledge. Is that something that's you know? You're entering that role as a bit of a I don't wanna say mentor, but someone that people can look up to lead and get some experience from.

Anthony Watson: 3:56

I think a little bit. I mean, one thing that I'm pretty conscious of is just being myself, because you've got guys who are leaders, naturally, who are good at talking and getting everyone up for games, and I'm like some guys are like still alive and falling out of their mouth and that before a game, and I'm just Profing, ready to go. And I'm just chilling, so like I can't be that guy, who's gonna hype everyone up before a game.

Anthony Watson: 4:20

It's not me, so I just try and do what I can in a week to help boys, whether they need to relax or whatever.

Harry Aikines : 4:25

That's the type of role that I'll try and I obviously can't really understand how like such a team would work with so many individuals. Obviously I get a four by one right, but if you give us an understanding of like what's the hierarchy like, so obviously you can talk about the England setup, for example, when you've had people come in and out, because the squad will change over time. But is there always that person that's hyped? Is there always that person that's aggressive and, like you just said, you might be leading in a different way with your calmness, you know, is that always something that seems to be the case In terms of?

Anthony Watson: 4:57

what certain people fit in so well, yeah. I mean, I think we're lucky at England that we've got quite a few lads who are that way inclined as in like they'll always get boys up for games, like Owen Farrell, for example, is always gonna be that guy and he's just the way he talks. He's like Energy. Yeah, it's like he's fucking.

Harry Aikines : 5:14

He's leading out of spartum right.

Anthony Watson: 5:16

It's like you've got guys like Genji and Sink who are so aggressive and, like you know, they're probably.

Anthony Watson: 5:22

Genji talks a fair bit, but Sink leads with his actions and stuff like that. But there's a good group of guys there who know what they do. But more importantly, I think they're just themselves. Like Courtney Laws is a good example, but he's not a guy who's gonna like ramp up the lads mad Like he's very much like. But I'm just gonna be myself and that's it. Like, obviously, if I'm a captain, I'll do what I need to do, but I'll do it by being myself. And I think that's important, because you get given a captain's role and you can flip the script, bro, and turn into a different bloke and everyone sees that and they're like bro, what are you doing?

Harry Aikines : 5:53

That's such a good point because I've seen that in a few individuals myself. The moment certain people feel like they need to take on a role, it's sort of like you're not staying true to yourself, right, and can you sniff out weakness in group environments? Oh yeah, you can see that, bro.

Anthony Watson: 6:05

You can see it in my life. You can see unauthenticity in my opinion a my life. When people change up, I'm just like I know what you're trying to do but you can do things in a different way. You can't fool me though.

Harry Aikines : 6:16

Yeah, I'm just like come on man, it doesn't work, so like obviously, look, we talk about one aspect of the sport and it's obviously you've spoken about such highs of being in a workup final and still feeling that but you have had some successes, like you know. We look at the Six Nations. You've won that three times right?

Anthony Watson: 6:31

Yeah, I think so.

Harry Aikines : 6:32

Yeah, so in those sort of environments it's just such a historical, you know, sort of competition. What's that sort of feeling like on the flip side?

Anthony Watson: 6:39

Yeah, they're all very different. Examples like, for example, one of them was a grand slam, which was unreal, bro, like that was probably the highlight of my rugby career, to be honest. Yeah yeah, cuz it was like it was in 2016. It was after what happened in 2015, like directly there okay.

Anthony Watson: 6:56

I mean, it was pretty much the identical, same group of players. And we went, you know, went out. No one expected us to win. Everyone was right. And I saw flight. Look at these Shambolic blokes who just got knocked out of a home world cup. Yeah, they're not gonna go win in the six nations. And then we went and did the grand slam. It was just like us against the world and I felt like that was sick.

Anthony Watson: 7:14

But then when we won it time after that, it was like we were on for a grand slam and then we lost to Ireland the last game. And that's a bit of a weird one, because it's like, yeah, we still won, but I know we were so close to doing something amazing again and we didn't do that, but it was just like. And then the last one was even weirder, because it was like it was in the middle of COVID so like yeah, played the first three games and then there was a massive COVID break and then two more games with no fans.

Anthony Watson: 7:41

Yeah, and then we'll celebrate him because another team lost, that made us win and that was just like. This is just weird. Yeah, it doesn't have the same oh man.

Harry Aikines : 7:48

Yeah, but it seems like obviously having such a high and then the next two following with Differences, can put that into perspective. But do you think that you celebrate success enough? Probably not.

Anthony Watson: 8:01

Yeah.

Harry Aikines : 8:01

I feel like it's such a British thing. No, cuz we're always looking at what we did, and I don't know how to describe it. I look at the Americans and I look at American sports or even F1, and they're always ready to celebrate any victory, always ready to celebrate any milestone, like looking back. What more would you have celebrated if that was the case?

Anthony Watson: 8:20

I think I would have just tried to enjoy the moments a little bit more instead of thinking what's next?

Anthony Watson: 8:24

I think that that's the big thing. I think you see it a lot where people are like just take it moment by moment and is take it for what it is. I was very much like we won the six nations, we won the grand slam, I look cool, now let's go beat Australia. We did that to be fair and then it was like I'll call this win the grand slam again, and we couldn't do that. So it puts a down on something that shouldn't have been a downer. Do you know?

Harry Aikines : 8:44

I mean is that, something that's like built in you though, because you're gonna you're a competitive guy, you're calm, you're good when you meet you, you're calm. Obviously you've got and you're gonna have an aggressive side to you, gonna have a competitive side to you. Is that, is that embedded in you, and that's how it comes out? I think so.

Anthony Watson: 8:58

I think that was, I Think, what's put me in better stead. That then the competitiveness is more just the constant improvement and the drive for that, and I think that there's a balance to it. I've probably got wrong a lot, because there's obviously balance to everything in life and I know people, you know, wanna they see like Kobe Bryant and then man and see them going to the gym at 4 am and I'm just like that's cool. It works for some people, but you know, I think for me anyway, I appreciate that having stuff outside a rugby actually allows me to play better and do what I want to do more, whereas I'd say five, six years ago or three, four years ago I was just so obsessed with like, but I need to, I'm not. I can't waste today like, I need to do something, can it? Sometimes that eats away at your enjoyment of it and it takes away from the moment that you're in, and I'm just Trying to get back to that now.

Harry Aikines : 9:51

I love that because it's kind of like understanding and reflecting. We're allowed to reflect. We'll ask you where we are. So I think the way I can relate to that myself personally is like when did my sport become a chore? When did it become work? Yeah, and there goes to a point where you're obsessed with it because you You're enjoying it, and then you've come obsessed and then it becomes work and then it becomes sort of like a burden. Yeah, at a certain point Would you say that you went through that sort of training.

Anthony Watson: 10:14

Yeah, 100%. It's only recently made, where it's just like and I've worked with quite a few psychologists on it and it's like, you know, when you start using words like I have to do this, okay, I have to go get in the ice bar for 10 minutes, that's when it's like Well, do you really have to do that or do you want to do it, like, and that's a very fine line that you've got to try and figure out that- it's deep, is deep like the terminology, the sense of like, literally that action is being actioned by what?

Harry Aikines : 10:41

Because the expectation, pressures, or because you think you should, as opposed to what's good for you right and identifying when you are as an individual is there. Is there a way that you sort of would have Looked at? I mean, you've had your fair share of injuries, obviously one that's kept you out the world cup. Now, when you look at those aspects of things, what is it? How would you have dealt with those?

Anthony Watson: 10:58

Looking back now with this mentality, I think, to be fair, it helped me a lot with the Achilles one, because that one was like it kind of was do or die, to be fair, after I ruptured the second time.

Anthony Watson: 11:09

So it was like, if you don't throw everything at this, like this could be the end, and you don't want it to be the end because of you Slacking so that one it helped, I think, with the ACO was definitely a balance that I managed to get, which was like, when you're working, you're working, but you can't neglect the, the mental side of doing what you want to do, because Nine months is a long time just to be, yeah, all you're thinking about is my knee. And also when you think about an injury and all you, every action you're doing, is concentrate around knee, we get hypersensitive, don't you? Around, like the injury and like oh, my god, this is gonna hurt my heart.

Anthony Watson: 11:44

Can I feel it? Can I feel nothing worse literally?

Harry Aikines : 11:46

for anyone that hasn't had like a major injury out there. There's for someone they don't understand the concept of kinesis it feedback. You could literally have, you know, a fly land on your knee While you're sleeping. You're like, yeah, yeah, and it feels like the biggest earthquake and you're panicking, like even to you. Remember I did my hamstring. That's the thing with me. When I have a niggle like I go through this.

Anthony Watson: 12:07

Period with him before I've had a scan where I'm like, oh my god is the worst. Yeah, I need to message everyone who's had a hamstring issue like see what their grade was, see how long it took them and I Brought, I swear.

Anthony Watson: 12:18

I've done it to you. I've done it to every athlete in my phone book, my market research 100. Like I'm online looking at papers and that and I'm just like Don't know there's a balance and I get it wrong. When your body is your tool, people don't recognize that. It's such a mind-blowing game.

Harry Aikines : 12:33

Like, as you mentioned, I've had three. I've got three strike track, three stress factors in my back To this day that don't heal. So obviously I was in a back place after winning World Youth, world Juniors, all these sorts of things and like you said, it's it's such a isolated time. I think I mean you kind of know me in my energy. For me I'm just a positive outgoing guy but equally I can crumble in those moments. So I find that Would you say that during those hard times, like you said, you've come out of it better? Were there any other people, like family, that were sort of like fixed points in that, or was it balance that allowed you just to go away and live?

Anthony Watson: 13:09

your life or what? Yeah, 100% like family was massive through the injuries, because one thing that's huge is that people disappear pretty quick bro when you're out the scene for a little bit what do you realize Within the sport or Both Friendship circles? Both yeah, both yeah, yeah yeah.

Anthony Watson: 13:24

Well, the sport is obvious because like you're not out there, so like people aren't talking about you, you're not out there. But then there's also players all this is from my experience there players in the sport who just don't care about you. You know, like teammates and they're just like right. Okay, I see where we're at now. Cool.

Harry Aikines : 13:41

Is that because it's a working?

Anthony Watson: 13:42

relationship, don't know. I thought I was cool with some of the people that disappeared, but you know that's the way it is.

Harry Aikines : 13:49

But it makes you stronger.

Anthony Watson: 13:50

Yeah, 100%. Well, I just think you know where you stand and you know really who matters after stuff like that Sounds a bit depressing. No, it's not even it's real. That's the way it is, yeah.

Harry Aikines : 14:00

This is what it is. It's like the realism of sport is harsh and that's what people need to recognize when they're critiquing players. I mean the England team at a minute, for some odd reason, they've made a semi-final and the reception I'm getting is that it's a negative one. It's an easy road, or, you know, we should have like against BG. I don't know, I'm just getting negativity.

Harry Aikines : 14:19

Why are you going so hard on players that are going through these sorts of things? And this is what needs to be sort of brought to light. It's not easy.

Anthony Watson: 14:26

I don't know what it is, mate. I think there's something to do with the media over here, because and this is not me attacking the media, but there's some-.

Harry Aikines : 14:32

Disclaimer this is not attacking the media. But I'm gonna attack them.

Anthony Watson: 14:37

But like there's just no working relationship, like bro guys, especially in rugby, guys don't want to really be out there in rugby because it's like the media's gonna build them up and the first thing they want to do when you've been built up is shoot you down as quickly as possible, and I think that that's a very English thing to do.

Harry Aikines : 14:52

Massively, massively English thing. I was born and raised. Obviously I see you've got some melanin in you. I am obviously brown of colour and my parents said to me they said look, when you're doing well, you're British. At the moment you do bad. Just remember that. You've got to be reminded that you're.

Harry Aikines : 15:09

African at some point, or Ghanaian, or the descriptions might change. So that made me recognise very early what the British media can be like. And I think with socials is better now because you can actually give out your own opinion. This is back in the days of we're talking like the 90s or whatever, but, like you said, the relationship between the media. Do you reckon it's that that's because your sport is more historical, like it's traditional sport, and you know you are in more of the. You're less likely to be in the sun per se. You might be in the telegraph or something or other, but it's the same with football.

Anthony Watson: 15:39

Like they love, like they don't want to celebrate the little bit of things that people do this amazing. Like they really want to focus on, like a negative story about a football like is much bigger than them doing charity. That's the saying. So for me, I'm just like bro. I know that you know that sells papers and I know why they do it, but I think that you know to really celebrate athletes. There's ways that they could be better, because let's be real.

Harry Aikines : 16:02

What's you? Luckily, you and your brother both play rugby and you've both done very well and, like you're, at a level, an elite level in sport that's very difficult to attain. How many individuals go through whatever process that you've been through to get through? Obviously I talk about myself being an Olympian, for example, in sprinting. That's the very difference People don't appreciate the journey and the percentage of people that don't make it.

Anthony Watson: 16:25

I know it's mad, so why are you not being celebrated? I know, I know it's mad and I mean, like I don't know, sprinting is a great example, because the amount of people that just go to the athletics, track and run and they're fast and like we've even had this conversation, you know where. It's like you know they're writing, they're writing certain columns or whatever about oh, this guy could be an Olympic sprinter and it's like Is it May, when there was?

Harry Aikines : 16:49

yeah, in the papers one time his peak speed was the same as Usain Bolt's average speed over the 100 meters, and they were just so quick to put disrespect on Usain Bolt. The bolt's fast, it's mad.

Anthony Watson: 17:01

But the difference is wild, like we've spoken about it. Like what you would hit top speed and like for a decent period in the 100, like compared to the peak of rugby player, but are you beating us by 20 meters? Do you know what I mean? Can I put?

Harry Aikines : 17:13

a disclaimer at this. This guy's fast, yeah, but he's actually made a point of up in his game working with some very good sprint coaches and making a point of you know, improving your trade right, but that's giving you the knowledge and the understanding as to what other sports do. That's an elite athlete. That's what elite athletes do. They wanna learn. I think you can't take something away from a sport without actually understanding it and then all you wanna do is respect it right, yeah, 100% yeah, I just yeah.

Anthony Watson: 17:39

I think that people are quick to just use their eyes to gauge how far someone is and say that they could be a sprinter.

Harry Aikines : 17:45

I think it's mad because I obviously couldn't step on a rugby pitch try. And you know, go full throttle, a full throttle. I can't say the word throttle. Yeah, you go, full throttle. It's on next to her where I didn't Harry speaking, so basically I can't go that fast. You know, with my hips higher, trying to hit the floor with my frequency.

Harry Aikines : 18:08

The moment someone comes and puts a finger on me, the way that I'm gonna go is sliding across the floor. I've gotta learn how to get my lower center of gravity. I've gotta learn how to hold the ball right. I've gotta learn. There's so many differences, so that's where you can't compare the two, but you can learn from the two right? So when you've done your sprint training, what's been the biggest thing that you've excelled at and where would you say that? Your weakness? Where did you? You didn't realize you had weaknesses. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Anthony Watson: 18:35

Where were that? I think my acceleration is probably one of my stronger points. My top end speed is probably not where it should be at, considering where my acceleration is. If that makes sense, like in correlation, they're not.

Harry Aikines : 18:49

They don't match up and it's working on that transition, speed, maintenance, all of those sort of aspects. How have you enjoyed working on it? Oh, I love it bro, yeah, yeah.

Anthony Watson: 18:56

But I just love the little improvements and it can get, especially with sprinting, like the margins are so fine that like sometimes you can. Well, for me anyway you can get real upset For me. No, no, I'm saying that I don't know if you obviously your margins are even smaller. So small Like I don't know, bro, you can get obsessed with, you know, trying to get 0.01 be literally second faster and then you can do it by accident, yeah, and it's like what? Yeah, do you know?

Harry Aikines : 19:25

I mean, that's why it's so confusing, it's so funny, like dropping of the shoulders, a quick, real quick breath and relaxation through this point, thinking about striking the floor down as opposed to lifting up. Yeah, I'm trying to making sure that you're pressing through this point. Yeah, it's all of it and I find it's terminology. Yeah, because when you're coaching or being coached, I find that the wording and that's where there's special coaches yeah, you know the wording that some people may use to help you understand something how would you sort of dealt with? How? Like you know I'm gonna understand you had a fair few different coaches in your life, but for your sport career, how? Which have been the best coaches in terms of helping you develop as a player? And then from a Technical perspective, where, where, where? Where's the spectrum on that?

Anthony Watson: 20:09

Um, I think From a technical perspective, the easiest way to talk about it is around the speed work, because I've spent a lot of time and work with a fair few coaches on that. That Faster than the game, yeah, and it's like you said, it's so minute that little things make a big difference. So I would say that I've I've luckily worked with Jonas, who's amazing and yeah, big on Jonas.

Anthony Watson: 20:33

Yeah, what he's so good at, in my opinion, is his ability to queue, like Obviously, sometimes we work in like three to one, so there's three athletes and just Jonas and like I'll use the example, of me and JJ, jonathan Joseph, like he would queue me in a very different way to JJ, and that's huge. Like to be able to see that and queue Someone that works for them and different way for someone else is massive. And it's the same with the guy called Alan Murdock a speed coach in in Bar for used to work with Jonas.

Anthony Watson: 21:00

Like their ability just to queue and get people and relate to what works for them. It makes a huge difference in terms of rugby. The best Coach I think who is related to me is probably between the guy called Mike Ford at Bath and Neil Hatley Probably more like a personal relationship, to be fair and they allowed me just to go out there and just be like bro.

Anthony Watson: 21:25

You just do your thing like express yourself Like Mike Ford used to say to me before we used to play, used to say every day, I'm paying to what you play. Today, I'm paying to what you play today.

Harry Aikines : 21:32

Well, you're the coach man.

Anthony Watson: 21:33

He's enough to pay to get in here. Um, but he just made, he allowed me to play with so much freedom and for me I was just like bro, I love this. Like there's no, yeah, there's consequences for mistakes, but I put, I put that on myself, he, he doesn't care as long as I'm trying to do, you know so I think is right what, what when you look at yourself and through the sport as a, as a young Anthony, like, what, where?

Harry Aikines : 21:56

what skill set did you have that set you apart from others? Like, did you always have good hands, where you always sort of able to think ahead of where you were, where you have was able to plan a path? Like, where were you like? What was your, what was your skill trait back then?

Anthony Watson: 22:10

I think a lot of it was instinct. Man, I'll be honest with you and I think that, uh, it works for and against you. Obviously once you, because I would have played with instinct from a kid. And then you get to, you know, playing against men when you're 18 and you try and use the instinct like what was it like taking a hit from one of those big men.

Anthony Watson: 22:28

I remember playing. I remember playing in the a league when I was 17 years old and I was coming up against guys who you know been around the block in the championship. They didn't really want to be there because it's a league yeah, reserves in it, um. But, bro, I remember trying to do this right foot step. That had worked every time, bro, and I was a kid like, every time tried it, never working. But I was like, oh my god, this is different. Like this, it's actually different winded. No, it's just like, bro, it's not working. What am I gonna do? Like that's, that's what I based my game on for five years and now it's not working. I've got to figure out a new plan.

Harry Aikines : 22:59

Honestly, it was like that though. How did, how did you find a way then? Uh?

Anthony Watson: 23:03

Thinking back yeah, I can't, I can't even you found a way.

Harry Aikines : 23:06

Clearly, you found a way.

Anthony Watson: 23:08

You have to reinvent yourself as well, you have to try and Figure out other ways that can get you in the game, and stuff like that because obviously they talk about the game Was.

Harry Aikines : 23:16

It is a Is a gentleman's game. And yeah, we're off the game by gentlemen and in football is uh hooligans game, gentleman's game or whatever. Whichever they play it and I find it so funny because, like it's tough. Like I watch nfl, for example, and obviously they've got the protection, they've got the pads, they've got ever and let's be real, you're a handsome man. However, you stayed handsome this whole time. Where are you, bro? I avoid contact by any means necessary. Yeah, that instinct, yeah, it's essential.

Anthony Watson: 23:50

Not the face. Yeah, no way, bro. I love that. I came off one to the stitch, bro. No, it's over. It was over for my mum. She was not happy with that one.

Harry Aikines : 23:59

That's another point if your mum's got two boys playing rugby, three, three, three boys playing rugby, like I guess it's a family thing. Yeah, yeah, they get you, get used to it. But when you've taken one of those big blows or when you've come off with stitches, what like are you thinking of them?

Anthony Watson: 24:15

No, no, no.

Harry Aikines : 24:17

Because did they? Did they pass on any? Um, because I, I, I didn't get what my parents didn't. I'm really funny with how I compete. Obviously, when I was 13, I facilitated my own training my mum and dad they, they are working their socks off, so they've given me an opportunity to be in this country and, to you know, have some options, which I'm really grateful for. So I never bothered them. Like when I was 13, I'd ask people for lifts to competitions and I just I'd just be there. People Would be how'd you get here, harry?

Anthony Watson: 24:44

I'd be like don't worry, I'm here.

Harry Aikines : 24:49

I'm here because I didn't want to bother them my mum's working two shifts, my dad's working two shifts, whatever else. So when they did eventually start to come and watch me race, I'd be like are they okay? It threw me off. You know, I'm a pretty chance. I'm not used to them watching me. So you know I'm thinking myself what gosh, what's that? Like, did you ever where your parents always present with other cases where you're like, oh gosh, where are they? Or are they okay? Like, do you ever think like that in the circumstances?

Anthony Watson: 25:13

No, not really. My dad's Travels quite a lot, so when I was younger he would you know he wouldn't be there for a lot, and my mum didn't really like rugby then anyway. So she wouldn't either watch from the car or she wasn't really.

Harry Aikines : 25:25

Interested. I mean it's in the cold in it, let's be real, no way bro.

Anthony Watson: 25:28

Right below 10 degrees.

Harry Aikines : 25:29

But she's stepping outside the car. Sit on some blankets or something, bro, 100%, don't mess up my car?

Anthony Watson: 25:37

No way bro. Oh, mate, but I, because of my dad, and like his background, I knew he can Handle himself. So when he comes to my mum I ain't got nothing to complain about.

Harry Aikines : 25:46

I love that man, but this is, this is the energy you give everything just calm. It's calm, but when? When do you get Sort of like the emotional peaks and troughs?

Anthony Watson: 25:57

Uh, bad games. Okay, yeah, that's probably one where it's it's not as bad as it was.

Harry Aikines : 26:03

But, like.

Anthony Watson: 26:04

I'm still not in a great mood for probably a couple, until I've been able to get on the training pitch again. I'm not in a good mood because there's can it?

Harry Aikines : 26:10

can it sit on your mind For too long sometimes? Do you find that?

Anthony Watson: 26:14

Uh, yeah, it does, and I I like it in a weird way because I think that it's like it gives me something to go after when I get back to training and you know but that's accountability right.

Anthony Watson: 26:25

Yeah, yeah, you have to do it. Well, I just I don't know. I've seen it in the past a lot with rugby, where people make mistakes and I come in on Monday and they're laughing and joking about it and I'm like, bro, we lost the game because you did that and you want to laugh and joke about it? Like bro, you can't do that, right? Um.

Harry Aikines : 26:40

I'll, for me anyway.

Anthony Watson: 26:42

Yeah, I don't say that I'm just thinking it.

Harry Aikines : 26:44

No, I think that's it, like you're not getting phased by anything. You're staying true to yourself and you're being who you are. Yeah well, try to. Yeah, try to, but you've got to salute that. Now, obviously, we're at that point where the goodies are here. The goodies are here. We're talking about that discount code that I promised earlier, the exclusive offer from usn. So make sure you fill up your baskets and when you do put in this promo code we're talking hgc and Treat yourself, why not? So, on that note, I do have a little gift for you. Obviously, you can't be coming empty handed.

Anthony Watson: 27:17

If everyone at home is gonna get something, you should get something. Feel free to open up.

Harry Aikines : 27:20

So obviously people on the podcast, they can't see what's happening. I was it. I'm passing.

Anthony Watson: 27:24

I'm passing a gift over.

Harry Aikines : 27:26

I mean, look we've got some supplements in there, right, appreciate it, bro. Supplementation, what would you? What are you taking? What do you like to take? Are you pure natural? I just like to eat my meats and that's it. Where are you at with that?

Anthony Watson: 27:39

It depends what kind of phase I'm going through when I'm injured. I definitely try and uptake a lot of supplements and stuff that will help.

Harry Aikines : 27:46

All of it in there 100% bro 50 mega-freezing there. And turmeric down, Get the turmeric in. Yeah, but apart from that, bro, it's not like.

Anthony Watson: 27:56

I'm not obsessed, to be honest with you.

Harry Aikines : 27:58

We've taken supplements here it's more of a recovery thing, right, yeah, 100%.

Anthony Watson: 28:01

After a session I'll take apprenticeship, but it's not like I have to take apprenticeship today or something like that.

Harry Aikines : 28:06

Do you know what I mean, what you like?

Anthony Watson: 28:07

have you tried collagen at all? I have, bro. I have to with the tendons right, telling you right I can't lie me and collagen go hand in hand.

Harry Aikines : 28:14

I think it's one of those supplements, because people expect me to take something hardcore all the time I'm sat here. I'm like I take my ZMA at night, I have my collagen in the morning, 100%.

Anthony Watson: 28:24

But those little ones are the best ones, bro.

Harry Aikines : 28:27

When you're actually thinking about the tools that you need to use. Your tendons play a big part. Why are you not supplementing things for joint and range movement 100%, on that note. Other than rugby, other than sprint training, are there any ulterior methods of training that you've done? So myself, when I've got my back injury, I know for a fact that I need to get on my Pilates. Ah, okay, that's funny.

Anthony Watson: 28:46

I literally started again Pilates this week. Mad For my back, that's one I've loved. And then how humbling is it, by the way. Oh, my God bro.

Harry Aikines : 28:56

Look, we are two very strong men. Yeah, put us in a room full of ladies, double our age, and they'll be moving better than us.

Anthony Watson: 29:03

I'm telling you, when my legs go in those stirrups, I feel like it's like, honestly, it's just wild On the floor really, yeah, bro. Yeah, oh, bro, honestly I feel so vulnerable. Every way it's just nuts.

Harry Aikines : 29:14

It's not natural, and in your weak and nut position as well, oh, bro, and then they're coming over moving your legs.

Anthony Watson: 29:18

I'm like bro, bro, bro, just-.

Harry Aikines : 29:20

Oh nice, and breathe. Yeah, I love Pilates. To be fair, anyone that does it at a high level, I respect you for that. So you've got Pilates in the bag. Is there anything? Are you some of cross training?

Anthony Watson: 29:30

Because from a cardiovascular perspective. How do you stay fit, mate? To be honest with you, if I'm not running I don't really like doing anything Like. I enjoy boxing a little bit. It's calm On the pads and that, but outside of that, bro, I don't like sitting on a bike and conditioning.

Harry Aikines : 29:44

Let's be real though. Fuck, you're 6'2", yeah, yeah, maybe 6'3", 6'2" yeah.

Anthony Watson: 29:49

I wish I was 6'3". I'm trying to give you an extra. Thank you, bro, I appreciate it.

Harry Aikines : 29:52

That's what you meant to be like. No, I'm 6'3".

Anthony Watson: 29:55

I can't lie bro. I can't lie.

Harry Aikines : 29:56

I'm sorry, but like you're fast, you're muscular, you're athletic. You could have actually played any sport. Really, truly, you're athletic though. So if you had that option you know what, where like would you give yourself an NFL career? Would you try boxing like I definitely wouldn't try boxing bro Too pretty for boxing to do this. Yeah, no, no, no.

Anthony Watson: 30:15

It's all well and good to be able to hit some pads bro and someone wants to cart you in the face. It's a different story.

Harry Aikines : 30:19

No, thank you. No, no, no charity boxing matches coming up.

Anthony Watson: 30:22

Actually, you know what I would do, that I'm fine but I ain't trying to do it when someone's really trying to take my head off. Tommy Fury, you got a comment.

Harry Aikines : 30:27

Here's your next. Listen. Let's get him in the ring with KSI or someone you look so right. He's angry now.

Anthony Watson: 30:33

Yeah, bro man.

Harry Aikines : 30:35

I'm gonna try to fight him next.

Anthony Watson: 30:36

Maybe one after that.

Harry Aikines : 30:37

Yeah, when he's calmed down a bit. Yeah, yeah, yeah, I hear that. So if you were to do any other sport, what would it be?

Anthony Watson: 30:43

I would have loved to have tried NFL to be fair, but I think with that sport, bro, you've got to do it when you're young.

Harry Aikines : 30:48

Yeah.

Anthony Watson: 30:49

Like real young, because I think that you know you. Obviously Christian Wade tried it and what I saw, it looked like he killed it. But from my perspective, if he can't go from rugby to the NFL and killing there's not many people who can.

Harry Aikines : 31:03

Well, would you say that, like, obviously the attributes are the same, it's just the playbook, understanding their philosophies and how they want you to move and how they want you to play. But would you, would you consider, have you ever considered that?

Anthony Watson: 31:13

Yeah, I did. Yeah, I did for for a. It was probably a two year period where I was really looking at it.

Harry Aikines : 31:18

What made you think that, though, is it like? Because it's quite a glamorous sport over there and the squads are massive. Obviously, your play times minimal in terms of jumping on, jumping off, yeah, yeah, yeah, it's not as consistent, was it? Was it that part that's attractive, or just?

Anthony Watson: 31:32

It was more just like that's when I really fell in love with that sport and I was like, let me just see.

Harry Aikines : 31:38

So you're late up at night watching these matches. Yeah, these games, I love it bro. I love it honestly.

Anthony Watson: 31:42

What about what?

Harry Aikines : 31:43

about it? Do you love them? So you got. You get the what do they call it in the car parts, the Ah car yeah.

Anthony Watson: 31:49

Tailgate. That's it, yeah, yeah, yeah, barbeque in America they're trucks.

Harry Aikines : 31:54

What elements of that sport would you take and bring to rugby?

Anthony Watson: 31:57

Um, I think the like tribalism of it, like people love their team, like and that's your team, and it's like not fighting in the car part like football, but like I don't know they're quite friendly with it, though Exactly they get up in each other's faces, but I never see anyone really swinging Exactly, whereas it takes two seconds for Brits to start swinging. Honestly, it takes nothing. It's mad, it is mad.

Harry Aikines : 32:17

Do you ever feel that sense of whenever you felt so loved by your fans? At what club?

Anthony Watson: 32:24

Um, lester's got quite a nice fan base, to be fair. Yeah, they're quite like passionate and they're selling out of state and it's a big stadium, they're there every week but Bath was the same. I think it's more to be honest, you feel because it's more people and it's a bigger deal when you play for England. It is more like this is it.

Harry Aikines : 32:44

This is it. And do you like? One thing I would say about you? Know, in the, I feel like the England national team has much more of a follow-ship, would you say. When I look at football, for example, during the international break you hear some people fall off and then the nation rallies up for the international tournament, whereas I feel like it's quite consistent throughout. But you guys stay quite close in touch with the England camp, right, in terms of what? Sorry, in terms of like, you're always in, like training camps. You're always in touch with. There's always some form of communication, if I'm correct.

Anthony Watson: 33:17

A little bit. Yeah, it's quite like six-week block, go back to your club and then you might have like a mini-camp and then back to your club, like that type of thing. It's not like we're always, like every month we come together. It's very much like you're at your clubs and then you come meet up and then we've got a game.

Harry Aikines : 33:33

But it seems more regularly than they might do in football, for example. Yeah, yeah, yeah, it might be, it might be, but yeah.

Anthony Watson: 33:38

I don't know.

Harry Aikines : 33:39

And so for people trying to get into rugby, then is it a sense of to me. I've never played, ever played. So I'm not just saying I would have been good. I don't know, I might have taken one here and said see you later. I'm sure you would have been class-played.

Anthony Watson: 33:51

Yeah, I mean, I've got some aggression in me.

Harry Aikines : 33:52

you know, I mean I've got to get out, but, like you said, taking it's different. So where do you need to go? Like what do you need to do? Like, how did you find that path? Because is it the case of being scouted or is it the case of performing? And then you know performing for some form of school level, college level, where? How do you make that? Like transition from school team to international level?

Anthony Watson: 34:13

Yeah, it is like similar to footballing that you'll get scouted by a team or whatever, but it's very. It's a slower process in that, like you hear of kids getting picked up at eight or nine and they drop out of school and stuff at 13 and go to a different school to play football. Rugby is very much like you'll find out at 18. Okay, so it's definitely later down the line, but I just think that, with rugby in particular, I just think that, to be fair, actually, even with football, I just think that we're very quick to specialise in a sport. Okay, yeah, I just don't think that it's the way to go.

Harry Aikines : 34:49

You're right, I literally was like talking about that specificity, specificity, yeah that's a long one.

Anthony Watson: 34:55

Specificity yeah, there you go.

Harry Aikines : 34:59

Hey well, athletes out here. I signed a contract with Nike when I was like 16, it's a straight away. No American college would have touched me or even had a conversation with me about trying to play NFL, for example. Because obviously I've got the attributes. I had pecs when I was 16. I was slightly wamp, so slightly wamp. I was slightly wamp. You were definitely massive in it. Yeah, I was massive, I was massive.

Anthony Watson: 35:26

Don't try the humble tea over here, bro I was massive.

Harry Aikines : 35:29

So I could have made that talking about that transition, could have studied over there or something and made a point of learning that as well. But, like you said, I specified so early on and I became 100 metres sprinting at that point. And don't get me wrong, I've had a good career. I'm doing what I need to do. But you asked the question what else could I have done? I could have even been a good long jumper, but unfortunately, once you're so good at something, you stick to that. If you were to double up on something is that the case of you saying that you would have played another sport alongside playing rugby as well? What would it have been?

Anthony Watson: 35:59

Well, no, it was more for me that when I got to 15, I was like all I want to do is play rugby Facts, like I'm not trying to like even my mates. I was at school, so I was like my mates were playing cricket and hockey and all this stuff and I was just like no.

Harry Aikines : 36:12

Yeah, I'm not saying, I'm just playing rugby, so like if I get hurt playing hockey, then you know it takes away from rugby.

Anthony Watson: 36:17

I just think that I would have and I see it with players who played other sports for longer like their ability to pick up skills playing rugby is just wildly different to guys who have focused on rugby for so long. So that's why I think that you can get so early on, you can get so obsessed with like this is all I want to do, when actually I think it's maybe it's the role of the parents really just to be like now we'll just broaden your horizons and then you can choose later on.

Anthony Watson: 36:43

That's what I think, anyways.

Harry Aikines : 36:44

Is that something you're going to plan to do 100%?

Anthony Watson: 36:46

But he ain't playing rugby, bro. There's no way my son ain't playing rugby.

Harry Aikines : 36:49

No, what's he going to start with? What's the menu? Golf number one, bro. Okay, can you play golf?

Anthony Watson: 36:56

No, I try, but I love it.

Harry Aikines : 36:58

I was a wedge man can't play golf.

Anthony Watson: 36:59

Yeah, it's right, the mobility is just ain't there. No thoracic no, we're moving one block.

Harry Aikines : 37:05

Yeah, but I'll be at the range in a day bro, Literally that's fair enough. That's something I didn't know about, but it makes sense because you're calmness in that calm environment. I'm not calm on the golf, but is that because you're getting it wrong?

Anthony Watson: 37:17

Oh yeah, 100%. There have been times where I've had the shanks and it's like, oh my God, bro, it's actually up there with the most depressing. How sad is that to say, bro, I swear when you've got the shanks, bro it's like nothing you ever experienced.

Harry Aikines : 37:30

So you're at the driving range, you're trying to get better at that, but what's your pattern game like then? No pattern's dead as well.

Anthony Watson: 37:36

There's actually not much going for me, I'll be honest, but I love it. You enjoy the process. When do you get time? Days off, bro? Yeah.

Harry Aikines : 37:44

What's your schedule look like? So in terms of when you've, is it curated uniquely to you in terms of a day, or is it like the team does everything together? Oh, yeah, yeah.

Anthony Watson: 37:56

No, it's getting better with rugby in terms of individualization, but it's very much around the team and what the team does. So Monday is normally a clarity day. You go in, do weights, have a meeting and then do a team session outside, which might be an hour long, but it's not fast or hard. Tuesday is normally pretty hard, so it's the same morning and then the afternoon session is like you're being each other up.

Harry Aikines : 38:20

Cool, all the forwards are.

Anthony Watson: 38:22

So it's intense, it's intense, yeah, yeah yeah, so that'll be like a lot of running and a lot of contact. And then they've changed. A lot of clubs have changed now to only train on a Thursday, which is fast, and then Friday is off. Play on Saturday, which is a massive difference, because before you train Thursday, and Friday.

Harry Aikines : 38:37

That's where the sports science coming in people understanding how people recover. Would you say that your body types have changed a bit? What throughout the years? Like yeah, when I look back at some of the old rugby, sort of content I'll be sat on question of sport, and I'm looking at old videos of Matt, for example, back in those days.

Harry Aikines : 38:55

It's a different sport. They look so different. Everyone looks sort of athletic. Now to the point. Across the whole board there's no one that's slacking in any type of capacity. So you guys running more, you covering more ground, yeah yeah, Covering more ground, doing it faster, more contact harder contact and does that come in the gym? Like, do you have any favorite exercise in the gym? Do you like the gym or do you like to just play rugby?

Anthony Watson: 39:21

Go through phases mate. Sometimes I'm like I love the gym, like it's definitely linking favorite.

Harry Aikines : 39:27

What were your favorite movements?

Anthony Watson: 39:29

I've always liked a split-squat Okay.

Harry Aikines : 39:31

Yeah, gary, oh, just yeah, I'm nasty days.

Anthony Watson: 39:34

I know you got a bundle in it.

Harry Aikines : 39:38

I like it Below. It starts. It's on ball game split-squat barbell on back or dumbbells.

Anthony Watson: 39:48

On back. If I can you know when you're in the backs of it, pete? Your grip will go before anything else with the hand.

Harry Aikines : 39:56

That's a very good point. That's a very good point.

Anthony Watson: 39:58

I wish I was good at Olympic lifting. I mean so crap.

Harry Aikines : 40:02

But do what have you guys ever needed to do in the pick? Lifting is my point. We don't need to. No one needs to is a form of expressing explosivity and power. Sure, yeah, I know we do it for a lot of our block starts and looking at the first ten meters or so and just being Expressives from, I can't do anything overhead. So when people see me power clean, obviously I can move like 180 or whatever. It's wild. But then they're like okay, now let's see what you can do over your head. And then 50 kilos.

Anthony Watson: 40:30

But I swear to God, if I tried to let a lot not clean, even pick up a hundred, my back would crumble like a slow cook.

Harry Aikines : 40:37

Glam shot me give it to two months of polite, isn't? You might be good to go. I'm telling you there's no way.

Anthony Watson: 40:43

My spine it ready for you. You got a long.

Harry Aikines : 40:46

You got your lung. You are quite long, so you've got a long spine. Yeah, that's a lot of movement and the boss got a long way to travel.

Anthony Watson: 40:51

Yeah, me and my five, five eleven self.

Harry Aikines : 40:58

I'm even stretchers, because when people look at me they're like, yeah, you must gym mad. But again, it's specific to your sport though. So do you like in your off-season do you just hit Jim just for aesthetics, like is that something?

Anthony Watson: 41:12

I only hit Jim in off-season to make sure that when I come into preseason I'm not Starting from zero.

Harry Aikines : 41:18

Yeah, like really and truly, that makes sense.

Anthony Watson: 41:20

There's obviously a part of it. I ain't trying to get fat.

Harry Aikines : 41:22

Yeah, I reckon People they just got good genes, like they're just good.

Anthony Watson: 41:29

I've never seen you look any other way, I reckon I could get fat Bro.

Harry Aikines : 41:33

Yeah, so we just make a challenge.

Anthony Watson: 41:34

I swear, if I could run for like five months, I reckon that'd be.

Harry Aikines : 41:38

What's the intake like? What are you eating? I?

Anthony Watson: 41:42

Don't know, I don't really cook a little bit.

Harry Aikines : 41:45

Not a little bit. What's your best dish?

Anthony Watson: 41:47

I need to know now what's your best I recently started trying to cook a lot more, but I only try and cook food that I like eating. Okay, so like I try and make oxtail, I try to make jollof rice.

Harry Aikines : 41:56

Yeah, I'm trying my mom, long grain, my mom. So when you're saying, you, you're, these are actually quite good dishes to cook, by the way, like you're, you're, you're a loaded down by my friends you're looking at, that's not easy. So if you're putting, if you're putting that way, do you eat a lot? Is that something like? Do you feel like you require a lot of food?

Anthony Watson: 42:37

No, I don't think, I just want to know you just like eating. I do like eating. Is there sugar in there? Like I love, harry, I love sweet, yeah, yeah.

Harry Aikines : 42:51

The whole tagline is kids and grown-ups love it so yeah, come on the grown-up man. So when you're talking sugar, can you bake? No, I like to bake, is it? Yeah? So I like what if I, if I, if I Like, we talk about being obsessed with stuff. So if I eat something my mom taught me from young, if you, you know how your parents would be like it's too expensive to go ahead. So if you want McDonald's, I've got McDonald's.

Anthony Watson: 43:15

Open the tough way, the ice cream.

Harry Aikines : 43:22

There was always stew in the house, but long story short.

Anthony Watson: 43:25

Do you know what's matter about stew? Yeah, when you're growing up you're like no, and then when you go home I'm like Mom, was a stew, give me some rice and stew is such a staple in the house and it fills you up, you feel good about it.

Harry Aikines : 43:40

But my mom taught me that if you like something, yeah, learn how to make it. It's cheaper. So I'd go to some bougie restaurants and this is like maybe the young soul African in me I'll be like excuse me, sorry, can I get a recipe for this please?

Anthony Watson: 43:54

Trust me.

Harry Aikines : 43:56

My chocolate fondant. You know that one little cake where you like, you piss it in it and it's. There's no, what you're doing.

Anthony Watson: 44:02

I can make that?

Harry Aikines : 44:02

Wow, yeah, I can tell you right now. 200 grams of sugar. 200 grams of dark dark chocolate. Obviously For this recipe I need six, six eggs and then six egg yolks, like I can literally just add a little bit of vanilla extract in there.

Anthony Watson: 44:18

200 grams of butter mix it on job in the hour not self-raise, bro.

Harry Aikines : 44:23

Oh my, I was on it and the problem is I only the game your recipe that makes it for like 15 people Sat in the kitchen, so when I make the batch I have to invite people around to eat. It is long, but that's what I'm saying, like when, when, like you talk about happiness, food is Is the key, right? So when you're talking about balance, how do you keep the happy and the and the professional?

Anthony Watson: 44:48

You got to eat at the right times. To be honest with you, I'm not the best one, mate.

Harry Aikines : 44:53

I'll be honest with you now, but it's facts right, yeah, I try and be as good as.

Anthony Watson: 44:56

I can at the end of the day like I Haven't got fat yet. So Things are working okay for now. I'm good right now. Now that's a good to go.

Harry Aikines : 45:10

All right, though, but what something we have to appreciate right now, my man, being honest, when we talk about happiness, yeah, what? What truly makes you happy outside sport?

Anthony Watson: 45:19

Just being around my family? Yeah, that network, yeah, but it's not even just like my immediate family. I miss the little one. It's like going home and seeing my parents like there's just nothing for me that can just being surrounded by them. Nothing can compete with that, to my head when I walk into it.

Harry Aikines : 45:35

I've got African household or is. He can relate. And the energy, yeah, yeah, yeah, it's. I don't know how to explain it because it just it lifts you up without lifting. Yeah, and there's something about sitting with your siblings and just being able to chill just chat rubbish.

Anthony Watson: 45:51

I'm pretty lucky, though, to be honest, that like I've obviously my dad's white and my mum's Nigerian, so like I've got a bit of the best of both, in my opinion you know, like when the african side of my family's round. Bro, you know they're round from round the block you can hear them.

Harry Aikines : 46:05

Yeah, 100% and you can smell the food from round the block too.

Anthony Watson: 46:10

You are big now. Yeah, 100%. They're dissing one of these for a little 20 pound. Well, I'm 29 years old. Why are you still giving me money? It's more small, yeah, and then. Yeah, obviously, like my dad's side of family is fairly local so like being able to spend time with them as well as it's cool man.

Harry Aikines : 46:28

Yeah, that's why I enjoy it. So, looking into the future, now you've got I don't even know where you know, you kind of see yourself, but what is it that you want to work on and like? What is it that you sort of want to value?

Anthony Watson: 46:41

more. I haven't won a domestic league yet, so I really want to win. Yeah, I need to win the Premiership before I'm done playing.

Anthony Watson: 46:51

I want to play for as long as I can you know, like 34 or 35 round that time and I just want to win as much as I can and enjoy the whole process of doing it and not just get so bogged down and, oh shit, I haven't done it this year and not another year, and just kind of try and enjoy playing as much as I can because, like you know what it's like, man, you can get it, it can be taken away so quick. It's just like. Then I'm a little bit conflicted with trying to enjoy it as much as possible but trying to maximize it as well. So just trying to figure that out, but you've got to promise me when you do win Premiership.

Harry Aikines : 47:24

Yeah, you're gonna enjoy it.

Anthony Watson: 47:26

Yeah, I have to, but I have to After this chat now.

Harry Aikines : 47:28

yeah, because I believe in, like speaking things into existence and all of that nonsense that some people believe in or don't believe in. I think energy is kind of like collide, like even how we met way back when. I can't even remember when was it 2015, we were in New York, you know, and I'm going there tomorrow. Oh, you were posy, weren't you? Yeah, yeah, that's what I'm trying to say.

Anthony Watson: 47:48

Actually that is funny. Yeah, I'm pretty sure I've got a picture of us and the gears we're wearing are.

Harry Aikines : 47:54

Everything was tight, super tight. Yeah, everyone knew that we were British in America, 100%.

Anthony Watson: 48:01

Yeah, with the V's and the flippant, yeah, 100%.

Harry Aikines : 48:04

There's that picture of us outside, because I look at that and it's, like you said, random how everyone comes across. But we actually had to say that I don't want to say what we were drinking, but because we I know exactly what we were as well. I remember what we were drinking because your boy Troy, as well, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. So this is what I'm saying. I was athletes. We can collaborate in different ways.

Harry Aikines : 48:21

You know, yeah, yeah, yeah, oh, that's right, I mean, energy is colliding in such a positive way and I think like being able to you know, see someone like your journey, like when you've had your ups and downs, it kind of reinforces even someone like myself, like I think I've got, because you're 92 in it, 94. 94 birthday, yeah, yeah, so I've got a fair few years on you, I've got six years on you. But like seeing like your ups and downs of injuries, I get those same sort of injuries, like I had surgery on my hands and I'm just like I see people that come through certain things and it's like you don't realise how much we lift each other up 100%. You talk about going into your 30s and doing well, bro, I'm 35 and I feel better than I did when I was 20.

Anthony Watson: 48:58

Is it? Yeah, so that gives me you're right, that gives me confidence.

Harry Aikines : 49:01

I mean, I'm still learning new tricks. I've got a new coach, but at the end of the day, it's just as good as you feel. But, like the things that you're talking about, I'm excited for you because you're talking about balance and you're talking about happiness and trying to find where you push this and push that, and I remember being at that similar sort of point, because track and field lacks in a lot of the way it gives back. Yeah, yeah, you know so. When you're not finding that a sport's giving back to you, but you're working so hard for it, where'd you go? But I've been able to find some positivity in it and if you can find any positivity in that, these next few years are going to be exciting for you. I hope so. Yeah, exciting. We get over all these injuries, though. Yeah, 100%, we need to tag team and do some Pilates together.

Anthony Watson: 49:39

Both coming out, they're sweating.

Harry Aikines : 49:42

Anyone want to take us on for the?

Anthony Watson: 49:43

Pilates.

Harry Aikines : 49:44

Yeah, we're good to go, but look and then he look, it's been what I would say an amazing hour chatting to you. Yeah, I appreciate that, man. I think you deserve everything's good that comes to you. We've got some daddy dates that we do even touch on being dads, because being a dad is rough.

Anthony Watson: 49:56

Bro, if I miss this year that is pee.

Harry Aikines : 50:00

Do you know why? It is because you've got someone that you love so much, and then they give you how much back they? Make you laugh, make you smile, and I know it's for the long term. So that's an investment I'm working on.

Anthony Watson: 50:11

You've got to go through the grind, our selfish athletes, but wait.

Harry Aikines : 50:15

I've got to give up my time. Yeah, I know it's tough. We can touch on that when season two comes back around and we're touching that. Do you know we're just doing a daddy podcast in. It Sounds good. That'll be separate, yeah. I hear you but dude, thank you for coming on. I hope you've had a good little chat, 100%, 100%. You can switch yourself and it's absolutely sick to have you. So people out there subscribe, do the usual follow along, jump in, give Anthony an absolutely awesome applause and support in common.