Jimmy Gopperth: Leicester Tigers fly-half on playing at 39, surfing & state of rugby
- Published
Jimmy Gopperth says surfing has played a major part in his longevity as a professional rugby union player
Leicester Tigers fly-half and passionate surfer Jimmy Gopperth says he has ridden rugby union's wave of success.
He also fears what the wipeout suffered by his former club Wasps could do to his legacy in the game.
At the age of 39, he is the oldest active player in the Premiership and aims to be just the second in the competition's history to continue beyond 40.
Surfing, he says, has been key to nurturing his body and mind in that time.
It is with sadness that the New Zealander talks about possibly even outlasting his former club Wasps.
Gopperth moved to English champions Leicester in the summer, just months before the financially-stricken club went into administration and were eventually suspended and relegated from England's top-flight.
When asked if he is concerned about the state of rugby union following the Coventry-based club's collapse - and similarly traumatic demise of Worcester, Gopperth replied: "I think I'm very privileged because I think I've seen the best of it.
"It hurt me personally, I'd just come from Wasps and had loads of friends there.
"It's very obvious with clubs going under that something has to happen.
"There is loads of chat that other clubs are in a similar situation. You don't like to see it. It's people's livelihoods, it's the game we love - and not just the players but the supporters.
"Hopefully in the long run they get something more sustainable together so that all these teams can really drive forward.
"All we can do on the field is give 110% every single time we are out there to make it exciting, and to give people something to cheer and be excited about."
Gopperth (right) left Wasps for Leicester Tigers in the summer
Despite having left the club, Gopperth says he has been financially caught up in the situation at Wasps.
But it is all that he achieved at the club - his 156 games over seven years, two Premiership final appearances, as well as the Player of the Year and Golden Boot awards collected along the way - that he fears will be diminished if Wasps fail to be revived.
"If they never come back, they are gone," he told BBC Sport.
"I've got all this playing history - 150-odd games for this club that is 150-odd years old - and if I talk to someone in future about Wasps and what I did there they might say 'who are they?'
"On a personal level that's quite hard.
"What I hope is that everything gets sorted and that they come back."
Wasps' future may remain uncertain, but Gopperth's place in the annals of England's top flight is already assured.
He is the fourth highest scorer in the competition's history and could be just the second player to feature in the Premiership at the age of 40, after fellow New Zealander and former Tiger Brad Thorn.
The fly-half became the oldest active player this season after Leicester's Richard Wigglesworth retired to take up the role of interim head coach of the club, following Steve Borthwick's departure for the England job.
'Age is just a number'
Gopperth has made nine appearances for Leicester Tigers this season
Gopperth was evasive when asked if his Tigers' contract extended beyond his next birthday, but insists he has no immediate plans to retire.
"People say to me that 'you will be playing until you are 50'. It's like a challenge for me as well," he said.
"I'll keep going until I get up one morning and don't want to go to training. At the moment I'm waking up ready to roll.
"The love of it is still there. As long as I'm producing on the field and it's helping my team-mates, then I will keep going. And as long as teams want to keep employing me, that's the main thing."
At Tigers, Gopperth is referred to by some team-mates as 'koro' - a title of respect for an elderly man in the Maori language.
He is quick to say "age is just a number" but also knows that a career that has already lasted two decades and spanned both hemispheres has filled his life with valuable experiences.
"It would be selfish of me to keep all my knowledge and not pass it through," he said.
"I really enjoy passing that knowledge on to the young guys, even if it means that they are overtaking me and playing in front of me."
For all Gopperth has done in the game, it is away from the pitch that he learned to survive and thrive in the sport.
"I have loads of friends that are just rugby, rugby, rugby and burnt out completely at quite young," he said.
"It's so important to have a balanced lifestyle.
"I started surfing when I was a young kid. That has helped my longevity as well because you use so many different muscles, especially core stability.
"When I got to Newcastle I surfed, at Leinster there was surf and then at Wasps and here we are literally in the middle of the land. That's the reason I've taken up golf because I haven't been able to get to the ocean as much.
"When I play those sports or do those things, I completely switch off from rugby.
"I just don't overthink rugby, I'm not thinking about it 24/7. And that has been the key."
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