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'What a s**t show it has been. It is a real shame and I am gutted'
By Gavin Harper
When the season kicked off earlier this month with the Premiership Cup, prop Steven Longwell was looking forward to his third season at Jersey.
But just three weeks later, the 33-year-old is without a job and scrambling about to find a future in the sport following Jersey's demise this week.
The big prop has had a varied career has taken him from Scottish Premiership winners Ayr and stints with Verona in Italy and in the US capital with Old Glory DC before he signed up for island life in 2021.
He was a cornerstone of the pack that surprised many by winning the Championship title, but five months on and Longwell is without a job.
"What a shit show it has been. It is a real shame and I am gutted.
"I had a lot of love for the club, especially after everything we achieved last year, but it is gutwrenching."
Longwell revealed there had been an issue with pay last month, but the players were told that was down to a bank holiday.
"There was a banking issue," he said.
"But it was over a bank holiday. We were told there was nothing to worry about, but when you read between the lines, that doesn't look like a coincidence."
He also said at the end of last season, the players had been given assurances around the club's financial position in the wake of the collapses of three Premiership sides.
"After everything that happened to Worcester, Wasps and London Irish, we had assurances from the club that we were financially secure," he said.
His first knowledge of a serious problem was when the players were summoned to a meeting at 7.30am on Thursday morning.
"We were due to fly to Cornwall but we all got a WhatsApp message before 6am and that [chairman] Mark Morgan was coming in.
"That meeting was uncomfortable. When Mark came out with another board member and a lawyer, I think we knew then it wasn't good news.
"You never think it's going to happen to you but all of a sudden you are unemployed."
Such was his disappointment at the news on Thursday, the big tighthead boarded the first flight off the island and home to Glasgow.
"There is no reason for me to be there, so I thought I would just get out.
"I live with other players and the mood yesterday wasn't nice.
"Rugby holds a different cameraderie to most other jobs, so when something like this happens, you don't lose colleagues, you lose best friends.
"It is a really tough pill to swallow."
At 33, Longwell knows his days at the coalface may be numbered, but Longwell hopes he can pick up another contract after some good performances for Jersey.
"The market is even more polluted with players looking for jobs, but I hope something will get sorted soon.
"If not, I might fall back on my coaching and get into a rugby development role. It's just a waiting game at the moment, which is difficult because I'm just in limbo at the moment."
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Latest Comments
We beat Wales. Oh wow.
Go to commentsAs has been the way all year, and for all England's play I can remember. I missed a lot of the better years under Eddie though.
Lets have a look at the LQB for the last few games... 41% under 3 sec compared to 56% last week, 47% in the game you felt England best in against NZ, and 56 against Ireland.
That was my impression as well. Dunno if that is a lack of good counterattack ball from the D, forward dominance (Post Contact Meters stats reversed yesterday compared to that fast Ireland game), or some Borthwick scheme, but I think that has been highlighted as Englands best point of difference this year with their attack, more particularly how they target using it in certain areas. So depending on how you look at it, not necessarily the individual players.
You seem to be falling into the same trap as NZs supporters when it comes to Damien McKenzie. That play you highlight Slade in wasn't one of those LQB situations from memory, that was all on the brilliance of Smith. Sure, Slade did his job in that situation, but Smith far exceeded his (though I understand it was a move Sleightholme was calling for). But yeah, it's not always going to be on a platter from your 10 and NZ have been missing that Slade line, in your example, more often than not too. When you go back to Furbank and Feyi-Waboso returns you'll have that threat again. Just need to generate that ball, wait for some of these next Gen forwards to come through etc, the props and injured 6 coming back to the bench. I don't think you can put Earl back to 7, unless he spends the next two years speeding up (which might be good for him because he's getting beat by speed like he's not used to not having his own speed to react anymore).
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