New Duckham ready for big step

As a kid of four or five, Phil Christophers would sit in front of the television and run through video tapes of great tries, scored by great players.

One of the figures who flickered across the screen was David Duckham, leggy hero of Coventry, the Barbarians and England. Christophers would mimic Duckham's style in his thoughts, delight in the dumbfounded reaction of defenders wrong-footed by one of the game's most naturally exuberant sidesteps. When Christophers, at high speed, shifted one way, then the next to leave Argentina's full-back for dead and score a Test- debut try at the back end of last season, he was putting into thrilling practice what he had seen all those years ago.

At 22, and entering his second season with Bristol, Christophers never watched Duckham in the flesh. Just as well, perhaps. All the youngster knows are the good bits.

"Of course, I only ever saw him scoring tries," said Christophers, who put two of his own in the bank for a non-cap England against the Barbarians before his full debut in Buenos Aires. "I never saw him over 80 minutes, but he was definitely one of my role models. I'd think about what he did, his technique, and copy him in my mind. I can't say, but people have told me my step is the same."

It is too early to say whether Christophers will become a similar inspiration to some future dreamer. He has certainly made a good start, and from unusual beginnings. For one thing, those videos were imports, viewed in the family home in Heidelberg, Germany. Christophers' mother is from Berlin, and met his English father while he was working as an international salesman in the chemical business. Phil came to school in England for the first time aged 16, to do his A-levels at Lancaster Royal Grammar, but his rugby-loving dad had long made sure that Duckham and not, say, Klinsmann, was his sporting inspiration.

"I went through the England age groups at Under-16 and Under-18," Christophers recalls, with the noticeable inflection which tells of his upbringing, "then went to Loughborough to do a degree in Modern European Studies."

Which led to another twist in the rugby tale. On a gap year in France, Christophers found himself in the centre for Brive in a pre-season trial. "I didn't expect to play much," said Christophers, "but I ended up missing only one match out of about 28 that year, scoring, I think, nine tries."

Far from being lost in France, Christophers was called up by England Under-21s for the shadow Six Nations in spring 2001. Last summer, when he returned to England to complete his degree, he was offered terms by Bristol, Wasps and Gloucester. The connections with each were simple – England's Under-21 coaches Dean Ryan and Nigel Melville were at Bristol and Wasps respectively; Laurent Seigne, once of Brive, was assisting Gloucester. Christophers chose Bristol.

"It's a nice city," he said. "And Jason Little [Bristol's Australian centre and captain last season] was here, and I hoped to learn a lot from his qualities." Bristol supporters quickly learned about Christophers' qualities – he played full-back and centre (his preferred position) but most often on the wing, scoring 11 tries in 34 matches. Roaming the field, attacking space rather than the opponent, Christophers is an eye-catcher. And the blond, flyaway hair is Duckham to a tee.

Bristol finished eighth in the Premiership but qualified for the Heineken Cup for the first time by being runners-up in the Championship play-offs. The play-off final against Gloucester forced Christophers to postpone his last exam – until tomorrow morning, as it happens. "I've got to do this exam, then my degree is finished and I just want to concentrate on rugby for the next few years. I always wanted to go into international business. I love travelling, and I want to put my foreign languages to use."

A fruity Spanish phrase doubtless escaped the lips of Argentina's Ignacio Corleto when Christophers swept past him at Velez Sarsfield in June. "To be fair, he didn't really stand a chance. He came across the field, on a diagonal angle, and unless he could slow down and show me the outside, he was bound to be wrong-footed. It was a great feeling in my first Test, a superb experience in front of a big crowd, sensational."

All the more so because England's wet-behind-the-ears combination triumphed where a stronger-looking France had fallen a week earlier. If the point of the trip was to bring on fringe candidates for World Cup selection, the beam on Clive Woodward's face signalled success.

Christophers has no idea what the international season holds for him. "We did fitness testing with England about a month ago," he said, "but the management haven't spoken to me about what will happen."

With the Tri-Nations trio all due at Twickenham in Nov-ember, and Harlequins' Dan Luger out injured until at least February, the No 14 jersey hangs unclaimed. Austin Healey, James Simpson-Daniel and Paul Sackey have their supporters. Then there is Christophers, although he may lack the all-out pace for the position at Test level.

Hence his leaning towards centre, where he has the defensive attributes to prosper. "I know a lot of players were missing when I played against the Barbarians and went to Argentina. Hopefully I was able to impress, but my mentality towards it is, I give 100 per cent. If it works, it works. It if doesn't, it doesn't. I don't make the selections."

As for Bristol, Little has gone, and so has Ryan. Christophers the linguist resists a chorus of 'Je ne regrette rien', but is cautiously optimistic. "For us to do as well as at the end of last season, a lot of people have to step forward. Guys like Pich [Agustin Pichot] and Arch [Garath Archer] have been there, and hopefully they'll be able to take charge. We've got a lot of potential. It's about maturing and being smart, I think."